How to Create Meaningful Learning Experiences for Educators

There's broad agreement among school districts across the nation that investing in professional development (PD) is the best way to ensure that educators are effective in the classroom and stay current on the latest teaching methods. While districts have good intentions regarding PD, these programs often fall short. Instead of looking forward to the sessions, many teachers view them as an inconvenience that takes them away from the vital task of teaching.

District leaders might then wonder why their teachers seem to hate PD; after all, they spend a significant amount of time creating programs that they believe will be useful to educators, imparting the skills that they need to improve their skills and student outcomes. Unfortunately, that hard work often doesn't pay off because traditional PD methods don't take individual teachers into account, and they want programs that are engaging and tailored to their needs.

The good news is that things are changing. Learning hubs like MobileMind provide districts with the tools to step away from the traditional PD model. From custom micro-courses to gamification, it’s easy to create personalized learning experiences that are engaging and effective.

The Need for Streamlined Professional Development

Districts are recognizing that the one-size-fits-all PD model has significant limitations and are looking for solutions. A major shortcoming of the traditional model is that it treats educators as passive learners and fails to provide them with the individual attention that they need to develop their strengths and shore up their weaknesses.

The sessions are often infrequent and try to cover a large amount of ground without providing teachers with ongoing support or follow-up, making it difficult for them to effectively apply what they've learned in the classroom.

Personalized Learning Paths and Course Creation

Learning paths essentially give educators a blueprint for their learning and a clear guide for achieving their PD goals. Instead of sporadic, piecemeal sessions, learning paths provide teachers with personalized development plans that ensure consistent training with achievable milestones. Districts can use MobileMind to create learning paths and add micro-courses relevant to their educators' needs.

There are also several options for creating content. For example, districts can use MobileMind's AI Content Genie to quickly create PD content. All they have to do is provide a bit of background information on the type of course that they want, and it'll be ready in minutes. If district leaders want to build courses from the ground up, they're free to do so. If they're short on time, they can adapt or clone existing courses from the MobileMind Community, where many pre-built courses are available on a range of topics. This approach to content creation gives districts the flexibility to customize their PD while saving time.

Guided Learning and Job-Embedded Training

Most traditional PD is sporadic and relies on passive learning. If you think about anything that you've learned well, chances are that you spent a significant amount of time working on it actively. Student teaching is an example of this, where soon-to-be educators are given an opportunity to put what they've learned from textbooks into practice in a classroom setting.

There's no reason to change this approach once teachers are on the job. That's why MobileMind's job-embedded training is so effective. The guided learning technology enables educators to learn in the technology environment that they're using. For example, if they need to know a function in Google Slides, with guided learning, they get step-by-step instructions and hands-on challenges to help them master the subject. This competency-based approach makes PD part of the teacher's daily routine and makes it easy for them to apply the new skills that they've learned immediately.

Gamification in Professional Development

While we often associate games with children when talking about educational techniques, adding an element of gaming to PD can go a long way toward keeping educators engaged in what they're learning. There's no reason that learning experiences can't be fun, and gamification is tremendously effective. MobileMind gives districts several ways to incorporate gamification elements into their PD programs.

Everyone likes to be recognized for their hard work, and teachers are no different. After they've completed a series of micro-courses, districts can reward educators with digital badges and micro-credentials that enable them to display their achievements.

The learning hub also has leaderboards that encourage teachers to keep working until they meet their goals. It introduces friendly competition as motivation by letting them see where they stand in comparison to their colleagues.

Leveraging AI for PD Creation

AI is the future, so MobileMind has incorporated this technology into its learning hub to help districts create content quickly. With the AI Content Genie and AI ReadyMade, PD districts can create asynchronous PD in minutes. All they need to do is enter the topic and information about the type of course that they want to develop into the AI Content Genie to create what they need.

MobileMind's AI ReadyMade PD offers courses on various topics, including cybersecurity and AI, to ensure that educators understand how to use these tools safely and effectively in the classroom. This training gives them the information that they need to avoid misuse, data breaches, and ineffective teaching strategies while using AI.

Tracking and Reporting Capabilities

While sometimes overlooked, tracking and reporting are two crucial components of a PD program, as they enable districts to monitor and evaluate the impact of their courses. With MobileMind, districts have a comprehensive set of tracking and reporting tools, so leaders can easily oversee the progress of teachers, including education hours, compliance reporting, learning progress, badges earned, course completions, and even external PD hours.

All this data enables districts to get a good idea of how their PD programs are progressing, identify areas for improvement, and make changes as needed. For example, if they notice an educator struggling in a particular area, they can provide targeted support to help them meet their goals. Ultimately, tracking and reporting help districts ensure that all teachers are meeting their PD goals.

Final Note: Learning Experiences for Educators

MobileMind's innovative approach turns the traditional model on its head, transforming PD into a continuous, context-specific process designed to meet the needs of individual educators. As a result, they can better use the skills and strategies that they've learned in their classrooms.

MobileMind provides personalized professional development through ReadyMade Marketplace. Get pre-built learning paths, micro-courses, and badges for EdTech training with one click. Schedule a call to learn more.