How can you create urgency around professional development without causing stress?

With over 13 years in educational leadership, here's how to create urgency in professional development without stress: Transparent Importance: Clearly communicate the benefits and career impact. Individualized Goals: Tailor development objectives to each staff member's aspirations. Flexible Learning Options: Provide diverse learning methods and timelines. Cultivating Support: Establish a culture that values growth and peer mentorship. Positive Recognition: Acknowledge and celebrate professional development milestones. Balance Urgency with Well-Being: Ensure urgency doesn’t compromise staff well-being. This strategy fosters a motivating, pressure-free environment for continuous improvement.

In some of the schools I’ve worked with, there has been a teacher, counselor or coach who had a particular interest in health, and nervous system health. In others there has been interest around teachers partnering to help support the idea of how to work with their own Personal Development first before adding more tools for them to use with students. Our nervous systems require support daily & often in order to stay regulated enough to be comfortable in our own brains & bodies, before we can keep calm in the presence of others, let alone lead a room. Learning and Feedback starts with the educator finding what works for them to develop a connected relationship with themselves in a nourishing & relaxed way, this models for the class.

Changing the mindset of the organisation is most important. Only when the staff embrace life-long learning and the behaviour in the classroom model, will a learning culture developed. Learning circles, research groups, and peer support groups are all ways to introduce a learning culture in small doses. When staff are able to disseminate information in the staff room, being seen as engaged and approachable by others, will conversation follow and participation grow. Working with cheer leaders, champions etc will work more effective with respect to staff motivation, then dictate and performance measures.

Professional development at Children's Academy isn't just about checking boxes; it's about fueling continuous improvement and empowering teachers to be their best. Our robust feedback system on lesson and curriculum planning isn't just about corrections; it sparks critical thinking about effective practices and opens teachers' eyes to innovative approaches they might not have considered before. Regular small group sessions, where teachers share their successful strategies, ignite collaborative learning and equip others with actionable methods. Doubts are addressed not just passively, but proactively, through targeted workshops and coaching sessions.

This is something I speak about often: The need for building the day in a way that incorporates the tools we want to use in the classroom and in our personal lives. With the enormous stress in personal lives it’s so important for educators to be finding tools that help to keep their own nervous systems regulated as the adult lead in the class, this sets the unheard tone for children’s nervous systems. These can be built into the day for any age group and even when done with giggles or eye rolls the children are still learning to regulate their systems. - Stanley Rosenberg Reset 👀 - “Hummingbird” (little kids love) 🐦 -Music 🎶 -Dance/movement 💃🏻 -Breath Tracing 🧘♀️ -Jokes/laughter 😂

Finding alternative formats to introduce a learning culture such as teachmeets, scrums, learning hackathons, badges parties etc will engage staff very differently. This can lead to previous reluctant staff to join in and drive some of the change, as it comes from an unexpected part of the staff room.