Section 3: Develop a Professional Growth Plan

In this section:

• Requirements
• Sample Professional Growth Plans
• Templates
• Developing Learning Goals
• PD Activities for Professional Growth
• Meaningful Measures

Requirements

Professional growth plans can take many forms. They can be textual or graphical. They can include mind maps or web formats. Whatever the format, the plan must demonstrate a relationship to the Teaching Quality Standard and include the following essential information:

Tool 3.1: Guiding Questions to Develop Your Professional Growth Plan

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Sample Professional Growth Plans

• Sample 3.1: Teacher Plan Outlining Goals, Sub-goals, Strategies and Measures
• Sample 3.2: Teacher Plan Outlining Goals and Related Resources, Strategies, Timelines, Outcomes and Indicators of Success
• Sample 3.3: Principal Plan and Reflections 
• Sample 3.4: Principal Plan and Outcome Measures 

Following are several templates that can be used to develop a professional growth plan. Choose the one that best suits your needs.

• Template 3.1: Annual Professional Growth Plan Incorporating Reflection
• Template 3.2: A Professional Growth Plan Incorporating the STP Process
• Template 3.3: Annual Professional Growth Plan Framework
• Template 3.4: Professional Growth Plan Framework Using the 5 W’s
• Template 3.5: Concept Map/Fishbone
• Template 3.6: A Professional Growth Plan Developed with a Community of Learners

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Developing Learning Goals

Growth is a result of working towards your goals. Specific goals help direct your professional development activities. A goal may be to “learn about the Internet”. A more specific goal would be “to integrate the Internet as a teaching and learning resource”. Think about what makes goals worth pursuing.

Meaningful goals:

• have substance and meaning for the teacher;
• stretch current thinking and practice;
• can be achieved and, therefore, don’t lead to frustration; and
• have deadlines that help to ensure that the goal is attained.

A common technique for writing goals is to think about SMART goals.

S—specific and contextual
M—meaningful measures
A—achievable within the resources
R—realistic
T—time targeted

Action Words for Developing SMART goals:

Tool 3.2: Identification of Your Professional Development Goals

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Next:

• PD Activities for Professional Growth
• Meaningful Measures
• Section 4: Prepare for a Successful Review of Your Growth Plan