Professional Learning
No more "sit and get" professional development. Professional learning should provide teachers with flexible learning opportunities that are relevant and engaging, and allow teachers to take ownership of their growth.
The Why, What, and How
“We need to prepare students for their future, not our past” - Grant Lichtman
Through my innovation plan to implement blended learning, I have witnessed the positive impact of a leaner-centered environment. An environment where learner agency is promoted through choice, voice, and authentic learning (Harapnuik, 2018). For teachers to develop the knowledge, skills, and growth mindset to create such powerful learning environments, their professional learning needs to become more powerful as well.
For professional learning to be effective, we need to give ownership of the learning to teachers. Far too much time and effort is wasted on one and done professional development. We sit passively through presentations or online training and return to our classrooms with very little to show for our time spent. We can not expect teachers to improve their craft by simply bombarding them more information. Teachers need the opportunity to engage in real learning through trial and error practice.
The changes in my classroom have encouraged me to develop a school-wide initiative to implement blended learning. To help us make the switch, I’ve taken lessons from my own innovation plan and developed a professional learning (PL) plan for a campus-wide initiative. Our PL plan calls for an ongoing and collaborative endeavor based on authentic learning. We will drive our own learning experience to create a dynamic organization guided by our students’ learning needs.
Effective Professional Learning
Our professional learning will encompass the 5 Key Principles of Effective Learning as set out by the Center for Public Education’s report, Teaching the Teachers: Effective Professional Development in an Era of High Stakes Accountability.
1. The duration of professional learning is significant and ongoing. Teachers need ample time to practice a new instructional strategy.
2. There is support for teachers during the implementation that allows teachers to adapt a new strategy to their classroom.
3. Learning is active and engages teachers through a variety of tasks to help them develop a deeper understanding.
4. Expert modeling provides an effective way to understand a new strategy.
5. The subject matter is content and grade-level specific.
A Call to Action
Change our old model of professional development to an active and engaging model of professional learning.
If we are to improve student outcomes and help prepare them for an unknowable future, we must change the way teachers learn and improve their craft. One-size-fits-all instruction does not help. In addition to time, support, and coaching, teachers will be provided a personalized and authentic learning experience to master blended learning.
Preparing students for their future and helping them develop the 21st century skills they need requires us to get out of our own comfort zones. Students need less passive instruction and more active, authentic learning. Students need choice and voice in what they're learning in order to be engaged and develop ownership. To model this type of learning to students, we need to practice it ourselves. That is what effective professional learning is all about.
Creating my call to action video was me embracing discomfort. I could have stuck with what I already knew - PowerPoint or Google Slides, but that would have not helped me learn and grow. I created my call to action video with Canva because I wanted more engaging content than a slide deck. Canva allows you to record audio with your presentation, so you don't have to use a separate audio tool and then add the recording to your presentation. I also wanted to create a compelling call to change the way we learn as teachers. I didn't want information overload with text heavy slides that would turn you off. One video, How Presentation Zen Fixed My Bad PowerPoints, was extremely useful in helping me streamline information and create a more focused message.
I am better prepared to guide my students through their own challenges and struggles with learning when I put myself in their shoes.
What's the Plan?
Our professional learning strategy will take place over the course of the school year.
The fall semester will be devoted to working together to:
learn about blended learning
develop lessons
organize our materials and resources
During the spring semester, we will support each other to:
implement blended learning
practice and observe
provide feed forward
Outline
The outline below provides a blueprint for blended learning implementation and highlights the key principles of effective PL as well as the key elements for a successful learning experience.
Planning Documents
I encourage you to click on the images below to learn more.
Goal & 3 Column Table
Provides an overarching project goal and learning outcomes based on the concepts of significant learning.
Timeline
Provides timeframe for initial training, subsequent learning, and implementation.
Initial Training
Presentation and resources for the initial 2-day training at the beginning of the school year.
Thomas Edison
"If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves"
References
Gulamhussein, A. (2013, September). Teaching the Teachers: Effective Professional Development in an Era of High
Stakes Accountability (Rep.). Retrieved March 27, 2022, from Center for Public Education website:
https://www.academia.edu/28440314/
Harapnuik, D. (2018, July 14). COVA. Retrieved April 09, 2022, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6991
TEDxTalks. (2013, March 21). What 60 schools can tell us about teaching 21st Century skills: Grant Lichtman at
TEDxDenverTeachers. Retrieved May 07, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZEZTyxSl3g