The BL Lab Supports Teacher Professional Development

For many districts, teacher professional development (PD) sessions are met with a chorus of groans and sighs. On the surface, this reaction can cause frustration and confusion for school leaders. When leaders dig deeper and listen intently, you can hear what teachers are actually communicating: they want professional learning that is relevant, meaningful, and applicable. 

But let’s be honest… creating a professional development plan for teachers that meets each of their unique needs is challenging. How do school leaders make sure that the first-year mathematics teacher and the fifteen-year art teacher are each getting the support they need to deepen their pedagogic knowledge and practice? 

It’s possible! Keep reading to learn about how BetterLesson’s BL Lab platform makes this happen through our various PD offerings!

BL Lab Overview

BetterLesson provides a wide range of professional learning modalities: in-person and virtual workshops, coaching, instructional strategy resources, and on-demand courses. These offerings also cover the gamut of subject areas, grade levels, and pedagogic topics. Our BL Lab is the central hub for all of BetterLesson’s professional learning resources, allowing teachers to meet their individualized needs and monitor their goals, all on one platform.

Instructional Strategies

Teaching can and should come in many different forms. Gone are the days of 55-minute lectures and daily worksheets. To meet the needs of each student, teachers need to utilize a range of instructional strategies. And this doesn’t need to feel overwhelming or daunting to your teachers–it can feel exciting!

BL Lab gives access to step-by-step Instructional Strategy guides for implementing Project Based Learning, Student-Centered Math, Trauma-Informed Teaching, and more. Teachers can learn practical ways to engage their students in completely new ways of learning. 

Workshops

The BL Lab also allows teachers to keep track of their upcoming workshops. Our student-centered workshops give teachers the opportunity to engage in collaborative learning spaces that are designed for long-lasting impact. Rather than a one-and-done approach, BetterLesson workshops support teachers in establishing clear goals and strategies for implementation. Districts can use BetterLesson workshops to advance school-wide initiatives, departmental goals, and individual teacher areas of growth.

Coaching

While school-wide and small group PD sessions can be incredibly impactful, 1-1 coaching ensures that teachers have the support they need to tackle their nuanced needs. On-going, personalized, and student-centered, BetterLesson coaching empowers teachers to grow as professionals and to advance student learning. 

Through the BL Lab, teachers can manage their coaching sessions, track their progress, compile relevant resources, and receive feedback from their coach.

BL Connect

Teachers are busy; they are tasked with so much each day, making PD often feel like “one more thing.” 

With BL Connect, teachers can access thousands of self-directed, on-demand courses that are all rooted in research-based and student-centered pedagogies. This gives teachers the autonomy to choose courses that connect to their individual goals and to move about the courses at their own pace. Or, they can use it as a tool to guide a professional learning community. 

Reports

With all of these professional learning resources, it can be easy for school leaders to feel overwhelmed, wondering: How can I support each of my teachers when they are each engaged in personalized learning?

BL Lab gives school leaders access to reports to monitor their teachers’ professional learning progress. These reports empower school leaders to offer targeted support to their teachers.