ABSTRACT
Chapter 8 provides a scenario on the topic of providing district-wide meaningful professional development. The question asked is, how can our district inspire, encourage, and support classroom teachers through meaningful professional learning experiences? The appreciative inquiry (AI) 4-D cycle is used as the preferred model to bring about change and innovation focused on training/inservice needs for teachers. The emphasis of the change process is on "how" to meet the needs of teachers, thereby providing meaningful professional learning experiences. A step-by-step solution is detailed and is based on the input and experiences of approximately 400 teachers and administrators involved in the AI process where the top wishes became reality. Descriptions of the 4-D cycle steps are provided where all staff and administrators had the opportunity to be involved in an initial online survey. After collecting data, a district-wide professional development committee consisting of 21 building representatives participated in the 4-D cycle as a one-day event. The online survey results, the AI questions used to guide the discussions in each step, along with selected responses made by participants are provided. Included is the action plan with multiple strategies and innovations that were implemented.
