Abstract

Over several decades professional development for teachers has evolved; in some cases, isolated workshops have made way for professional learning communities in an effort to better support teachers in their practice. This investigation explored whether discussion, a key element in professional learning communities, would impact teachers’ knowledge and satisfaction, in a 2-day isolated workshop. Fifty-three in-service teachers received 3 hours of professional development on the topic of promoting the love reading in their students. The experimental manipulation revolved around the opportunities for discussion during the workshop. The intervention group discussed the material in an environment that promoted collaboration. The control group was deterred from discussion. The dependant variables were teacher knowledge, teacher satisfaction with the workshop; and teacher interest in collaboration with colleagues, collaboration with a facilitator, and appreciation of types of professional development. The results from the mixed ANOVA showed that the 2-day intervention was effective in increasing teachers’ knowledge. However, there was no difference between the two discussion groups. In addition, the results of an independent t-test found a significant difference for the discussion group’s propensity to collaborate with colleagues. No other differences between the groups were observed. The most common response from both groups indicated high satisfaction for the workshop. It would appear that high-quality, isolated workshops still have their place for delivering pertinent, current content on the topic of teaching reading to children.