Professional Development Opportunities for Educators

How do you develop successful teacher professional development for emerging technologies like GenAI? In order to create opportunities for staff to develop their understanding, we need to approach GenAI with "three dimensions of expertise" in mind. I wrote about these dimensions earlier this year: Domain, situated, and technological expertise. Developing all three areas is key to supporting staff with their understanding of GenAI, and it does not matter whether they personally choose to "use or refuse" the technology. To develop a school-wide approach to this kind of professional development, I recommend three stages: Stage 1: Explore. Find out what your staff actually know. Not just their qualifications - their real expertise. You'll be surprised what you discover. That maths teacher who's been teaching humanities for 10 years due to staff shortages? Still loves maths. The quiet Arts teacher who never speaks up in meetings? Runs a tech blog on weekends. Stage 2: Design. Map everyone's strengths and create groups based on what they want to learn. Don't try to turn everyone into an AI expert. Focus on getting the right mix of skills across your school. Stage 3: Lead. Let the people with expertise lead. Give them time and resources to help others. Check in regularly - at least once a year - to see how things are progressing. The example in the slides below - "Mary" - is a composite of many teachers I've worked with over the years. Mary started as an English teacher cornered into teaching out of field. Despite feeling out of her depth, she focused on her disciplinary knowledge and expertise until she gained a leadership position. COVID forced Mary into a level of technological expertise, which she then leveraged when ChatGPT hit a few years later to become the leader of an AI Taskforce responsible for piloting the technology and informing guidelines. Professional development is not a one-off event: it's a process, and we need to acknowledge the many and varied levels of expertise in our schools rather than trying for a one-size-fits-none approach to AI.

Teachers are begging for AI training. And they’re not wrong to ask. Every session I’ve offered on AI in education has been packed. Waitlists. Follow-ups. More requests than I can keep up with. Why? Because teachers know AI is changing the game—and they want in. The need for AI training in education isn’t just anecdotal—it’s backed by data. According to a recent survey from the World Economic Forum, 71% of teachers and 65% of students agree that AI tools will be essential for success in college and the workplace. That underscores just how critical it is to equip educators with the knowledge and skills to integrate AI meaningfully into their teaching. And here’s what teachers actually want from their PD: ✅ Hands-on — time to explore tools, not just watch slides ✅ Practical — strategies they can use tomorrow ✅ Digestible — no overwhelm, just clarity and confidence ✅ Classroom-tested — examples that work with real students ✅ Supportive — space to ask questions, experiment, and grow I’ve led AI PD for educators across conferences, districts, and schools—and every time, the feedback is the same: “Every teacher should learn this.” “Can you come back and train the rest of our staff?” AI in education isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a must. And teachers are ready. #AIinEducation #TeacherPD #EdTech #ProfessionalDevelopment #FutureReadySchools #AItools #MagicSchoolAI #Diffit #SchoolAI #TimeToTeachAI

Today, I watched something fascinating unfold in our teacher collaboration space. A veteran English teacher who'd been skeptical about AI for months had her "aha" moment – not from listening to theory, but from actually experimenting with the technology alongside peers. "I've sat through so many AI presentations," she told me afterward, "but this is the first time I actually understood how it fits into my classroom reality." What made the difference? Instead of talking about AI integration, we were actively building learning experiences together. Teachers weren't passive recipients of information – they were architects of their own solutions, applying generative learning principles in real-time. The shift was palpable: A history teacher discovered how to create dynamic primary source analysis exercises A math instructor developed a system for generating personalized practice problems A writing teacher crafted a framework for using AI as a student brainstorming companion What struck me most was watching the transformation from uncertainty to confidence. These weren't just theoretical discussions – every teacher left with practical tools they'd built themselves, tested with peers, and could implement the very next day. This reinforced what I've always believed: genuine learning happens in the doing. When educators have the space to experiment, collaborate, and create with AI tools, the possibilities expand exponentially. It's not about listening to someone lecture about AI – it's about rolling up our sleeves and building something real. The future of professional development isn't in passive consumption. It's in active creation, peer collaboration, and hands-on experimentation. We need spaces where teachers can truly engage with these tools, make mistakes, have breakthroughs, and develop solutions that work for their unique classroom contexts. Want to be part of this transformation? We're building a community of forward-thinking educators who are reimagining what's possible when theory meets practice. Let's create something extraordinary together. #AIinEducation #TeacherPD #EdTech #GenerativeLearning #EducationalInnovation Mike Kentz David H. Scott Sommers, PhD Alfonso Mendoza Jr., M.Ed. Aman Kumar Chrissy Macso, M.Ed Phillip Alcock Ross Dawson Moxie Jessica Maddry, M.EdLT

I had a fascinating chat with a school leader this week about "Comprehensive AI training for teachers". My brain immediatelly went to project-based learning, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. So I wrote this... Technology in education isn't so much about learning acronyms, or even mastering every single platform or memorising every feature. For me, it's a slow release. A teacher-centered learning experience. I have worked as a digital integration specialist before, and I learnt early that death by powerpoint 'workshops' are not effective at all. Putting pressure on those to 'get with the times' was also not a good approach. I needed to create Innovation Hubs, that were PBL based. I pose this question.. What if instead of overwhelming teachers w/ 20 hours of generic AI training, we let them pick ONE project their passionate about? Maybe using Claude for making creative writing workshops, or exploring how ChatGPT could transform book club discussions. Let them build confidence naturally, at a pace that works best for them. I wrote up a comprehensive blog on this often messy challenge- how we can shift from those painful traditional tech trainings to something that actually works. Because lets be honest, if were gonna make AI in education work, we need to stop treating teachers like their just another user manual to update. Co-Created Project-Based Professional Development within Innovation Hubs will lead to better digital literacy. Thom Markham, Ph.D. Dan Jones Kyle Wagner Al Kingsley MBE Vera Cubero Austin Levinson, Ed. M. Nick Potkalitsky, PhD Mike Kentz Professor Sean Wiebe Dan Thomas #AIinEducation #TeacherPD #ProjectBasedLearning #EdTech #FutureOfLearning