Creating A Personal PD Plan

written by Katie Maciulewicz

Instructional coaches often provide professional development for teachers, but we also need our own PD! Unfortunately, the PD resources for coaches are a little scattered – blogs, podcasts, books, newsletters, social media accounts. (Guilty. The EDU Coach Network has all of those except a book!)

But I’m not just here to promote the EDU Coach Network. (You’re already here on our blog!) I’m here to help you, a fellow instructional coach, design your personal professional learning plan. I’m going to help you think through

• Your professional goals.
• Your learning & growth needs.
• How you like to learn.
• Making an action plan.

Set Your Professional Goals & Evaluate the Needs of Your Job

The first step in designing your personal learning plan is to set clear professional goals. In order for these goals to be effective, you have to be sure they are relevant to your specific role at school (coaching looks different everywhere) and that they present a real opportunity for you to grow. Reflect on your current strengths and areas for growth, considering your aspirations and the needs of your job.

To evaluate the needs of your job, consider the following questions:

• What are the challenges and opportunities I face as an instructional coach?
• What skills and knowledge do I need to develop to be more effective in my role?
• What do I need to help me better address the needs of my teachers and students?
• What are the priorities and goals of my school or district?

Perform a Personal SWOT Analysis

Once you have a good understanding of your professional goals and the needs of your job, you can start to identify areas where you need more learning. A SWOT analysis is a tool that can help you identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It can be used to help you set goals, make decisions, and develop strategies for personal growth and development.

To do a personal SWOT analysis, follow these steps:

1. Identify your coaching strengths. What are you good at? What are your talents and skills? What are your positive qualities?
2. Identify your coaching weaknesses. What areas need improvement? What are your limitations? What are your negative qualities?
3. Identify your opportunities. Where do you see potential for growth and development? What resources do you have access to (professional conferences, online communities, books, blogs, etc.)?
4. Identify your threats. What potential obstacles or challenges might you face? A lack of support from others? Money? Time constraints?

As you work through these steps, it’s important to be honest with yourself. The more honest you are, the more accurate your analysis will be. You’re trying to grow and get better! You can’t do that if you aren’t specific and realistic about your weaknesses and growth opportunities. At the same time, you need to remain positive. You want to achieve these goals, so keep a positive attitude about what’s possible for you. 

Consider Your Learning Preferences (and Your Time)

While Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences has been somewhat misused and misunderstood in education, it’s still true that we each have some ways that we best absorb information. (Personally, I remember something better if I read it – and I remember it even better if I write it down or take notes.)

So if you’re truly looking to learn, grow, and develop your skills as a coach, you’ll want to consider the method that will help you the best – because, you know, you actually want to learn the information.

If you learn best through reading, find a book to read or a blog or newsletter to follow (and get them straight in your inbox). 

If you like to listen, podcasts are everywhere these days, and there are plenty for instructional coaches and educational leaders. 

If you’re more visual and like to see what other coaches do and create, then following some coach-specific social media accounts might work really well for you. 

Do you like to be an active participant in a conversation while you learn? Find some webinars and roundtable discussions. (We host them once a month at the EDU Coach Network. Join us!)

In addition to your learning preferences, however, you’ll also need to consider your time. When are you able to set aside devoted time for your professional learning? If you have limited time each week, getting through an entire book may be difficult, but a weekly blog would be perfect. Do you already like to listen to podcasts in the car or when you take a walk (or insert any other activity here)? Choose one day a week to listen to a coaching podcast instead of your typical true crime or TV show rewatch podcast. 

Plan it!

Now that you’ve got all of these amazing goals and ideas, it’s time to create the plan for your personal PD. If you want to actually accomplish the goals you set and improve your coaching, you need more than just an end goal. Set some milestones, deadlines, and check-ins for yourself. 

As an example, I want to learn more about managing social media. In order to meet this goal, I signed up for a social media management course through Coursera (not an ad or endorsement, just the path I chose). The course has five modules with multiple sections that have at least two subsections each, and all of the subsections have multiple videos and readings followed by a short quiz. It’s a lot of work! 

So how did I make a plan to complete this course? Essentially, backward design. 

• I set an end goal: complete all modules by the end of June.
• I set a median goal: complete 2 modules by March 15.
• I set a daily goal: complete at least one subsection each day (about an hour a day).
• I blocked time off on my calendar: I work around my scheduled coaching meetings and appointments to block off one hour each day to complete the work I need to. It’s not scheduled for the same time each day necessarily, but I have it set aside and I get calendar reminders to do it.

Designing your personal professional learning plan is crucial for your growth and development as an instructional coach. By setting clear professional goals, evaluating the needs of your job, performing a personal SWOT analysis, considering your learning preferences and time constraints, and creating a plan with milestones and deadlines, you can effectively address your areas for growth and become a more effective coach. 

Remember, continuous learning is key to staying relevant and making a positive impact on the teachers and students you serve. You can do it!

Click here for your own copy of our Goal Setting Worksheet!