The main ideas of the book:

• When it’s done well, professional development has the power to transform our thinking and our practice.
• Whether you have led many workshops or never facilitated professional development before, you have the ability to grow your skills so that you can offer authentic, engaging, and transformative professional development.

Why I chose this book:

I started hearing about Elena Aguilar’s work almost 10 years ago, and since then, I know so many school leaders who have been educated and inspired by her books and workshops. In this book, Elena Aguilar teams up with her colleague Lori Cohen to pull back the curtain on the magic of their work. Incredibly, what’s hidden behind the figurative curtain is not magic but a blend of simple principles, user-friendly tools, and authentic human connection that will have you saying, “I could do that! I could facilitate transformative professional development!” I hope this book helps each of you feel inspired to plan and facilitate at your best and bring best-in-class professional development to the educators around you.

•   New tools for planning PD with purpose and intention
•   Methods for navigating the power imbalances that often lead to resistance of PD
•   How to engage with the emotions PD participants bring and respond respectfully to resistance
•   Research-based principles of adult education to use in planning PD
•   How to master the details of your PD session
•   How to plan for what could go wrong during PD and adapt when the unexpected happens
•   Suggestions for planning your own PD session from THE MAIN IDEA