Researching Relevant Professional Development Learning Task # 5 - What Do Our Constituents Think? Melinda Re February 1999

I have the responsibility of providing staff development to the Cluster 9 Nutrition Education Assistants (NEAs) on an ongoing basis. For this learning task, I asked the NEAs to complete a survey of their staff development needs. In effect, they are my "clients/constituents". Their responses will be used to plan staff development opportunities for them through the end of the program year in September 1999.

Six NEAs completed the survey. Here are the questions and their responses (with the number of people who responded in a similar way).

1. What types of staff development would be useful to you and others in your position?

7 Sharing ideas with other NEAs 7 New media topics as they come up 7 Adding humor and jokes to presentations 7 Practicing different teaching techniques (2) 7 Working with seniors 7 Update on fats

2. What format would be most useful for the staff development?

7 Conferences/meetings (2) 7 Presentations of relevant concepts with hands-on activities from people who have had success with the technique (4)

3. What content information do you need to obtain during 1999?

7 Carbohydrates 7 Goal Setting 7 Program Reports 7 5 A Day 7 Creative ways to teach the Food Guide Pyramid 7 The fiber and cancer connection 7 Current issues as they come up (nutrition studies and food safety) (4) 7 Transfatty acids

Over the next 5 years?

7 Current issues as they come up (4) 4. What time intervals would be useful for staff development?

7 Once per month at cluster level (4) 7 Once per year at the state level (4) 7 Quarterly or twice per year (2)

How long for each session?

7 2-3 days

5. Is staff development more useful for you in large groups, small groups or individual settings?

7 Large groups (3) 7 Small groups (6) 7 Individual for computer training

6. Do you want to learn from experts brought in to provide staff development or do you prefer to learn from a colleague that is familiar with your situation?

7 Both (4) 7 Experts that have new factual information 7 Colleagues for the "hands-on" and "how-to" (2)

This group had very similar responses. I think there are a couple of reasons for that. One reason is that this survey was completed the day that the news media flooded the airwaves with the result of the study that indicated that fiber had no protective relationship to colon cancer. As the NEAs had been teaching that there was evidence that a protective relationship existed, they were taken off guard with numerous comments and questions they could not answer. Also, there have been quite a few food safety scares and recalls in the last month or two. The request for information on topics as they come up is a reaction to the fact that they interact with sophisticated consumers on a daily basis and have to have the latest information to be credible.

Another reason is that this group meets together on a regular basis and are very comfortable with the way that trainings have been arranged. They are used to having a staff development offered to them on a monthly basis and attending a state training once per year, with an occasional training thrown in on the side. I thought it was interesting that none of them had a suggestion for a change in that schedule that would better suit them. I also think they interpreted "staff development" to indicate a "conference" and responded accordingly.

I was pleased that we seem to be doing a fairly adequate job of providing training to this staff at the local level. I have already provided them with a carbohydrate lesson since the survey and have a fats lesson on the burner to be presented within the next few months. We received information on that fiber study from the state specialists who is also currently working on the development of curriculum for seniors. I will incorporate their other needs into the meetings that will be held this year. I will pass on their responses to the state Program Leader for consideration as her staff is currently planning the Annual State Conference that is scheduled for September.

-- Anonymous, February 21, 1999

Answers

I also think it is interesting (and good) that they like the timing or staff developments as they are. Regarding the news media flooding the airwaves with the result of the study that indicated that fiber had no protective relationship to colon cancer and other things...this brings up an issue that we've been dealing with a lot in education lately, ie. "How to be a critical consumer of media news?" --television, radio, internet sources all have reputable sources and all have some very questionable sources. I think we have a real responsibility to expose students/clients to strategies for judging the news....and ways to get questions answered quickly when they arise. I'm just beginning to come up with strategies in my education classes, but I'm working on it. For example, Newsweek and other popular media published a lot about infant brain development and "critical periods" for language development. Well, there is much much more evidence that there are no critical periods...all of development is critical....in other words, some important parts of the "research story" was left out, giving the impression that if a baby doesn't become competent in a certain thing by a certain, it's a lost cause. Wrong! So, I bring in several studies to class and we sort of discuss them as we would the solving of a mystery...and then try to make an informed opinion about the issue at hand. I think this is one of the dangers of our new technological age, but if we learn, and encourage others, to be responsilby informed, things will be fine.

Sound like in the case of the food recall scares, you have a system for providing quick accurate information. That's wonderful.

-- Anonymous, February 22, 1999