UNEXPECTED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: EXPERIENCES FROM TUCSON, ARIZONA

One never knows what might be lurking in the desert. Professional development opportunities occur in many forms; after attending a planned professional development opportunity in Tucson, Arizona it was discovered that it was not just the event itself, but the addition of personal experiences and instructor enthusiasm, that enhanced student learning in the classroom. This was assessed qualitatively in conversations with students and quantitatively through exam questions. It was found that 90 percent of students retained most or all information, even without the aid of notes, when the instructor showed a personal connection to the material being discussed. This is compared to students’ average scores on exams, which ranged from 67-74 percent throughout the term. It is evident that students take away as much or more information from viewing the instructor’s photos along with listening to personal stories from a professional development experience as they did from reading the textbook, working on lab and classroom activities, and watching standard PowerPoint lectures. In addition, the professional development activity or event can be expanded to include “create your own opportunities,” such as a self-guided field trip to view geologic features local to the location of the activity or event. The inclusion of one or more additional experiences is beneficial in providing the instructor with a broad range of tools to draw from while in the classroom. This presentation will describe the author’s experience with student retention of material and provide examples that demonstrate ways to take advantage of additional opportunities while at professional development events that can be shared with students in the classroom to maximize student learning outcomes.