PDK Training Module

Purpose and Background

Participants in the professional development workshop may be interested to learn about how and why PDK was created. The following information could be included in an overview at the beginning of the workshop.

The Development of PDK
PDK was developed as part of an effort to improve adult educators' access to high quality staff development through the design and dissemination of technology-based resources. Its primary purpose is to help adult educators explore and develop their practice in new ways. It provides teachers with opportunities to conduct inquiry projects that examine their practice, to enhance their techniques and strategies for meeting the needs of diverse adult learners, and to network with other practitioners to support professional growth. The National Center on Adult Literacy (NCAL) designed the product in collaboration with SRI International. A Broad Agency Announcement grant funded the project over three years.

The PDK concept has been informed by the actively solicited and carefully analyzed input of ABE, GED, and ESL teachers, researchers, and policymakers, as well as adult learners from across the country. To inform the project, the development team sent a needs assessment survey to teachers in all states, and held focus groups to gauge teacher and staff developer reaction to the first prototypes of materials. Following these activities, formative evaluations of the project were conducted. The elements of effective staff development identified during these consultations, and incorporated into PDK, are described in the "Guiding Principles" section of this module.

A Learner-Centered Approach
Teacher learning is at the center of the PDK framework, which provides opportunities for participating teachers to develop critical analysis skills and engage in collective and individual examination of teaching strategies. The PDK approach to teacher learning is based on the concept, borne out by research, that effective professional development is a change process (Brookfield, 1991; Cranton, 1996; Lampert & Ball, 1998; Richardson & Anders, 1994). The PDK delivery system incorporates structures and tools for professional growth in the domains of teaching methods, materials, and practices. The teacher research supports in PDK allow practitioners to document their professional development through the use of case studies, lesson plans, and/or reporting frameworks. PDK provides teachers with the tools to bridge the theory-to-practice gap, as well as a supportive structure for inquiry and reflection.

Online Professional Development
Research indicates that teachers who learn to use technology in professional development settings report gains in self-confidence and expertise about using technology in their practice. In the case of PDK, teachers can become familiar with its structure and navigation in a professional development setting, and then continue to access its online and CD-ROM resources after the workshop ends. They can also participate in PDK's online communities, which support professional growth by providing opportunities for networking, mentoring, and collaboration. Online professional development is unique in its capacity to connect practitioners with their colleagues around the country, and to provide direct and continuing access to web-based professional resources.