My Top Strategy for Making the Most of Limited PD Time

Have big PD dreams and only a small amount of time? 

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Dread wasting time and want to ensure your PD is as efficient as it is impactful? 

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I have one strategy that will help you tackle both PD challenges… 

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Assign prework. 

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No, it’s not a revolutionary idea. 

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Yes, it can revolutionize your meetings. 

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When done well, prework can incorporate all seven principles of adult learning theory:

• Adults must feel safe to learn.
  • Thoughtful prework builds trust in the facilitator and provides clear expectations for how participants will be expected to engage. Increased clarity = increased comfort.  
• Adults come to learning experiences with histories.
  • Prework that activates participant’s past experiences and knowledge–and invites them to share those–sets up participants to be sense-makers. 
• Adults need to know why we have to learn something.
  • Prework provides the perfect method to communicate purpose without taking time from your session. 
• Adults want agency in learning.
  • Differentiation in session can be tricky at times, but is much easier to do in prework. 
• Adults need practice to internalize learning.
  • Front-loading knowledge-building in prework = more time for application in session. 
• Adults have a problem-centered approach to learning.
  • Prework is a great opportunity to allow participants the time and space to consider application to their unique context. 
• Adults want to learn.
  • Providing prework puts learning in participants’ hands. When thoughtfully designed and communicated, it activates participants’ curiosity and their core human need for competence. 

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A warning: 

Prework can also be a waste of time. No strategy or tool is inherently transformational. It all comes down to how you implement it. 

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A case study: 

I teach a virtual one-day The Art of Transformational Coaching workshop. Our live learning time is just four hours. And we have big learning goals–and consistently meet them (97% of participants say it met or exceeded their expectations). The four hours we spend together are very purposefully designed. And yes, I am a skilled and experienced facilitator. But the prework is just as important to the success of the session as those two factors. 

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The prework allows participants to move from passive participants to sense-makers. 

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"The prework was comprehensive, but not overwhelming, and set me up for success in the work session. Four hours goes so quickly!" -Brandon R

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The prework itself is mostly content knowledge building and reflection. But the final part is where the magic happens, and it can be used with any content. 

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To synthesize their learning, participants complete a 3,2,1 reflection where they capture the following: 

3 new things you’ve learned (about…)

2 ideas you are still thinking about 

1 concept or strategy you have already tried or will prioritize trying 

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Towards the beginning of our time together, participants break into small groups and share their 3,2,1 reflections. By the end of this short activity, multiple core human needs are met, and participants are actively enrolled in their learning. This allows us to jump into skill-building so participants emerge from our time together able to do something meaningfully different than when they arrived. 

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Try this: 

When planning your next PD…

• Identify what is strictly knowledge transfer and can be assigned as prework 
• Ask participants to complete a 3,2,1 reflection and bring it with them
• Provide 10-20 minutes for 3,2,1 sharing in small groups 
• Utilize the bulk of your remaining time to build skills or engage in other activities that are dependent on being together in a shared space  

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Worried that people won’t complete their prework? Remember: adults want to learn. Competence is a core human need. Do your part well and trust that they will do theirs. 

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Keep Learning:

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