With teacher turnover at an all-time high, it is more important than ever to offer an internal tool that enables teachers to continue their ongoing professional development in a consolidated, self-paced environment.
Between curriculum planning, grading papers, and actually teaching, it can be difficult for teachers to prioritize sharpening their skills. This is where a streamlined solution that encompasses PD initiatives comes into play and the basis around which MobileMind was created. Simplifying training experience can lead to higher retention rates of teachers and better outcomes for their students.
There Are Issues with the Current Professional Development Structure
Common issues come up across the board when it comes to teachers and the PD that is offered to them within their school districts. These are important to understand, especially when evaluating the implementation of a professional learning hub. Common issues that teachers face in the current PD environment are as follows:
- Sporadic: Sessions for professional development as mandated by school districts tend to be few and far between, making it difficult for new information to actually stick in the mind for it to stay relevant when building curricula for students.
- Not Collaborative: Many PD initiatives do not consider how each teacher is creating their curriculum and therefore, can impede or be completely irrelevant to what they are teaching their students at the time of the session.
- Lack of Teacher Ownership: PD sessions happen sporadically and are built without much teacher input, so teachers do not have strong ties to what they're learning and how they can pass the knowledge on to their students.
- One-Size-Fits-All Approach: The current system aims to standardize how information is relayed and does not take into account that adult learners (and students) tend to learn differently than one another.
- Limited: Sessions tend to be short, and even if lengthy, they occur too far apart to be able to retain the information learned or have it be effective.
A Professional Learning Hub Is the Better Solution
Addressing these common concerns of adult learners can help mitigate frustrations in achieving their professional learning goals. This can ultimately lead to more satisfaction in their current positions, which in turn, means higher rates of retention. Let’s explore the benefits of adopting a new professional learning hub like MobileMind.
- Personalized Micro-learning: No matter the topic, activity-based micro-courses can be created to meet the unique needs of each educator at any skill level or role.
- Scheduling and Managing Live PD Events: Aside from offering on-demand micro-courses, live PD events can still be carried out, further enhancing professional development. MobileMind empowers users to seamlessly integrate in-person and remote training, keeping everyone on the same page.
- Collaborative Approach: Since PD efforts can be created in a personalized manner, input from staff can be gathered and implemented in a streamlined fashion.
- Traditional and Hybrid Environments: This approach means PD initiatives are school-type agnostic. Whether hybrid, remote, or in-person, solutions like MobileMind will be effective.
- Self-Paced and Engaging: Being activity based and on demand means teachers are able to consistently, on their own time, engage with their PD initiatives.
Let MobileMind Help You Achieve Your Goals
The impacts of implementing a professional learning hub within your school district can only result in positive outcomes. These are present in higher retention rates of teachers and in higher engagement from these teachers and their students. Addressing the pain points that teachers have with the way that professional learning is offered at present is a show of respect and caring for the jobs that they carry out to create the best learning environment for the students who cross their paths.
MobileMind is the best solution for a one-stop-shop professional learning hub. It can empower teachers to take ownership of their professional learning initiatives, giving them the flexibility to choose the micro-courses that make the most sense for them and to chip away at these courses at the times that are most appropriate for them.
It is crucial not to understate the important role that teachers play in the lives of students and local communities, and providing solutions that are tailor-made for their ongoing career development can keep them engaged and happy in their current positions. They are tasked with curating curricula meant to best serve the learning goals of their classrooms, whether remote, hybrid, or in-person. Besides assessing their students and all that comes with being a teacher outside the classroom, this takes time and energy that can pull them away from being able to focus and implement what's reviewed during school district development sessions.
Meet teachers' needs, and in turn, they will meet the needs of the school district. If you cannot afford to run the cycle of hire-lose-replace in the gamut of teacher turnover, it may be time to explore what MobileMind can do to keep the talent that you already possess.
MobileMind’s micro courses offer bite-sized learning opportunities that take minutes to complete without leaving the classroom and offer better time management. Schedule a call with MobileMind or request a demo to help ease teacher workflow and retain top talent with improved professional learning opportunities!
