Readings for "The Internet and Professional Development"

       Choosing a career in education is (to the surprise of no one) an especially challenging career field. This is so not only because an educator must establish a respectful and diligent learning environment, but also because the strategies and technologies used in teaching alter with such rapidity that education would rival the medical field in a contest of how fast information becomes outdated.
      I was particularly inspired by something mentioned in the Huber article. A small section was dedicated to dispelling the myth that "having a good plan" excuses an educator from falling short of their expectations. As Huber puts it, "learning organizations...often develop such rigid plans that it leaves no room to address emerging issues" (2). I have spent several years as a tutor in math, history and English, and know from first-hand experience that whatever plan worked for one student is almost guaranteed to be somewhat inapplicable to the next student. I think one of the marks of an outstanding educator is not that they necessarily know the solution to every problem, but rather that they entertain new ideas and solutions should the standard one become obsolete. Of course no teacher can solve every discrepancy in a class! Yet it is no badge of honor for a teacher to stick to a single solution, either because it is comfortable to refer to or as an excuse not to learn anything new in the field.
       Not only new methods of teaching, but the implementation and codification of new teaching methods are needed to ensure educational success. I was particularly inspired by the short blurb in Darling-Hammond and Richardson's article titled "The New Paradigm". This short little story detailed how teachers in a struggling urban school attended a seminar in which  coaches "introduced curriculum and teaching strategies and data analysis techniques during professional development meetings..." (6). Prior planning and understanding of the new guidelines were essential in this situation. I think too often the view of a student body towards a teacher--i.e. that the teacher stands alone agaisnt a group of learners--becomes adopted by the teachers themselves. And suddenly all the teachers are afraid to ask for help on everything from lesson plans to grading techniques. Professional development prevents teachers from feeling as though they are alone in creating and maintaining a lesson plan.