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The paper translates cognitive science principles into a six-phase model for adult learning, aligned with research on effective learning and memory.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/designing-better-professional-learning-with-the-brain-in-mind/585896/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/designing-better-professional-learning-with-the-brain-in-mind/585896.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Jordan Avery","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-06","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",9,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What is the difference between professional development (PD) and professional learning (PL)?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"PD is typically a one-time, one-size-fits-all training event with limited coaching or reflection. 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He isthe author or co-author of numerous McREL books, including The New Classroom Instruction That Works, Learning That Sticks, Building a Curious School, and Instructional Models. Before joining McREL in 1998, Bryan was a college instructor, a high schoolteacher, anda business journalist.  \nKristin Rouleau, Ed.D., is the vicepresident of learning services at McREL, providing school systems with professional learning, coaching, consulting, and technical assistance to support their continuous improvement processes. She is coauthor of The New Classroom Instruction That Works, Learning That Sticks, Curiosity Works: A Guidebook for Moving Your School From Improvement to Innovation, and Unstuck: How Curiosity, Peer Coaching, and Teaming Can Change Your School. Dr. Rouleau shares responsibility for new product and service development, with a focus on leveraging curiosity to improve teaching, leading, and learning.  \n© 2024, McREL International. All rights reserved. To use a portion of this document for noncommercial purposes, please cite as:  \nGoodwin, B. & Rouleau, K. (2024) . Designing better professional learning with the brainin mind. McREL  \nMcREL International is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to improving education outcomes for all students through applied research, product development, and professional services to teachers and education leaders. We collaborate with schools and school systems across the U. S. and worldwide, helping educators think differently about their challenges and providing research-based solutions and guidance that help students flourish.  \n4601 DTC Blvd., Suite 500, Denver, CO 80237-2596  \n800.858.6830 • [www.mcrel.org](www.mcrel.org)  \n20240130  \nDesigning Better Professional Learning with the Brain in Mind  \nBryan Goodwin & Kris Rouleau  \nLet’s face it. Many teachers dread in-service professional development sessions, which gives rise to tongue-in-cheek memes floating around the internet, like the one that shows a picture of exhausted teachers sitting in a PD session above the caption,“When I die, I hope it’s during an inservice session because the transition to death would be so subtle.”  \nToo often, teacher PD is slow-paced, disconnected from teachers’ needs, heavy on theory and light on practical application, and  \nThat’s the bad news. Here’s the good news: When properly designed, professional learning can have meaningful impact on educator practices and student achievement (Guskey & Yoon, 2009). Moreover, decades of research shows that “no [school] improvement effort has ever succeeded in the absence of thoughtfully planned and well-implemented professional development”(Guskey & Yoon, 2009, p. 496) .  \nIn short, teachers do need professional learning—but they need it to be good  \ndelivered in a“sit and get”lecture-style format. These sessions provide too few opportunities for teachers to actively discuss, practice, and reflect on the new knowledge and skills. In short, this typeof PD is the opposite of  \nDefining Terms:  \nWhat’s the difference between PD and PL?  \nAlthough these terms are often used interchangeably among educators across the country, McREL distinguishes professional learning (PL) from professional development (PD). PD is typically something done to teachers in a one-size-fits-all fashion. It’s a one-time training event, workshop, or seminar, with little or no expectation of ongoing coaching and reflection to help teachers use what they’ve learned in their daily classroom practices. PL, on the other hand, is something we do for and with teachers. It’s ongoing, job-embedded learning that meets teachers where they are and, most importantly, engages them in making substantive changes in thei","cbCaiiQ8tUa5TgVf","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiiQ8tUa5TgVf","pdf",1608400,16,"English","# About the Authors\n# Why Traditional PD Often Falls Short\n## Defining Terms: PD vs PL\n# A Six-Phase Model for Adult Learning","[{\"question\":\"What is the difference between professional development (PD) and professional learning (PL)?\",\"answer\":\"PD is typically a one-time, one-size-fits-all training event with limited coaching or reflection. PL is ongoing, job-embedded learning done for and with teachers, designed to engage them in meaningful practice changes.\"},{\"question\":\"Why do many teachers dislike in-service professional development sessions?\",\"answer\":\"The document notes that PD sessions are often slow-paced, disconnected from teachers’ needs, heavy on theory, and light on practical application, leaving few opportunities to discuss, practice, and reflect.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the paper connect brain-based research to adult professional learning?\",\"answer\":\"It synthesizes findings from decades of cognitive science and adult learning research into a six-phase model that helps teachers embed effective learning experiences in their classrooms.\"}]","Designing Better Professional Learning with the Brain in Mind | PDF",1792056270]