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DRAW Report Theme 6: Professional Development for Practitioners
Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
DRAW Theme 6 Overview
Digital Resilience in the American Workforce (DRAW): Findings from a National Landscape Scan on Adult Digital Literacy Instruction
Theme 6: Professional Development for Practitioners
Overwhelmingly educators agree that digital resilience and skill development emerge as the most important topic when surveyed. “Professional development focused on instructor digital skills and resilience development emerged as a top need across multiple components of the landscape scan, including the practitioner questionnaire." Conversely, the report contrasts the ideas of informing teachers through frameworks, content, curriculum and assessment, for example, and the importance of professional development to select the resources best suited for their context. While educators are crucial for piloting any digital tools or platforms before a purchase, if that person lacks a “high digital efficacy” then the selection can be a weak one compromising student learning.
There are many challenges for offering professional development for adult educators. Familiarly the report offers these as examples: scheduling, budgets, and training capacity with part-time teachers.
Professional development should differentiate with learner’s need. Flexibility, shorter learning segments and options of asynchronous/synchronous learning opportunities. What works for teaching students works for educating teachers like inquiry-based, project-based, or situational learning assist with interactive learning.
Examples of Professional Development Content for Adult Educators
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OCTAE’s TSTM Initiative - Lesson plans for developing digital problem solving.
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OCTAE’s Integrating Digital Literacy into English Language - Self-paced learning modules
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Center on Inclusive Technology and Education Systems - Assistive technologies and IT