How to Make Your Professional Learning Stick This Year!

Let's focus your professional learning into intentional strategies that improve teaching practice, turning scattered learning into focused classroom tips. This episode helps you be strategic about connecting your learning directly to your classroom. Discover effective teaching strategies and what it means to have continuous learning and teacher growth.

🎯 What You'll Learn: 
• How to conduct an honest self-assessment of your teaching strengths and growth areas 
• Strategic goal-setting with SMART criteria and measurable outcomes 
• Implementation triggers that connect new learning to existing routines 
• Timeline for sustainable professional development throughout the school year 
• Accountability systems that ensure lasting classroom impact

Perfect for: teachers, education coaches, school administrators, instructional leaders, teacher mentors, new teachers, and anyone committed to education transformation and teacher impact.

Whether you're focusing on classroom management, student engagement, instructional strategies, or culturally responsive teaching, this episode provides the roadmap for professional learning that creates real school change. Stop letting great workshop ideas gather dust – start building teaching practices that truly support student success!

Key Topics Covered: 
✅ Self-assessment strategies for effective teaching 
✅ Choosing 2-3 focused professional development areas 
✅ Creating implementation plans with built-in accountability 
✅ Collaborative learning approaches for sustained growth 
✅ Connecting learning to classroom control, student motivation, and lesson planning

Ready to become one of those empowered educators who never stops growing? 

This framework works for classroom behavior strategies, innovative teaching methods, inclusive teaching practices, and building that pro-kid mindset that transforms school culture.

🎧 Schoolutions Teaching Strategies Podcast New episodes every Monday & Friday this summer!
📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com 
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl

Chapters
0:00 Introduction: From Scattered to Strategic Learning 
1:00 The Problem with Random Professional Learning
2:00 Welcome to Schoolutions Teaching Strategies Summer Series 
3:00 The Power of Intentional Summer Learning 
4:00 Honest Self-Assessment Questions for Teachers 
5:00 Popular Focus Areas: Curriculum, Environment, Assessment 
6:00 Setting SMART Goals with Measurable Success Criteria 
7:00 8-Week School Year Learning Timeline 
8:00 Creating Implementation Triggers That Work 
9:00 Building Accountability and Collaborative Learning 
10:00 Progress Over Perfection: Your Growth Journey 
11:00 Wrap-up and Next Steps

Free Resources:
💫Edutopia and Teaching Tolerance websites
💫Coursera and edX free education courses
💫YouTube channels like Cult of Pedagogy
💫Teacher blogs and podcasts
💫Your school or district's professional library

Low-Cost Options:
💫Professional learning networks on Twitter or Facebook
💫Local university extension courses
💫Education conferences (many offer virtual options)
💫Professional books from your library or used book stores

Investment Options:
💫Graduate courses for credit
💫National conferences and workshops
💫Coaching or mentoring programs
💫Subscription-based platforms like Teaching Channel

Don't Forget:
💫Colleagues who excel in your focus areas
💫Your instructional coach or mentor
💫Local education cooperatives
💫Community partnerships

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Transcript

[00:00:00] Today together, let's transform your scattered professional learning into focused intentional learning that directly impacts your classroom practice. You may be feeling overwhelmed about where to focus your professional learning this school year. Maybe you've attended workshops before that felt inspiring in the moment, but never quite made it into your actual teaching practice.

The secret isn't consuming more professional learning. It's being strategic about connecting your learning directly to your real classroom challenges and creating specific implementation plans. Most teachers approach professional learning randomly attending whatever's offered or sounds interesting without connecting it to their specific classroom needs or planning for implementation.

This episode I will show you how to start with an honest self-assessment using specific questions. Where you'll choose two to three focused areas max. You'll set success criteria with timelines [00:01:00] and build an implementation triggers tied to existing routines. 

Here are three benefits that you will leave the episode with: You'll see greater implementation, success, and student outcomes by focusing on sustained intentional learning. You will avoid overwhelmed by choosing quality over quantity with specific measurable goals, and you'll create lasting change through collaborative learning and built-in accountability systems.

We've all been there. You attend an amazing workshop, you feel totally inspired, maybe even take great notes. But when the next week rolls around and the daily pressures hit. Those new strategies somehow never make it into your actual lesson plans. Having a strategic professional learning plan is like having a GPS for your growth. Instead of wandering around hoping you'll stumble onto better teaching practices, you have a clear route that [00:02:00] gets you exactly where you want to go. Let's jump in.

This is Schoolutions Teaching Strategies, the podcast that extends education beyond the classroom. A show that isn't just theory, but practical try-it-tomorrow approaches for educators and caregivers to ensure every student finds their spark and receives the support they need to thrive.

Welcome to Schoolutions Teaching Strategies summer series. This is the podcast that helps educators grow and thrive. I'm your host, Olivia Wahl, and today we are talking about something that can transform your upcoming school year, developing a strategic professional learning plan over the summer. If you're feeling overwhelmed about where to focus your growth this summer, or if you want to make sure your professional learning actually impacts your classroom practice in September, this episode [00:03:00] is for you. 

