How can I plan for my professional
growth?
Learning to teach is a lifelong
process. Part of that process is learning to work with others to study your teaching so that you can design professional development
that will support your growth and lead to increased student achievement.
Every beginning Michigan teacher (and even experienced teachers who need
a boost) must have an Individualized Development Plan. This plan is used
to focus teacher learning and as a tool for evaluation. Often, the IDP
is developed by the beginning teacher in collaboration with the principal.
Sometimes mentors and beginning teachers collaborate on drafting an IDP.
The IDP should be based on the beginning teacher’s goals, the principal’s
goals for teachers in the building and the district’s goals. In
order to make the process successful, it is helpful to think of completing
the IDP in two stages. First, you might think back on past experience
to identify areas in which you would like to grow. Once you have done
so, you can start to formalize your goals.
We suggest you use the ASSIST Professional
Development Planner to reflect on your past teaching experience and set
some general goals for learning. Your school district or school will have
its own IDP form and process. We’ve included an example of a typical
IDP form and a sample of what a completed form might look like. This IDP
is based on the Components
of Professional Practice, a commonly used framework developed by Charlotte
Danielson and Thomas McGreal. Additionally, you’ll find video clips that model the
collaborative process used to create a plan:
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