Let’s be honest – professional development (PD) for teachers can sometimes be mind-numbing. If I had a dollar for every inapplicable PD session I’ve attended over the years, let’s just say I might be sitting on a beach somewhere with a fancy drink. Well, I’m here to provide you with some actually useful PD ideas that might make a difference in the lives of middle school science teachers.
Let’s dive into six professional development ideas that may work in your building or district!
Is it tough for you to keep up with your students’ ever-changing lingo? Welcome to middle school! It can often feel like pulling teeth to get kids to articulate their thoughts and engage in meaningful discussions. That’s where Socratic Seminars and other student talk exercises come in! Socratic Seminars are structured discussions that encourage students to think more deeply about complex ideas. Students ask questions, build on one another’s ideas, and explore different perspectives.
The best way to instruct teachers about Socratic Seminars during a PD session? Well, sometimes we teachers learn best by DOING! So integrate it in the PD itself! Here’s how:
1) Text: Provide a specific text, question, or topic such as a piece of literature, a historical event, or a scientific concept. Bonus points for finding a text your school’s teachers will relate to!
2) Discussion: Act as the facilitator of a “student”-led discussion by providing one or more open-ended questions. Encourage dialogue, inquiry, and critical thinking rather than guiding “students” toward a correct answer.
3) Respect and Inclusion: Encourage all students to participate. Say something like, “Johnny, what do you think about _____?” or “Susie, can you respond to what Johnny said?” Model a respectful tone and thank students for their different opinions and perspectives.
*Pro Tip* Teachers don’t need to limit this method to their own classrooms! Encourage teachers to use Socratic Seminars in their PLCs (Professional Learning Communities) and meetings of team members as well! It’s a great way to practice conflict resolution.
I think we can probably all agree that many of our students struggle with traditional forms of communication. The majority of them spend a large portion of their days chatting with friends using texting, Instagram, and Snapchat rather than speaking face-to-face. Methods such as Socratic Seminars encourage skill sets that both enhance student learning as well as build positive communication skills that can be used outside of the classroom.
Looking for a totally unique approach to teaching in the modern world? If you haven’t heard of the Modern Classrooms Project (MCP), you are missing out! Through their website, you can get access to a free program for teachers that would be perfect for professional development. The program teaches the three pillars of MCP:
1) Blended Learning: Teachers combine traditional teaching with digital tools. Lessons are presented using teacher-created videos that students watch individually. Thus, teachers have time to more organically instruct students in-person either one-on-one, in small groups, or as a whole class. Unlike in the flipped classroom, instructional videos do NOT need to be watched outside of the classroom. They are simply part of the seamless learning process.
2) Self-Paced Structure: Students progress through the lessons in each unit at their own pace. Lessons involve instructional videos as well as differentiated practice assignments and projects. Students must master content before moving on to each subsequent lesson.
3) Mastery-Based Assessments: Grading students’ work based on mastery ensures students truly understand material before they can move forward in each unit.
This MCP PD is easily tailored to fit different teaching styles and student learning needs. You’ll learn best practices for technology integration in your classroom in a way that enhances student outcomes. Many teachers across the country have entirely ditched their traditional teaching models and adopted MCP. They have noticed huge positive shifts in classroom management, increased test scores, and greater rapport with students.
Check out https://www.modernclassrooms.org/ to learn more. Particularly, explore some Exemplar Classrooms that may be related to your own preps!
While STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) used to be all the rage, Art has now made its way in to create STEAM! STEAM is a great PD subject as it helps teachers find ways to get students excited about learning no matter their interests! STEAM encourages students to create, tinker, and explore within the confines of your classroom. What student doesn’t love to tinker?! STEAM incorporation can be best brought into the classroom through the construction of a “maker space.”
In a Maker Space STEAM PD session, teachers can learn new skills that experienced STEAM educators have found successful in their classrooms. During professional development, teachers should have access to examples of a hands-on experiences that students would be able to interact with, especially in the science classroom.
