On October 25, ACTE worked with the National Writing Project (NWP) and the Senate CTE Caucus to organize a briefing on increasing access to and opportunity for professional development for CTE educators. LeAnn Wilson, ACTE’s executive director, and Elyse Eidman-Aadahl, NWP’s executive director, both gave opening remarks before the panel offered presentations stressing the importance of professional development for CTE educators.
The panel presenters included:
- Carri Risner – Chef Instructor and Lead Teacher of the Columbia Area Career Center; Columbia, MO
- Jon Graft – Superintendent/ CEO of Butler Tech; Hamilton, OH
- Ruth Neild – Director of the Philadelphia Education Research Consortium; Philadelphia, PA
In her introduction, Wilson gave an overview of the CTE landscape and challenged audience members to consider how, if placed into a classroom, they would teach the skills they use in their own professions. Highlighting how even someone with vast experience in an industry can struggle to effectively communicate their knowledge to students, Wilson spoke to the importance of professional development for CTE educators. Eidman-Asdahl stressed that NWP’s mission serves the interest of all educators across the curriculum and in all disciplines, including CTE.
In her presentation, Risner shared her experience in industry as a chef/owner, and how she originally had limited training in teacher methodology. While the courses she took as a requirement for her teaching certificate were informative, they were insufficient. As a result, she embraced continued professional development throughout her career.
Graft spoke from the perspective of a superintendent, and in affirming his support for professional development for educators, said that “all effective teaching is the result of study, reflection, practice, and hard work.” This, he said, requires high-quality professional development.
Nield conveyed the critical role communication plays in many occupations. She spoke to the importance of ensuring CTE educators have the pedagogical knowledge to help integrate their CTE curriculum with communications, writing, and other skills. Specifically, she highlighted the existence of “rigorous evidence of professional development programs that help teachers hone their ability to provide writing instruction.”
Following the presentations, panelists participated in a Q&A session where they reiterated the importance of high-quality professional development. They also urged policymakers to invest in professional development opportunities for CTE teachers. Photos from the event can be found here.
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