This page follows one professional development project from theory to finished design. At a public high school, teachers across departments used scaffolds inconsistently: some teams built detailed, need-based supports while others used scaffolds only when an IEP required it. I designed a two-session professional development series in which teacher teams build one shared scaffold for an upcoming summative assessment, test it with their students, and revise it using performance and feedback data. The design draws on andragogy and self-directed learning, which treat adults as experienced professionals who learn best when the work is relevant to their jobs and they control how they get there. The pieces below appear in the order I built them: the theory guide, the proposal presentation, the unit plan, and the rationale that evaluates the final design.
Adult Learning Theory Guide: Andragogy and Self-Directed Learning
Project: A five-page professional resource explaining andragogy and self-directed learning, how the two theories differ and work together, and how to apply them to staff development. It includes key takeaways for each theory and practical strategies, such as letting teachers choose their professional development focus through a pre-session survey.
My role: I researched both theories, wrote and designed the guide, and applied the theories to my own school’s staff development needs.
Outcome: A reference for anyone planning adult training. It became the theoretical foundation for every later piece of this project.
Professional Development Proposal Presentation
Project: A four-minute narrated presentation that proposes the professional development series to stakeholders. It explains the theories behind the design and lays out the outcomes if the plan is implemented and the risks if it is not.
My role: I wrote the script, designed the slides, and recorded the narration.
Outcome: A concise pitch that connects each design decision to adult learning research, the kind of proposal a designer presents to leadership before building a training.
Two-Session PD Unit Plan: Shared Scaffold Design
Project: A unit plan for two 50-minute sessions for high school teachers, organized by subject and grade-level teams. In Session 1, each team combines the scaffolds its members already use into one shared scaffold for an upcoming summative assessment, working in a facilitator-made template with a common header. Teams then use the scaffold in their classes. In Session 2, three to four weeks later, teams analyze student performance data and survey feedback, then revise the scaffold and align it to their rubric.
My role: I conducted the needs analysis, wrote the learning objectives, sequenced both sessions, and designed the facilitator materials, including a guiding question resource for teams at different readiness levels and student feedback forms.
Outcome: A repeatable process that standardizes scaffolding across departments while keeping each scaffold specific to its subject. The data-driven revision cycle lets teams reuse the process for every future summative.
Design Rationale and Evaluation
Project: A written defense of the design choices across the full project, with an analysis of its strengths, limitations, and implications.
My role: I evaluated my own design against adult learning research and documented how the theories shaped each decision. One example: I chose to have teams build from their own materials instead of filling in a facilitator template.
Outcome: A clear record of why the training is built the way it is, showing how I justify and refine a design before it is delivered.