There is so much power in intentional summer learning. Summer isn't just about rest and recharge, though that's absolutely essential. It's your golden opportunity to engage in focused, meaningful, professional learning without the daily pressures of lesson planning and grading.

I've already spoken to this in another episode because research shows that teachers who engage in sustained professional learning over the summer see greater implementation success and student outcomes in the fall. But here's the key. It has to be intentional, it has to be specific, and it needs to be connected to your real classroom needs.

So let's be real. If you have chosen to take the summer to rest and recharge, and you would like to make a plan for professional learning over the school year, here are some honest self-assessment questions you can ask yourself to plan for your professional learning experiences over the school year. [00:04:00] You could ask yourself, what challenges did I face most often this past school year?

Which students did I struggle to reach and why? What teaching strategies felt most and least effective? What feedback did I receive from administrators, colleagues, or students? What new initiatives is my school implementing that I need to prepare for? 

I would suggest creating a simple two column chart, one side with strengths to build on and the other with areas for growth. Make sure to be specific. So instead of writing classroom management, write transitions between activities or engaging reluctant participants in discussions. Here's a crucial point, because you can't do everything: I suggest choosing two to three specific focus areas max. Quality over quantity always wins.

And don't forget if you're fortunate [00:05:00] enough to have an instructional coach in your building. The coach could support you with your areas of focus. Some popular focus areas for learning over the school year could include curriculum and instruction, classroom environment, assessment and data and professional skills. 

Under the umbrella of curriculum and instruction, that could be implementing new literacy or math programs, developing culturally responsive teaching practices, integrating technology meaningfully, differentiating instruction for diverse learners. Under classroom environment that could speak to restorative justice practices, social emotional learning, integration, and creating inclusive classroom communities. Under assessment and data that could speak to formative assessment strategies, using data to drive instruction and alternative assessment methods. Under professional skills [00:06:00] that could speak to leadership development or collaboration and communication, as well as research and inquiry practices. 

Make sure to set smart goals or success criteria for yourself, they need to be measurable. Here are some examples. A goal could be: by October 15th, I will complete a 10 hour online course on culturally responsive teaching and create five lesson plans incorporating these strategies into my next unit of study.

Another example could be: by the end of November, I will read two books on formative assessment practice three new techniques, and develop a feedback system I can implement right away. A third example could be:by the end of December, I will attend a three-day workshop on social emotional learning and design, a classroom community building plan for the start of the new year.

It's absolutely critical also to identify your [00:07:00] resources. These are support for you all year long. I will put a link to free resources, low cost options, investment options, as well as don't forget options in the show notes. 

And then you have to create your timeline. Here's a sample of an eight week school year starting point, learning timeline, weeks one and two of school, get your planning and set up prepped. Complete your self-assessment, set your goals, identify resources, and make sure to purchase materials or register for courses. Weeks three through five of the school year. That could be your deep learning phase. Engage with your primary learning resources, take detailed notes and reflect regularly, and also connect with other learners online or in person. Weeks six through seven, that's your application and planning. Create some concrete materials for your [00:08:00] classroom. Develop implementation plans and practice new strategies or techniques.

And week eight, integration and preparation. Finalize your classroom materials based on your professional learning experiences. Make sure you've set up systems and structures that reflect your new learning. And plan your implementation strategies. Learning without implementation is just entertainment. Here's how to ensure your professional learning impacts your classroom practice. 

Create implementation triggers. Attach new practices to existing routines. If you learned new discussion strategies, plan exactly when in your daily schedule you'll use them. Start small. Choose one new practice to implement and then another, and so on. Don't overwhelm yourself or your students.

Plan [00:09:00] for obstacles. Anticipate what might prevent implementation and create a backup pla. If technology fails, what's your analog alternative? And always build in reflection. Schedule weekly check-ins with yourself every month to assess what's working and what needs adjustment. 

And please don't go it alone. Professional learning is more effective and sustainable when it's collaborative. Find an accountability partner with similar goals. Join or create a book study group. Participate in online professional learning communities and schedule monthly coffee meetings with a mentor or colleague. 

Remember, professional learning isn't about completely reinventing yourself as a teacher. It's about thoughtful, incremental improvements that compound over time. We are forever getting better. The goal isn't perfection. It's [00:10:00] progress Your students deserve a teacher who never stops growing, and you deserve the satisfaction that comes from continuous improvement. This school year, give yourself the gift of intentional learning that will pay dividends all year long.

That's a wrap on today's Schoolutions Teaching Strategies summer series tip episode. Remember, great teaching isn't about having all the answers. It's about asking the right questions and being willing to grow. Until next time, keep teaching forward. 

Schoolutions Teaching Strategies is created, produced, and edited by me, Olivia Wahl. Thank you to my older son, Benjamin, who created the music playing in the background. You can follow and listen to solutions wherever you get your podcasts or subscribe to never miss an episode and watch on YouTube. Now, I'd love to hear from you. Send me an email at schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com.

Let me know what your action [00:11:00] plan is to figure out which professional learning opportunities you want to take advantage of and tune in every Monday and Friday this August for mini episodes filled with tips and ideas that will help you prepare for September while still resting and rejuvenating this summer. So you soon for another tip. And until then, enjoy the sunshine and take care.