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Episode Summary:

Have you ever delivered a professional development session that felt powerful in the moment but didn’t lead to the changes you hoped for in the classroom?

In this episode, we tackle a common challenge: how to ensure your PD sessions translate into real, meaningful shifts in teacher practice. It’s not enough to inspire in the moment; you need to create lasting impact that continues well beyond the day of learning.

• Discover how to integrate reflection and self-assessment strategies to foster teacher growth.

• Learn practical tips to build accountability and maintain momentum between sessions.

• Explore simple yet effective follow-up methods to sustain progress and ensure lasting change.

Hit play now to learn how to transform your professional development sessions into powerful catalysts for long-term change in your school or district.

Resources:

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• Make Math Moments Problem Based Lessons & Units

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Episode Summary:

You can have the most impactful day of learning, but if it doesn’t lead to actionable change, did it truly hit the mark? At the end of the day, the goal of any professional development session is to inspire teachers to make meaningful shifts in their practice. But how do you ensure that your session results in the intended outcomes? How do you conclude the day with a clear call to action, balancing pressure and support to generate movement and follow-through from your participants?

Reflecting and Self-Assessing for Growth

An effective way to conclude a PD session is by incorporating opportunities for self-reflection and self-assessment. John Hattie’s research highlights that many of the most impactful teacher strategies for student achievement are tied to metacognition—students reflecting on their learning and identifying the steps needed to achieve their goals. The same principle can be applied to professional development.

Consider ending your session with time for both reflection and self-assessment. Encourage participants to evaluate their current practice through a lens of where they are versus where they want to be. Introducing “levels of implementation” helps teachers reflect on their own progress and determine their next steps.

Building Accountability and Encouraging Follow-Through

In addition to reflection, how can we build accountability into the professional development process? Applying the right amount of pressure is crucial to ensuring that participants stay committed to the work. One strategy is to assign “homework” or follow-up tasks. For instance, ask participants to bring student work, or evidence of a strategy they’ve implemented, to your next session. This creates a sense of accountability and provides concrete follow-up on the work that was introduced.

In an ideal world, we would be able to provide personalized follow-up to every participant, knowing one-on-one coaching is one of the most effective models of professional development. However, this is not always feasible. So, what other ways can we stay connected and ensure progress between sessions? This could include follow-up emails, video messages, or sharing resources at staff meetings. These small touchpoints keep the learning alive and encourage continued reflection and action.

Focus on Long-term Impact for Lasting Change

In conclusion, achieving lasting change through professional development requires more than just a single day of learning. It hinges on having clear goals, strong alignment across all levels of the organization, and a shared understanding of the steps needed to reach those goals. By creating opportunities for reflection, establishing accountability, and offering ongoing support, we can ensure that PD sessions lead to meaningful and impactful shifts in practice.

As you plan your next PD session, remember to focus on what happens beyond the session itself. Lasting change is possible when everyone is on board, expectations are clear, and progress is continuously supported. Only then can professional development drive the deep, transformative change that ultimately benefits students and educators alike.

FULL TRANSCRIPT

In this video, we are unpacking another consideration for effective PD planning. We are going to talk today about the importance of reflection and follow-up. I’m sure we have all participated in a session before that was really interesting. It was engaging; you felt like you learned something new, but you walked away, and it had zero impact on your practice, on your day-to-day moves. If that’s the case, is our PD really hitting the mark? If our PD doesn’t result in actionable steps and lasting change, does it really have the intended impact? So, what can we do to avoid this pitfall? 

The first consideration I’d like you to think about is the power of metacognition. We know that in the classroom, giving students the skills to reflect on their learning and also self-assess where they are relative to learning goals is a really impactful model. So how do we replicate that during our PD sessions? We need to build in not only opportunities to reflect but opportunities to self-assess. IC charts or levels of implementation are a great way to do that. We need to know what it looks like, reflect on where we are currently, and identify our next steps toward that goal. 

I would want, at the end of my session, to always give teachers an opportunity for self-assessment to determine where they are. I want them to almost commit to themselves before they walk out the door that day—what are their next steps? We need to build in accountability. That’s why I think it’s impactful to give a follow-up task or something for them to do. Ideally, if the opportunity presents itself, they can bring it back to you, so they’re making a commitment to themselves, maybe to their colleagues or administrator. 

What is their next step and their homework? How will they bring back evidence of the changes they’ve implemented? Self-reflection, self-assessment, and commitment to next steps are crucial at the end of an effective PD session. I would argue that one-to-one coaching has the biggest impact on change within a system. Ideally, every participant would get personalized follow-up to help them progress. But if that’s not possible, how do we keep this learning on everyone’s radar? Messaging must stay consistent, showing educators and leaders our commitment to this work. 

Do we follow up with personalized emails or check-ins? Are we doing short video clips that can be shared at staff meetings? If sessions are far apart or infrequent, how do we maintain momentum? Video clips can keep the work visible. I can record a quick clip, five to ten minutes, share it with administrators, and they can use it at a staff meeting. We want to make sure that when teachers leave the session, it’s clear that it’s not an isolated event, and we need to see this shift in classrooms. What pressure and support do we need to ensure these changes are happening?

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