It provides guidance to Michigan school districts required to provide professional development for all staff, educators who make conscientious choices regarding their own professional growth, parents and members of business and industry who wish to better understand professional development of educators. Learning is acquiring knowledge. New information is only part of the learning process. Learning requires the application of new information. Application converts it to knowledge.
Teaching is the process that facilitates students' acquisition and application of new information.
Professional development is the learning of educators that also requires acquisition and application of new information. In order to continuously learn, educators must study, apply, reflect and have conversation about the application of new information. The goal of professional development is to help educators learn. The obligation of it is to relate directly to teaching and learning. This vision of professional development makes a strong case for applying new ideas after acquiring them from a variety of sources including conferences and workshops.