September Pro-D News

The PD Fund: the budget for July-Dec out-of-district travel has almost been reached -- currently $47,600 out of the $50,000 allocated has been committed. The next 2 or 3 applications will finish this off. The majority of approved out-of-district travel was for conferences on (or including) the Oct 25th PD day -- 41 of 53 applications. In-district events and special projects may still be funded (all year), as well as out-of-district travel after December. This year, one of our goals is to evolve the expectations for conference attendees, mainly in providing more options for sharing professional learning.

Robson Valley PD on Oct 25th: presenter needed on topic of project-based learning; $400 honorarium & travel expenses paid -- details here: http://goo.gl/9UQ0pm -- contact me if interested by Oct 2nd.

Program for Quality Teaching: BCTF grant for teacher collaboration -- application deadline is Oct. 4th -- details at http://www.bctf.ca/uploadedFiles/public/AboutUs/ServicesHandbook/16PQT.pdf

PD Reps: most schools have found one. Being a PD rep can be as simple as being a contact, or can be kicked up a notch to include planning PD with other staff or helping teachers develop ideas for their PD. PD Rep training is taking place Oct 30th at Van Bien - last year this was a great day and well attended. This year our emphasis is on self-directed teacher inquiry. Contact me if you need to be convinced. Sign up on PD Reg, fill in a leave app, and phone sub service to book a TTOC. The specific leave app info will be posted here as well as sent to your school secretary once you register.

Sep 27 PD reminder: some schools have planned activities on this day (by mutual agreement and voluntary participation), while many teachers are working on independent inquiry or collaborative professional development in formal or informal groups. Others are seeking out a colleague with which to work through common problems. Still others are attending workshops or conferences, viewing webcasts or joining webinars, exploring ERAC resources, or even reading & reflecting on professional literature. Please be aware of our responsibilities regarding doing PD on PD days -- it is not unreasonable for our administrators to know where we are and have a rough idea what we are doing. There are many things that are beneficial to students and important for teachers to do (like marking and organizing a classroom) that do not constitute professional development by most definitions. There are grey areas, too -- e.g. planning your next set of lessons is marginal for PD, whereas planning for a new unit, course or teaching approach is much better, especially if it involves others. Working from home is not an option, but PD can take place off-site if the in-district venue fits the activity. Feel free to contact me if you need more background on our contractual obligations and also strategies for professional growth. The BCTF also has a good overview of PD days: http://www.bctf.ca/publications/NewsmagArticle.aspx?id=12792