| The purpose of this study was to examine the literacy-related professional development preferences of participating secondary teachers. Through a survey, I described the form, duration, and content preferences of secondary teachers for literacy-related professional development activities; described similarities and differences in preferences for form, duration, and content of literacy-related professional development activities between teachers of different subject areas and course types; and described similarities and differences in preferences for content of literacy-related professional development activities between teachers of different subject areas and course types.;All secondary teachers in the participating school board were invited to participate in the study. Of approximately 450 secondary teachers in the school board, 100 chose to participate. The findings of this study confirm and extend existing research: the majority of secondary teachers want to engage in literacy-related professional development; secondary teachers have preferences for various forms of professional development, including duration and form; there are differences in preferences for duration, form, and content of teachers in different subject areas; and differences exist in preferences for form and content of teachers of different course types.;The findings of this study that confirmed existing research included: the preference by teachers of Science and Geography for literacy-related professional development on instruction of reading graphical text; the preference for literacy-related professional development by teachers of Math on reading word problems; the preference for literacy-related professional development that allows for teacher collaboration; the preference for literacy-related professional development that results in practical ideas and strategies; and the preference for literacy-related professional development that meets the needs of teachers and students.;Interesting themes emerged that extend previous research: the preference for literacy-related professional development that is short in duration (between one to five hours); a higher percentage of teachers of Science, Math, and Technology wanting no literacy-related professional development; the preference by teachers of Open type courses for literacy-related professional development on differentiating literacy instruction; and a stronger focus on the content (as opposed to a focus on form) of literacy-related professional development by teachers of Science, Math, and Technology. |
