Weighing The Workshop

Learning Forward

Equity and excellence in teaching and learning.

Weighing the workshop

Assess the merits with six key criteria for planning and evaluation

By Catherine Little and Kristina Ayers Paul

December 2009

Every teacher can recall a range of experiences in professional development workshops. Some of these may have provided opportunities in which teachers felt engaged, empowered, and supported as learners, while others felt disconnected from practice. Although we recognize that workshops, particularly those with no follow-up support, are not the ideal learning experience for teachers, we also acknowledge that some form of workshop is still a common approach in professional development in the United States. Therefore, even within a context calling for more comprehensive professional development, the workshop merits careful examination in terms of the quality of learning it can provide. Designers, facilitators, and evaluators need tools to guide reflection on quality that will lead to the best possible learning experience for teachers. We developed and

Read the remaining content with membership access. Join or log in below to continue.

Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem.