Professional Development Plan
Introduction
Basic introduction to the PDP – introduce the plan and briefly describe what it is. You may also refer to it as being part of a course requirement, just describe the course and why. This section should be no longer than three to four paragraphs.
Overview of Readings
Review the literature that you have read and develop a thorough background of the general idea of a professional development plan. Think about what you have read:
Law
Ethics
Diversity
Learning Styles
Dispositions
From here define some central themes or constructs that stand out in your learning. This will be the basis for your plan; new learning and how you incorporate it into future teaching. This section should comprise two or three pages.
Philosophy and Dispositions
You can develop this section from the units of the same name. You do not need to put your whole philosophy here but condense it to fit. You should also try to ‘reconcile’ your philosophy to your dispositions. Do you see any commonalities? Try to correlate the two, if you can as they are important components to who you are. This section should be around three to four paragraphs.
Propositions
Describe the propositions briefly, and then illustrate the ones that are most important to you. Explain why. Does this correlate back to philosophy and dispositions, yes or no? This section should be between two to three paragraphs.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Illustrate several examples of your strengths and weaknesses. Be honest with yourself, it will not be all about weaknesses. But you also need to avoid talking just about strengths as well. This is a development plan so you should be reflective of both but look at areas of improvement. This section should be between three and four paragraphs
Plan for Improvement
Now try to develop a one year or multiyear plan for you to meet your improvement goals. In this section you need to illustrate the specific goals you want to obtain and the time period you plan on taking. Typically PDPs tend to run in one year cycles but may comprise two to three years. It depends upon the reasons for having the PDP in the first place. As your own instructor you can decide the timeline and goals but you need to be specific in describing these. This section should comprise over a page but less than three.
References
Goldschneider, F. K., Waite, L. J., & Witsberger, C. (1986). Nonfamily living and the erosion of traditional family orientations among young adults. American Sociological Review, 51, 541-554.
Tomlinson, C. A. (2005). The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Tomlinson, C., Kalbfleisch, M.L. (1998). Teach me, teach my brain: A call for differentiated classrooms. Educational Leadership, 56(3), 52-55.
(Do NOT use the above sample references but cite and space correctly throughout. See your APA manual and/or APA link: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/)
*At this level, at least three to five citations [within the body], and three to five references is proficient.