PD "stickiness"

I do a lot of professional development workshops. (One time I counted and figured I worked with over 2,000 administrators and teachers over the course of a year. )

There are two main types of workshops I do: workshops at schools and districts for specific projects and conference workshops. In general, I like the former better, because I know what I am teaching will be put to immediate use. Conference workshops, on the other hand…I’m not sure. The energy at conferences is always high, and everyone is very excited, but I think a lot of people go back home and get entrenched in their everyday lives and maybe don’t use their newly-learned skills so much.

Part of how I gauge this is through how many follow-up emails I get from people. (I always tell people how much I love hearing from them after a workshop, because then I know they’re out there doing great things.) This year, I’ve seen a real difference with podcasting workshops. I have heard from a lot more conference participants in the months after the workshops. I’ve gotten emails from people who are podcasting with kids, emails from people who are teaching their own workshops back at their districts, calls from people with questions as they’re in the middle of projects, etc. It makes me know that after these workshops, people are going back and podcasting!

That’s fun. I’m glad the workshops are “sticking” and even happier that podcasting is proving to be a useful medium for people. It is energizing me for a busy summer/fall full of workshops. Keep those emails coming!