Living and working through a global pandemic has shifted so much of educators’ day-to-day responsibilities. Our research team was curious about the classroom-, school- and district-level challenges NC educators were facing one year into the pandemic and ways to support them. Via our qualitative study, we interviewed educators across NC regarding their self-reported areas of professional growth, how the political climate impacted those areas of growth and the most impactful professional development design features for them. This session will review the findings relevant to school and district administrators and provide recommendations for those leaders to best meet the needs of those they serve. The session will start with a case study, then participants will engage in small group discussions with an accompanying protocol. Facilitators will provide feedback and share data-driven recommendations. This discussion session will allow the participants to actively engage with the topic through reflecting on their own experiences and their colleagues’ professional development needs.
Interactivity plan:
-Divide the room into groups of 4 -5 and provide chart paper to each group with one of the three research questions written at the top. The group adds what they think the answers/findings will be (while also reflecting on their own ideas) to the paper. The chart paper gets put on the wall/left at the table. -Groups rotate and review the previously recorded ideas, adding new perceptions to remaining research questions. After the gallery walk is done, participants return to their areas and report out “aha” moments. -We then provide the "answers" from what our data revealed, asking participants to make room for these new ideas in light of their own perceptions.
