The Master Teacher Weekly Pd Program

Never in history has the work of a teacher or an administrator been more challenging. Nor has the administrative leadership responsibility to give teachers the right kind of support been more important. Our students are in a “different place” than they were even a few years ago, and so are our teachers. That’s why it is imperative that principals do more than simply communicate with teachers; they must successfully connect with them.  

Regardless of whether they are new teachers or veterans, all teachers need, want, and thrive with meaningful, productive connections.  

Without doubt, teachers must also connect with students and parents like never before. But they need professional help to do so, and they need a continuous flow of ideas, strategies, techniques, and skills to effectively support student learning. Equally important, teachers need to connect with one another to learn and find success and satisfaction. Alone they can only do so much, but together—working as a team—they can be a powerful force for learning. 

To help learners keep pace with their professional knowledge and achieve goals in a way that accounts for individual needs, experts recommend micro-learning, which involves "small but complete learning experiences" that happen in "short bursts" or "bite-size" pieces (1, 2, 3).

Effective micro-learning offers both examples and practice to "help learners recognize the opportunities to transfer their learning" and quickly put it to use (1, 3). If learners know how they can use information or ideas, they are more likely to do so efficiently.

Learners benefit even more when bite-size lessons are readily available and easy to access. This lets them fit training into their busy schedules and allows them to focus on their specific learning needs (3).

Bite-size lessons make learning retention easier, because they offer "just key facts and relevant information" instead of fluff and filler information (3).

Focusing on just a few learning objectives and takeaways avoids overloading learners it's easier to take in information "in chunks rather than all at once” (3).

Learning in short stretches complements the "natural energy ebb and flow" and "natural learning rhythms" of learners (3).

The fact is, teachers will learn more and retain more in a few minutes than they will in 1 or 2 hours.