Embracing Transformative PL

From Sit-and-Get to Go-and-Show

Slide 1: Welcome, everyone! Today I’m sharing a call to action that challenges us to rethink professional learning on our campus.

Our goal is to move away from professional development that overwhelms and underdelivers, and instead embracing a “go and show” approach—one that prioritizes active, relevant, and sustained learning.

This shift isn’t just about redesigning training sessions—it’s about reimagining the culture of how we onboard and support staff in ways that are transformational, not transactional.

Slide 2: You’ve probably seen this image before—most often when we’re discussing how to support students.
It’s used to show the difference between equality and equity: giving everyone the same doesn’t lead to the same outcomes, because not everyone starts in the same place.

But this visual also applies powerfully to professional learning for teachers.

Right now, PD is often delivered equally—everyone gets the same session, regardless of their role, experience, or needs. But even with minor adjustments, key systemic barriers remain:

Time constraints that prevent follow-through

One-size-fits-all content that ignores grade level or subject

Little to no coaching or modeling during implementation

A culture of compliance where attendance is valued over real engagement

The result? Teachers are expected to perform without the supports they actually need—just like in the first two panels of the image.

True liberation, as shown in the final panel, means removing the barriers altogether. It means building a system where learning is:

Personalized to each teacher’s context

Supported through modeling and coaching

Embedded in daily practice

If we fail to make this shift, we continue a cycle of frustration, uneven outcomes, and missed growth opportunities. But if we aim for liberation—not just equity—we position every educator to learn, lead, and thrive.

Slide 3: Building on the previous slide, we can now take a closer look at what this actually looks like in practice—the current reality many educators face when it comes to professional learning.

Despite good intentions, most PD is still designed around exposure rather than implementation. Teachers attend the same session, receive a flood of information, and are expected to return to the classroom and immediately apply it—with minimal differentiation, limited support, and no built-in follow-up.

This model reinforces the very barriers we discussed earlier: it’s generic, disconnected, and leaves teachers to figure things out on their own.

That’s where we’re starting today—but it’s not where we’re staying.

From here, we’ll explore why this matters—not just for teachers, but for students. Then, we’ll look at what’s at stake if we continue with the status quo.

After that, I’ll introduce the five key principles of effective professional learning, based on research, that offer a clear foundation for what works.

We’ll then examine the shift from “Sit & Get” to “Go & Show”, and how that shift connects directly to constructivist learning theory—what we know about how adults learn best.

And finally, we’ll close with a call to action—practical next steps we can take to move from passive PD to purposeful, professional growth that empowers every educator in our building.

Slide 4: Now that we’ve looked at the current reality, let’s talk about why it matters.

This is not just a technology issue or a training logistics problem—this is a teaching and learning issue. When professional development is ineffective, it doesn’t just frustrate teachers—it directly impacts students.

When PD is disconnected, teachers are left without clarity, confidence, or support. That leads to:

• Burnout
• Underdeveloped instructional practices
• Inconsistent implementation of campus goals

And when teacher growth is stalled, student learning suffers. We miss out on opportunities to innovate, differentiate, and elevate instruction.

It’s also a matter of culture. When PD feels like a box to check, we build a campus culture focused on compliance rather than commitment.

That’s why we can’t afford to stay where we are. To improve outcomes for students, we have to first transform how we support the people closest to them—our teachers.

Slide 5: Teacher motivation and engagement decline. PD becomes something to sit through, not grow from.

Teacher expertise remains underdeveloped. Talented educators aren’t supported to reach their full potential.

Student achievement stagnates. Instruction doesn’t evolve, and learning becomes routine rather than responsive.

A culture of compliance persists. Growth becomes about accountability rather than empowerment.

But if we act with purpose, we have the chance to create something better. A system where learning is built into the rhythm of our work, not added on. Where teachers are supported, challenged, and inspired to grow.

This is about more than PD—it’s about building a culture of collective efficacy and ensuring that every educator has what they need to thrive.

Slide 6: If we’re serious about creating professional learning that truly impacts teacher practice and student success, we must ground that work in research-based principles.

Gulamhussein (2013) outlined five essential components of effective professional development. These aren’t suggestions—they are non-negotiables if we want PD that leads to actual instructional change:

• Duration over time – One-off sessions don’t work. Teachers need time to learn, apply, and refine.
• Ongoing support during implementation – Without coaching, modeling, and feedback, even great ideas rarely stick.
• Active engagement – Teachers must interact with the content, reflect, and apply—not just sit and listen.
• Modeling – Teachers need to see effective practices in action to fully understand how to implement them.
• Discipline- and grade-level specificity – Learning must be relevant and immediately transferable to their classroom context.

These principles are foundational to the alternative model we’re proposing. They move PD from being informational to transformational—from passive consumption to intentional application.

Slide 7: Now that we’ve looked at the why and the research behind effective PD, let’s explore what this actually looks like in action.

The traditional “sit and get” model is based on delivery—presenting information with the hope that teachers will figure out how to apply it. But we know that doesn’t work.

Our alternative is “Go and Show”—a model where teachers actively engage with learning, apply it in their classrooms, and reflect on the results.

In this model:

Teachers go through meaningful, personalized learning experiences—grounded in their own grade level or subject.

Then they show what implementation looks like—through modeled lessons, peer collaboration, reflection, and ongoing feedback.

This isn’t about flashy tools or one-time events. It’s about sustained, job-embedded growth that feels relevant, practical, and supported.

“Go and Show” honors the complexity of teaching. It acknowledges that learning is iterative, not linear—and that teachers, like students, need space to try, reflect, and grow.

Slide 8: The success of “Go and Show” is grounded in one essential idea: constructivism.

Constructivist learning theory reminds us that people—including adults—build understanding not by receiving information, but by engaging in meaningful, experience-based learning.

So when it comes to professional development, simply adding an active learning activity here or there isn’t enough.

We must fully embrace a constructivist approach by:

Designing experiences that allow teachers to practice, reflect, and revise

Modeling the level of engagement and differentiation we expect to see in classrooms

Connecting every learning opportunity to real instructional challenges and day-to-day classroom realities

Just as we raise expectations for our students, we must also raise the bar for teacher learning. When we give educators meaningful, relevant, and challenging opportunities—they rise to the occasion.

Constructivism isn’t just a theory—it’s the foundation for a professional learning culture that works.

Slide 9: This isn’t just about improving onboarding or fixing PD—it’s about rethinking how we build a culture of learning on our campus.

Our teachers don’t need more checklists, more tools, or more one-time sessions.
They need a system—one that removes barriers, supports risk-taking, and sustains growth over time.

When we move toward liberation, we’re not just adding supports—we’re redesigning the system so that those supports become part of how we operate.

Imagine what becomes possible when:

• Teachers feel trusted to lead and reflect on their growth
• Professional learning is embedded into our routines
• Growth becomes a shared responsibility, not a top-down requirement

This is our call to action:
Let’s stop overwhelming teachers with information.
Let’s build a model that is clear, responsive, and purpose-driven.
Let’s stop checking boxes—and start changing systems.

Together, we can create professional learning that not only equips teachers, but elevates our entire school culture.

Slide 10: References