What makes teacher professional development actually effective—and why does so much mandatory PD fail to meet teachers’ needs?

In this episode of Education Upgrade, Jake Schulke talks with educator and researcher Dr. Derek Riddle about teacher professional development, professional learning, and his research on self-directed professional development. They explore why even well-designed PD can fail when it overlooks one critical variable: the teacher—and what professional learning can look like when educators have greater ownership of their own growth.

In this episode:

• What research says about effective teacher professional development• Why traditional professional learning can fail• Self-directed professional development• Teacher autonomy and ownership of professional learning• Reflection, goal setting, and applying new learning• Barriers to continued professional growth• Differentiated professional development• The role of school and district leadership• Building a culture of lifelong learning for educators

Chapters

0:00 Introduction2:52 Why Teacher Professional Development?8:06 What Makes Professional Learning Effective?13:07 When Professional Development Works16:13 When Professional Development Fails21:40 The Missing Ingredient: The Teacher31:17 Taking Ownership of Professional Learning32:29 Self-Directed Professional Development56:04 A Model for Self-Directed Professional Learning1:04:49 Applying Learning and Overcoming Barriers1:07:14 Rethinking Professional Development Systemically

Education Upgrade explores the ideas, research, and experiences that can help us ask better questions about teaching, learning, and the systems surrounding them.

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