Call to Action
Brew Better PD: It's Time to Energize Professional Learning
The Why
An introduction to my Call of Action,
Energizing Professional Learning!
The Story Behind the Story
💡 The Why
After supporting teachers across a variety of campuses during a year of high turnover and low morale, I saw firsthand the limitations of traditional “sit-and-get” professional development. Teachers left sessions feeling overwhelmed—not empowered.
My motivation for this call-to-action came from conversations with staff who expressed a desire for PD that felt relevant, collaborative, and sustained—not just another compliance requirement. This urgency is echoed in Edutopia’s video, The Problem with PD, which highlights how most teachers report that professional development feels disconnected from their classroom needs. The video calls out the exact gap I’ve observed: top-down PD that lacks modeling, support, or follow-through simply doesn’t lead to improved instruction or student outcomes.
This inspired me to reimagine what professional learning could look like if it reflected the same principles we expect in student learning—modeling, engagement, scaffolding, and feedback. My work draws heavily from Gulamhussein’s (2013) research, Duarte’s storytelling framework (2013), and insights from the Presentation Zen approach to keep the message clear, focused, and emotionally resonant.
If we don’t make this shift, we risk losing our teachers’ trust, wasting valuable time, and missing the opportunity to transform practice in meaningful ways.
The What
Rooted in Purpose: The What Behind Reimagining Professional Learning
The What
The media artifact I created is a narrated slide presentation titled:
Call to Action: Embracing Transformative PL
You can view the full presentation here on my ePortfolio.
This call-to-action presentation was designed for stakeholders across a variety of campuses, including district leaders, campus administrators, instructional coaches, and teacher leaders. It is especially relevant in Title I settings, campuses with high staff turnover, or those seeking to deepen instructional impact through more authentic and sustainable professional learning practices. The presentation aims to inspire a collective shift in how professional learning is designed, delivered, and sustained by offering an emotionally compelling and research-supported argument for moving toward a more transformative, teacher-centered model.
The presentation intentionally avoids listing activities or logistics of a professional learning plan (the “how”) and instead focuses on why an alternate model of PD is urgent and necessary. Drawing on Nancy Duarte’s storytelling structure, it contrasts the “what is” (compliance-driven, passive PD) with the “what could be” (purposeful, engaging, supported teacher learning), driving the audience toward reflection and action.
To ensure alignment with my district’s instructional priorities and broader educational vision, the presentation also integrates:
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The Get Better Faster (GBF) coaching framework to emphasize the importance of bite-sized practice, real-time feedback, and sustained support in teacher development.
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Outcome-Based Education (OBE) principles to reinforce clarity, intentionality, and alignment between learning outcomes, instructional experiences, and assessments—values that mirror how we expect teachers to plan for student learning.
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My lens as an Instructional Technology Specialist, which focuses on bridging instructional design, digital integration, and coaching to build capacity and elevate teacher efficacy across campuses.
Throughout the slides, I embedded the five research-based principles of effective professional learning outlined by Gulamhussein (2013):
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Long-term duration
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Ongoing implementation support
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Active engagement
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Modeling of strategies
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Discipline- or grade-level specificity
The presentation format—clean visuals, Duarte-style narrative, and embedded speaker notes—was purposefully chosen so it can be easily:
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Repurposed across diverse campus contexts for PD launches, leadership meetings, or instructional team sessions
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Updated to reflect campus-specific data, staff needs, or instructional goals
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Shared in both live and asynchronous formats to reach broader audiences
5 Principles of Effective Professional Learning
Through this proposal, I’m intentionally modeling an Outcome-Based Education (OBE) approach, ensuring that all learning experiences are purposeful, measurable, and aligned to desired outcomes. This model supports personalized, relevant learning and allows for reflection and refinement along the way.
Additionally, I’m embedding the 5 Principles of Effective Professional Learning as outlined by Gulamhussein (2013):
- Duration Matters: Professional learning must be sustained and ongoing to give teachers the time they need to learn, implement, and refine new strategies.
- Implementation Support: Teachers require structured support during the implementation phase to navigate challenges and apply learning in real contexts.
- Active Engagement: Learning must be interactive and dynamic—not passive—to support deep understanding.
- Modeling: New strategies must be modeled to help teachers visualize and internalize effective practices.
- Content-Specificity: PD should not be generic; it must be tailored to specific grade levels or content areas to ensure relevance and applicability.
Outcome Based Education
Call to Action
Why it Matters
When we shift from “sit-and-get” to professional learning that honors and empowers teachers, we are not just improving staff meetings—we are transforming campus culture. We’re building capacity, promoting collaboration, and supporting authentic growth.
Let’s stop pouring cold coffee into already-full mugs. Let’s brew something fresh that our teachers deserve.
How: The Professional Tools Used
Canva
I used Canva to design and organize my presentation slides. Its flexible layout tools and visual assets helped me create a clean, engaging, and on-brand presentation.
G-Suite for Education
I used Google Docs to draft and refine my script, speaker notes, and narrative reflections. Google Drive was also used to organize research, collect resources, and collaborate with peers and instructors.
Imovie
I recorded and edited my voiceover in iMovie, syncing narration with slide visuals. iMovie allowed me to trim audio, adjust timing, and ensure that the tone and pacing matched the message of the presentation.
Webador
I published my final project and supporting materials on my Webador ePortfolio. This platform allowed me to embed media, organize reflections, and present my assignment in a professional, accessible format for my intended audience.
YouTube
I uploaded my final presentation video to YouTube to ensure easy access, playback, and sharing. Hosting the video on YouTube also allowed me to embed it directly into my Webador ePortfolio.
