A Guide to Developing Your Professional Development Plan (PDP)

Department of World Languages & ESL

Overview: Each teacher with a Provisional or Standard teaching certificate is required to develop a “Professional Development Plan” during the school year. This plan includes a minimum of two measurable goals (at least one should be in the category of “CIA”) relating to your work in the field of teaching. Since each teacher is at a different stage of his or her development, plans should be individualized to meet one’s needs and interests. However, if the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues does exist, you may feel compelled to take this approach.

List of Potential Areas of Focus for PDP Goals

Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment:

  • Revision of existing curricula or creation of new curricula
  • Development of thematic units
  • Interdisciplinary development of cross-content connections
  • Application of world language research to the development of curricula
  • Experimentation or adoption of new pedagogical approaches
  • Classroom management strategies
  • Formative and summative assessment strategies
  • Development of Performance-Based Assessments
  • Exploration and Implementation of Technology strategies to enhance students’ experiences and communication skills in the global society.

Department & School Related Activities:

  • Involvement in establishing or modifying a co-curricular club
  • Participation in Department programs, committees, or projects
  • Representation and participation in building initiatives

Professional Development:

  • Participation and/or presentation at local, national or global conferences related to world languages, ESL, or education
  • Participation in projects linked to local, national, or global organizations related to world languages, ESL, or education
  • Participation in small professional learning committees
  • Discussion group comprised of interested teachers who meet regularly to participate in educational discourse, such as to review educational articles, teaching strategies, etc. with the intended purpose of growing professionally.
  • Action research or self-study projects
  • Portfolio development
  • Professional course work in pursuit of advanced graduate degrees
  • Publication in educational, world languages, or ESL journals

How to Develop your PDP

Your goals should reflect a process:

Learn → Implement → Assess

Identifying the goal:

Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

  • What can I learn that will improve my instruction and/or assessment so that it positively impacts student learning?

Department & School Related Activities

  • What can I do that will positively impact our department or the school community at large?

Professional Development

  • How can I enhance my own professional development as it applies to student learning and/or to the school community, and/or to our content area in general?

Choosing the activities to achieve your goal:

  • How can I learn what I need to know?
  • Research
  • Reading Professional Articles
  • Peer Observations
  • Peer Collaboration
  • Interview Administrators/Supervisors
  • Attend workshops
  • Participate in Professional Learning Communities
  • Participate in Professional Discussions
  • Related Department Meetings
  • Professional Blogs
  • Take Courses at a College or University
  • Student input/feedback
  • How/when will I implement what I have learned?
  • Develop/Create new methodologies/strategies/activities/assessments
  • Individually
  • Collaboratively with colleague(s)
  • Teach the lessons/administer the assessments
  • Establish or Modify a co-curricular club
  • Participate in Department programs, committees, or projects
  • Participate in building initiatives
  • Facilitate community connections
  • Facilitate workshop at SP Library
  • Arrange to display student work at library
  • Make connections with other community members
  • Create a class/language project and involve parents
  • Facilitate one or more department meetings
  • Present at local, national, or global conferences
  • Complete steps for action research/self-study projects
  • Collect the artifacts for a portfolio
  • Write and publish an article for an educational or content-related journal
  • Present a workshop, lead a Roundtable, lead a professional learning committee
  • Develop and serve as administrator for a Blog or Wikipage for professional discussion among world language colleagues, professionals
  • How will I assess whether or not it has positively impacted student learning/ department/school community?
  • Student feedback
  • Self-assessment rubrics
  • Assessment of activity
  • Student surveys/questionnaires
  • Peer Feedback
  • Ask colleague to observe and provide feedback
  • Collegial surveys/questionnaires
  • Collection and Analysis of Data
  • Analyzing/Comparing Assessment Scores
  • Analyzing Questionnaire/Survey responses
  • Analyze examples of student work
  • Independently or with colleagues