Planning Professional Development for Teachers? Avoid These Mistakes
Planning professional development for teachers is an important opportunity to support teachers in meaningful ways. We have seen over and over again (and experienced ourselves as teachers) that when PD connects to classroom realities, it can strengthen practice and build teacher confidence. But when it feels disconnected or overwhelming, it can be hard for teachers to see its value. For administrators, instructional coaches, and PD coordinators, the work lies in designing learning experiences that are relevant, doable, and aligned with the goals of your school community.
The encouraging news is that small, intentional shifts can make a big difference. Below, we highlight five common pitfalls to watch for…things we try hard to avoid or have learned the hard way just doesn’t ever work out. And offer practical approaches to help your next PD session feel more engaging and productive for teachers.
Planning Professional Development for Teachers: 5 Mistakes to Avoid
Whether you’re coordinating a district-wide initiative or organizing a single department meeting, being mindful of these pitfalls could help ensure your professional learning efforts feel more relevant, connected, and impactful for all involved.
1. Not Starting from Clear, Relevant Objectives
A common challenge in planning PD is beginning with a topic rather than a purpose. We are often asked to run a PD session on a topic like “graph making”, but my next question is always “What are you hearing from teachers that their students are struggling with?” Typically what follows is a list of various aspects that relate to students making graphs, but also gets at the desired purpose of helping students better make sense of data as they are learning their core content subjects. Ah-ha, now we are getting to the heart of what teachers are looking for in order to be able to take into their classrooms as it relates to “graph making”.
Thus we have found that designing effective professional learning starts with clarity around what teachers need right now and how the session will support their work. Before selecting an activity or facilitator, it helps to pause and consider:
- What should teachers walk away knowing, trying, or feeling more confident about?
- How does this connect to our current instructional priorities?
- What questions or challenges are teachers encountering in their classrooms?
➡️ Try this: Begin with a focused objective—such as “Teachers will be able to guide students to highlight patterns in the data that deepen their understanding and sensemaking of the core content.”—and design the session by working backward from that goal.
2. Relying on a One-Size-Fits-All Approach
Not every teacher needs the same support. A session that works for one grade or role may miss the mark for another. For example, new teachers, veterans, and specialists often require different types of support to apply ideas effectively. Differentiating your PD helps every educator leave ready to apply what they’ve learned.
➡️ Make it work: Group teachers by grade level, subject, or experience…and/or provide context-relevant examples for each to work with. In our data literacy workshops, this approach lets everyone practice strategies that fit their specific students’ needs—and see results faster.
3. Overloading the Agenda
We promise, this is a big one that we have to learn / hold the line on over and over and over again ;)
More isn’t always better. Cramming too much into a PD session leaves basically no time for reflection, collaboration, or practical planning. And that is a quick recipe for teachers to feel overwhelmed instead of empowered…which is a quick step ahead of feeling like it as a waste of their time.
➡️ Try this instead: Focus on depth rather than breadth. Prioritize hands-on activities and build in time for teachers to discuss ideas, reflect, and practice applying strategies so that they can leave ready to put ideas into their instruction immediately. In our in-school teacher training, we intentionally include “think time” and application tasks teachers can use in their classrooms the very next day.
4. Skipping Follow-Up and Support
PD doesn’t end when the session does. Without support, even the best strategies can get lost if teachers don’t have opportunities to apply, reflect, and adjust what they’ve learned. Implementation takes time, resources, and sometimes guidance. And teachers benefit from spaces to troubleshoot, share ideas, and refine strategies.
➡️ Make it count: Schedule follow-up touchpoints—coaching, peer discussions, or an online resource hub—to help teachers implement, reflect, and refine what they’ve learned. Continued support makes change more lasting and meaningful.
5. Overlooking Teacher Voice and Experience
And maybe the most important one. Teachers know their students best. They know their classrooms and day-to-day circumstances the best. They bring invaluable expertise and insight to every session.
When PD is overly top-down and ignores those expertise, it can feel disconnected from their needs alienating teachers instead of energizing them.
➡️ Make it interactive: Give teachers a voice—co-lead sessions, select breakout topics, or share classroom examples. Creating space for reflection and discussion ensures PD is relevant, meaningful, and energizing. For example in each teacher professional development workshop we facilitate, we create space at the start for discussion, reflection, and honoring teacher lived experiences as the entry point into the session.
How We Bring These Ideas to Life in In-School Teacher Training
At Dataspire, our in-school professional development is designed to avoid these common pitfalls and give teachers professional learning experiences that stick. We partner with schools to:
- Clarify goals and tailor content so every session aligns with your team’s priorities and student needs
- Differentiate by grade, role, or experience level to make learning relevant for every educator
- Embed authentic classroom practice so teachers leave ready to try strategies with students
- Provide coaching and reflection time to support implementation and problem-solving
- Center teacher voice and build collaborative learning cultures where teachers learn from each other
Whether your focus is data-supported instruction, graphing, or culturally responsive teaching, we meet your team where they are and co-create a path forward—one that strengthens teacher confidence and student learning.
