Professional Development For New Teachers
Professional development can be a great way for new teachers to quickly increase their subject matter knowledge, learn new teaching skills, and perfect classroom management techniques.
If you’ve just graduated from college with your teaching degree, and you’re in your first semester or first year or two of teaching, this is the time to think about professional development goals. Your school or district might have professional development requirements, but even if they don’t, it’s a good idea to set goals that will help advance your teaching career.
Combine Book Learning With Real-Life Learning
No matter how much you learned in college, it might not have adequately prepared you for what it’s like to be in a classroom, all alone, with a group of diverse students. Professional development – whether it’s offered through mentoring, online courses, or weekend workshops – can give you access to the “real-life” experiences of other educators who have been there, done that.
What didn’t they teach you in school? Everything, you might believe on your more challenging days. And you might think that the only way to learn now is by doing. But that’s not true. Professional development can dramatically shorten your learning curve and help you become a more effective teacher immediately.
Glean Tips, Strategies, and Techniques From The Best Teachers
Professional development courses and workshops are often taught by the best teachers. These are educators who are passionate about what they’re doing, always learning and improving themselves, and committed to helping further the knowledge and skills of other teachers. Perhaps teachers like these are also down the hall from you in your school, but even if they are, they might not have the time or desire to assist or formally mentor a new teacher.
Connect With Colleagues And Mentors
Where can you potentially find mentors? In an online classroom for a professional development course or at a workshop or conference for educators. Professional development opportunities, specifically geared toward teachers, are also opportunities to network, connect with teachers in different schools, and potentially find mentors. By connecting with other like-minded professionals, you’ll build a strong support system that can not only combat the isolation you might feel as a new teacher, but can also sustain you through your entire career.
Boost Your Pay (And Your Retirement) By Earning Professional Develop Credits
It’s no secret that teachers across the U.S. are underpaid, and new teachers are at the bottom of that pay scale. The number of years of experience can slowly help you increase your pay, but if you want to really boost it, you need to earn professional development credits as quickly as you can. The sooner you get a pay raise, the more you’ll benefit from it, and the more it can impact your eventual retirement pay.
It’s important to note that not all types of professional development for teachers qualify for “salary credits,” so you’ll need to check with your school or district to see if the type of professional development you’re interested in will earn the credits you need.
Education 4 Equity
At Education 4 Equity, we offer 3-credit, 2-credit, and 1-credit online professional development courses for teachers. Through these courses, new teachers can learn new skills, such as cognitively guided instruction for math or new techniques, such as how to use formative assessments. All of our online courses qualify for graduate level credits through our partnership with Brandman University. The professional development courses are also approved for LAUSD salary points, through the Los Angeles Unified School District.