Sustaining Professional Development: Moving Beyond One-and-Done Training

As we wrap up our focus on social presence, we’re preparing to shift toward parental presence in our Professional Learning Community (PLC) next week. Reflecting on the rich discussions and collaborative energy from our teachers, I’m reminded of how powerful ongoing professional learning can be when it’s structured with intention.

For those responsible for planning teacher professional development, this raises an important question:

How can we design PD that doesn’t just inform teachers, but transforms their teaching?

The Problem with Traditional Professional Development

Too often, professional development is treated as a one-time event. Teachers attend a workshop, take in valuable information, and then return to their daily routines. Without time to process, implement, and refine what they’ve learned, even the best PD can fade into the background.

This is why we made a conscious decision to approach professional development differently. We didn’t want our annual training to be just another session that teachers attend and forget. Instead, we wove it into our PLCs, ensuring that learning continues throughout the year in a way that deepens practice and fosters collaboration.

How We Made It Work

If you’re thinking about revamping professional development in your school or district, consider a PLC-based approach like this:

1. Choose a Year-Long Theme – We centered our PD around the Community of Inquiry framework, ensuring that each phase built upon the last.

2. Break It Into Manageable Focus Areas – Instead of overwhelming teachers with everything at once, we introduced one "ring of presence" at a time.

3. Integrate PD into the Daily Workflow – We used a Teams channel where teachers could share ideas, ask questions, and reflect on their implementation.

4. Provide Ongoing Support –Each week, I shared practical strategies or invited other teachers to contribute to Quick Bites to help deepen their application of new concepts.

5. Celebrate & Reflect – At the end of each cycle, we hosted a Show & Tell session, where teachers highlighted what was working and shared the impact.

The Results: Meaningful Growth & Lasting Change

This approach has led to real, observable growth in our teachers. Instead of treating PD as an isolated event, they now see it as part of their ongoing professional journey. Their confidence, engagement, and instructional strategies have evolved in ways that traditional PD rarely accomplishes.

A Challenge for PD Planners

As you begin mapping out next year’s professional development, ask yourself:

• Can PD be structured as an ongoing process rather than a one-time event?

• How can teachers engage in reflective practice throughout the year?

• Is there a way to integrate PD into teacher observations and goal-setting?

When professional learning is continuous, collaborative, and directly tied to classroom practice, it becomes far more impactful. Teachers don’t just attend PD they live it.

What strategies have you found successful in making professional learning stick? Let’s keep the conversation going!