Workshops have long been the default format for professional development (PD), whether from consultants, departments of education, or district-led. They seem efficient—1) put everyone together in a cafeteria full of folding metal chairs and stale bagels; and 2) present information, distribute handouts, and hope for the best. But here’s the problem with workshops: they often confuse presenting content with learning.
-by Dr. Tim Grivois, Executive Director
The Common Assumption: More Content = Better Learning
Among educators who spend lots of time leading professional development, there’s a persistent assumption that more is always better. If educators just had more strategies, frameworks, and toolkits, meaningful change would surely follow. Unfortunately, the reality isn’t that straightforward. Simply delivering vast amounts of content rarely translates into sustainable classroom practice.
When PD focuses solely on information transfer, it overlooks how adults genuinely learn. Educators need to engage deeply with new ideas, reflect critically, and apply strategies in contexts relevant to their daily work. Overloading educators with information not only overwhelms them—it actively inhibits deep learning.
Why Strategy Overload Rarely Results in Meaningful Change
Have you ever left a PD workshop feeling inspired but quickly reverted to old routines once back in your learning/leadership space? You’re not alone. Strategy overload—a hallmark of many workshops—is a key culprit. Educators receive an abundance of ideas but little support in prioritizing or integrating these into their teaching practices.
Moreover, passive listening rarely triggers deep cognitive engagement. Real learning occurs through reflection, experimentation, and dialogue, not through endless slide decks and handouts. Strategy overload creates superficial familiarity, not genuine mastery or lasting change.
Shifting From “Information Delivery” to “Learning Design”
To address the problem with workshops, we can shift from “information delivery” to “learning design.” This means crafting PD experiences intentionally designed to facilitate real learning rather than merely delivering content. Effective PD prioritizes interaction, dialogue, reflection, and practice, empowering educators to meaningfully integrate new approaches into their teaching.
Learning design acknowledges that educators are not empty vessels awaiting knowledge but experienced professionals ready to deepen their practice. By prioritizing psychological safety, social connection, and authentic reflection, PD sessions can move beyond passive information absorption to active transformation.
Solving the Problem with Workshops
So how can we solve the problem with workshops?
- Facilitate interaction and dialogue: Create space for educators to discuss, question, and collaboratively explore new strategies. Also, note that interaction and dialogue sometimes happen best inside our own heads and hearts. Introverted learning needs space too.
- Prioritize reflection: Embed reflective activities that encourage educators to connect what they’re learning to what they know about their own learning/leadership space.
- Connect to practice: Provide structured opportunities for educators to apply new ideas immediately within their classroom contexts. This can be as easy as “Try [new learning] sometime this week and be ready to share a bit about it next week.”
- Focus on depth over breadth: Limit content to the most impactful strategies, ensuring educators can genuinely engage with the material. It’s not only OK to learn about the same topic multiple times; it’s ideal—so long as each new session adds a little more value than the last.
By recognizing and addressing the problem with workshops, schools and districts can transform professional development into experiences that genuinely shift educator practice. Less can truly be more—when we design for real learning, not just more information.
If you’re leading a workshop soon, it would be an honor to help you plan! Send me an email or set up a time to talk…no charge, and always useful!