Enhancing professional development by increasing agricultural educator margin

Abstract

This philosophical study aims to inform improvements to teacher professional development by introducing and integrating principles from the Theory of Margin. Specifically, a critique of existing professional development norms illuminates traditional offerings increase teacher load without consistent increases in teacher power, leading to the conclusion that traditional professional development offerings do not consistently increase teacher margin and, thus, do not achieve their objective to enhance education through teacher-enacted innovation. To address this limitation, the Model for Margin-Increasing Professional Development is proposed which outlines structures to professional development which increase teacher power and/or decrease teacher load. Adoption of this model is expected to help professional development offerings in agricultural education achieve their aim of positively transforming the discipline via teachers who possess the requisite margin to learn, modify, and enact the innovations introduced during professional development. Recommendations for continued scholarship on teacher margin and professional development are included.