Professional Development

Professional development is essential to all professions—it is how professionals renew and update their knowledge and skills. In education, ongoing professional development is especially important as teachers are often isolated from developments in their disciplines, as well as from their colleagues, spending most of their time behind the doors of their classrooms. Research also shows that to be effective, professional development needs to be sustained, collaborative, and connected to teachers' actual classroom practice. Because the Ford PAS curriculum is innovative in its interdisciplinary content, focus on 21st century skills, use of inquiry- and project-based teaching, integration of technology, and reliance on community participation, professional development for Ford PAS teachers is especially important. As of 2006, Ford PAS is beginning to offer a variety of professional development opportunities for teachers to renew, update, and advance their pedagogical and content knowledge and skills. The Ford PAS professional development program includes both online and in-person components. Our aim is to build a professional learning community nationwide.

Ford PAS Professional Development Institutes

Professional development institute participants engage in hands-on sessions and discussions about the Ford PAS inquiry-, project-, and team-based approaches to teaching and learning, in the context of Ford PAS curriculum activities. Participants have the opportunity to do the following:

• Engage in inquiry about new content and instructional strategies
• Connect new ideas and techniques to their own unique contexts
• Discuss ideas and research about teaching and learning
• Work collaboratively and teach one another new strategies
• Share experiences and learning
• Plan for use of Ford PAS in their schools or other program sites
• Reflect on their own practice and develop plans for professional growth

Graduate credit is available for professional development institute participants. Teachers who complete an institute also receive a certificate and qualify for continuing education credits.

Online PD and Networking

Teacher Blogs and Educator Discussion List

Find out what’s happening at other Ford PAS schools and sites, and learn about others’ ideas and experiences teaching Ford PAS. The Ford PAS Teacher Blog explores some of the major challenges of and effective strategies for teaching Ford PAS and gives teachers a chance to ask questions and post comments. Teachers can also join the Ford PAS community on the Ford PAS Educator Discussion List, which encourages the exchange of ideas through email discussions.

Recent topics have included the following:

• Teamwork (February 2006)
• Project-Based Learning and Assessment (May 2006)