Verbs are powerful. They not only describe an action, they also suggest the intent that drives the action. When educators talk about professional development, they frequently use the verbs "provide" or "deliver" (some foreign English-language newspapers use "imparted"). This usage suggests one person possesses professional development and gives it to another person, like a package or a tool.

But professional development is not a commodity (though some vendors market it that way). No educator develops as a professional because someone "delivers" learning to them. Professionals grow by actively seeking new knowledge and skills, by reflecting on their experiences and learning from the experiences of others, and by practice. There are times when limited direct instruction is a useful component of professional development, but too often it is the dominant mode. "Providers" seem to assume that they possess knowledge and it is their role to "deliver" it to empty-headed participants.

When teachers take a similar approach in their classrooms it rarely produces good results for their students, and the same is true in professional development. If collaboration and team learning are to take root as new, more productive modes of professional learning, educators need to watch their language. In the context of professional development, "provide" and "deliver" are not "just words." Verbs matter.