Professional development for educators: Key strategies for career growth
We’ve all got to work; it’s one of life’s givens, along with taxes and chores. And there are as many career pathways as there are types of people in the world.
Some choose medicine, nursing, tech, trades, sales or more. And one viable career pathway that is a noble calling is education. Working as a teacher, no matter the level you teach, is a rewarding and fulfilling career. It is important to build your skills as an educator, and this means professional development.
This helpful article will discuss professional development for educators, and we’ll share our key strategies for career growth. So, if you’re interested in this topic, read on to learn more.
Skills building
It’s important to build your skills as an educator, and the next section of this article will discuss some key skills to develop.
Level Up Your Organization Skills
All teachers need to be highly organized and develop this skill to become successful in an education career. In a regular week as a teacher, you may have to work on the curriculum and lesson plans,, attend meetings, meet with parents, review student reports and attend to a range of other responsibilities. If you’re poorly organized, you might struggle to keep up with the demands of the role, and this may reflect badly on you.
As an educator, you need to role model positive behaviour for both colleagues and students, and this means being organized, efficient, and highly capable in your role. Like any other skill, organization can be built up over time and developed with practice, like you might focus on a muscle group in the gym.
Staying organized will help you achieve the best in your role and set you up well for professional development.
Practice Active Listening
A great educator needs to be able to practice actively listening, either to students, parents or other educators. Active listening means that you should listen closely to the person who is speaking, attempt to parse what they’re saying and clarify their words back to them. You can then respond and reflect on what they have said and retain the information for later. This keeps both people actively engaged in the conversation and is a skill worth developing.
You can develop and build up your active listening skills in your interactions with fellow teachers, students, administrative staff, and student’s parents or other educational stakeholders. As a developing educator, practising this skill will be worthwhile for you, providing benefits in a range of settings. This skill may also have flow-on effects on your personal life, strengthening your romantic and platonic relationships.
Leadership opportunities
One way you can develop as an educator professionally is to take leadership opportunities when they arise. This may seem like a skill an educator may not need much, but that’s actually not true. You need to practice leadership skills both outside and inside the classroom.
To demonstrate strong leadership skills, you could accept some additional duties offered by the school, such as directing a student interest club like chess, board games, or debating. You could also volunteer for something like coaching the sports team. Educators with strong leadership abilities are more likely to advance their careers to achieve senior roles like principal or coordinator.
To hone your budding leadership skills, you could volunteer to take on additional responsibilities that aren’t within the scope of your regular work. You can work to develop this skill and build your leadership abilities by occasionally stepping out of your comfort zone.
Further education
Another professional development opportunity for educators is to embark on further education, such as an online EdD in Educational Leadership.
For most people, engaging in further formal study by obtaining additional qualifications is an excellent way to learn more, upskill and find higher-paying jobs. The education sector is no exception to this.
The valuable skills and knowledge you will gain through further study can give you a huge edge in the already competitive educational job market. You will demonstrate to potential employers that you’re worth their investment.
Even if you’re already employed, some schools will give you time off to study as it will benefit your students and the institution. By engaging in further study, you’re demonstrating your commitment to learning and self-improvement, which will impress most school administrators.
Improve your teamwork skills
Working effectively in a team is essential for educational roles. You may have to work on a project with other teachers and senior leaders, solve an issue with one of your peers, work with a parent to address some difficulties with a troublesome student or work in other situations where working closely with other people is required.
An educational upskilling summary
In this helpful article, we’ve covered how you can move from good to great as an educator by levelling up certain skills that are invaluable in an educational setting.