*Pro Tip* Invite in one or more STEAM teachers from another local school district to learn about their methods! Perhaps they can bring in a smaller version of their classroom’s Maker Space and encourage teachers to interact themselves.
Teachers should have the opportunity to network with other teachers who are on similar journeys, especially when it comes to brainstorming ideas for hands-on, active learning opportunities for students.
Another one of my favorite useful PD ideas is differentiation! If you’ve been teaching for any amount of time, you know that no two students are the same. Differentiation is crucial for making sure that every student gets what they need to succeed. Whether you’re working with gifted and talented (GT) students, students with 504 plans or IEPs, students learning below grade level, or students in special education, differentiation helps make content accessible to all.
Science is such a special subject because it has so many real world applications that can be tailored to many different student learning levels. One of the best professional development opportunities in terms of differentiation is project-based learning (PBL). PBL is incredibly versatile and allows teachers more time to cater to individual students’ needs while the rest of the class works independently.
Take, for example, this Genetic Disorders Project from my shop! I created this product to be completed by students with very minimal teacher assistance, thus providing a great opportunity to pull small groups for reteaching or extension opportunities.
Differentiation has such a wide scope that the possibilities for PD are endless. Try beginning your professional development session on differentiation by asking teachers to share stories with one another about how they differentiate on a daily basis. Oftentimes we aren’t given time during PD to simply chat and share new ideas, successes, and struggles. So, you may find that the best way to teach differentiation strategies is simply through promoting conversation between teachers!
Unconscious bias training is one of those PD topics that may not seem immediately relevant or helpful to your teaching practice, but I guarantee it can help make any teacher’s classroom feel more inclusive. Unconscious bias has an effect our interactions with students, parents, and colleagues even when we aren’t aware of it. Trainings in this area help teachers and other staff members recognize their own biases and develop strategies to mitigate them.
Some unconscious bias trainings may even be able to be used in your classroom. We have probably all been privy to conversations between students that are less than respectful. So, why not take what you learned from a PD session and use it with your classes?
Let’s be real – students can’t learn if they don’t feel welcomed and loved in your room! So remember, PD courses don’t always have to be about improving teaching practices. It can be about helping teachers find different ways to create classroom environments that are equitable and inviting.
If you’re a middle school or high school science teacher, you are probably always looking for great way to make your content come alive for students! Phenomena-Based Teaching is an approach that uses real-world phenomena to engage students by making it relevant to their lives.
It’s packed with videos, GIFs, and images that expose students to unique real world topics that relate to the content they’re learning in class. After studying a certain phenomenon, students practice three key elements either independently or in groups:
1) Describe what you notice and what you still wonder.
2) Connect the phenomenon with prior learning and scientific concepts.
3) Ask clarifying questions.
Similar to the Socratic Seminar, Phenomena-Based Teaching offers a way to build students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills. At the same time, it is one of the best ways to make science come to life in a way that textbook-based teaching may not. When students engage with Phenomena-Based Teaching, they are more likely to retain new information and apply it in real world situations!
Professional development doesn’t have to be a waste of time! With the right approach, it can be a valuable tool for personal growth and improving teaching practices. Whether it’s learning how to run a Socratic Seminar in your science classroom, adopting a new teaching model using the Modern Classrooms Project, or setting up a maker space in your own classroom, these useful PD ideas are sure to make a difference in student achievement and engagement!
If you are a department head or administrator looking for PD to provide for your middle school science teachers this school year, start here! If you’re a teacher, next time you’re faced with a PD session that makes you want to fall asleep, speak to school leaders and advocate for PD that addresses the specific needs of your school! Oftentimes admin are hungry for new professional development topics, so don’t be afraid! You may be a classroom teacher, but you know best what your students need! And hey, if a PD session helps us teachers learn some new skills while also having fun, that’s icing on the cake!
Continue the discussion in my Facebook Group for Middle School Science Teachers or my Classroom Management Facebook Group.
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