Online learning is not the next big thing, it is the now big thing.”
Roosty Tovar
A Call to Action!
It seems an absurd contradiction. But learning professionals will be the first to tell you that they often seem to be the last to receive professional development. We spend our days working to strengthen the skills and behaviors of our employees and leaders. Our commitment to organizational excellence may leave little time to focus on our own individual development. Read more about THE THREE COLUMN TABLE - RT - that inspire my ideas on professional development.
Good professional learning is a "set of planned and purposeful actions and the support system necessary to achieve the identified objectives. Effective [professional learning] programs are continuous, coherent, and linked to student achievement (Killion, J. 2008). A solid PL plan should identify short- and long-term goals, then outline a process that takes into account the current needs of your teachers.
Learning forward is the single most critical linear and focused way to improve schools, develop teachers' knowledge and skills. Through standards and different leadership strategies within the compression of Professional Learning, linked in the improvement of student performance as a fundamental purpose, and to help leaders in classrooms, schools and systems to solve their most difficult problems of practice.
To link this professional learning with blended learning is to take a creative and flexible approach to advanced learning that can allow a new learning ecosystem to develop, but this must be supported, rather than defined by, the mode of delivery to an instructor.
We advocate empowering students by helping them learn to use new digital technologies so they can critically integrate and construct new knowledge for themselves while communicating their thoughts with teachers and peers. My INNOVATION PLAN - focuses on the design and implementation of blended digital learning experiences within the broad context of a world-class multilingual development experience.
If combined professional development were a master key that opens any door, then here I am designing to open 5 doors to the path of great professional development. Draw and create a new learning asset, in terms of content, modality, environment and action:
There are five principles of effective professional learning: Duration, support, active/engaging, modeling, and content specific. (Gulamhussein 2018)
Duration
At times, professional learning has been what is called a "sit and receive."That is, you will learn something. These one-day sessions are full of information. The problem is that many times as soon as a teacher leaves the session, much of what was taught has been forgotten. Professional learning opportunities should be ongoing, including feedback from others and reflections from the learner.
Support
During a new skill. Teachers need help. They are generally more willing to discover new things if they have more help along the way.
Active and Engaging
Learning by doing is a good way to describe this principle. Within the diversity of resources that the teacher can use to develop more ideas that allow him to bring to his classroom better professional learning opportunities are ideal. Videos, a blended learning lesson, etc.
Modeling
The visual ability is fantastic, "seeing how it looks." Modeling can be so simple but watching a teacher how to use a certain technique in their classroom is to expand your own field of strategies, it becomes a refreshing visual experience and fixes new concepts.
Content Specific
The content presented by the teacher should be commensurate with the grade level and the subject being taught. The teaching is given according to the learning that is being given.
WHAT WHY HOW
What?
Effective principles of learning are necessary guidelines for how teachers and students should learn most effectively. The more these principles are reflected in the training, the more effective the training will be for both.
A professional learning (PL) involves much more than a staff meeting or group of teachers getting together to discuss a book they’ve read. Instead, a PL represents the institutionalization of a focus on continuous improvement in staff performance as well as student learning. Called “the most powerful professional development and change strategy available,” PL, when done well, leads to reliable growth in student learning.
Why?
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It has the potential to open opportunities for career advancement, such as promotions.
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It can assist you in honing existing skills and in learning new ones.
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Improved instruction provides students the opportunity to learn more effectively.
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Teachers learn from current instructional experiences to offer modern and innovative educational solutions that address their students' learning needs.
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When a wide range of high-quality, sustained professional learning experiences are undertaken, teachers are more likely to inspire pupils and provide high-quality teaching and learning experiences, enabling learners to achieve their best.
How?
Professional Learning gives creativity; creativity leads to thinking; thinking provides knowledge; knowledge makes you great. The learning process is not rigid, and it is continuously happening. It shapes our behavior and perspective of the world.
Therefore, please let us not limit learning just to a subject. If we can see it with a wide range of thinking, then the whole world looks very small.
The benefits of professional learning apply to both teachers and students, as improved instruction provides students the opportunity to learn more effectively. Professional learning is a constant process that encourages the professional growth of teachers, which can translate into improved lesson plan development for optimized student learning.
Key Tips for Effective Professional Development
5
1. Being specific about your teacher needs is critical.
“In thinking about how to assess the needs of our teachers, we examined our own expectations of our teachers. We wanted to know how they cognitively engaged students, how they used instructional strategies that require students to think critically and problem solve, and how they monitored student learning.
If we expected them to grow in those specific areas, we had to plan our professional learning around those specific needs” – Stephanie True, Instructional Programs Director, Affton School District.
2. Professional learning plans are more than a calendar of events.
PL should describe a holistic approach to support educators' growth. This means ongoing support and feedback. Define how we should maintain growth outside of scheduled workshops or events. Events are a key aspect within professional learning, the key is to do it continuously throughout the year, and thus produce great changes.
3. Consider all members of your staff, not just educators in core subjects.
“It was important for us to administer a comprehensive professional development needs assessment that included survey items that were relevant to all certified staffing groups (e.g., counselors), not just our instructional staff members. By doing so, we were able to indirectly communicate to all staff that we value everyone’s professional learning and growth” – Shannon McMurray, Professional Development Coordinator, Riverview Gardens School District.
4. Don’t assume needs.
Assuming to institute a new curriculum, you might think you'd start from scratch, but that's a dangerous assumption. Just as students come into classrooms with a diversity of experiences and abilities, teachers are also likely to have different needs. Customizing PL can be overwhelming, but a good needs assessment gives the basis for differentiating methods and is an opportunity to foster a good proposal for our area.
5. Clearly define a plan for assessing your plan during the year.
Once you’ve outlined your goals, consider how you’ll know if you’re on track to reach them. Build in opportunities along the way for formative assessment–so that you know whether your interventions were successful and how/if they have shifted your needs. When possible, push your feedback beyond event satisfaction or attitudes; focus on translating your goals into observable indicators. For instance, instead of asking whether a teacher feels comfortable using technology, consider asking them to reflect on how frequently students are using technology in ways that support critical thinking.
References
Latham, J. R. (2014). Leadership for Quality and Innovation: Challenges, Theories, and a
Framework for Future Research. The Quality Management Journal, 21(1), 11-15.
What is 'blended learning' and how can it benefit post-secondary students? (theconversation.com)
Perry, J. (2012). To Ed.D. or not to Ed.D.? The Phi Delta Kappan, 94(1), 41-44.
Ryman, S., Burrell, L. Hardham, G. Richardson, B. & Ross, J. (2009). Creating and Sustaining Online Learning Communities: Designing for Transformative Learning. International Journal of Pedagogies & Learning, 5(3), 32-45. https://doi.org/10.5172/ijpl.5.3.32.
What Is Professional Learning? (With Benefits and Examples) | Indeed.com
The five Principles of Effective Professional Learning | PAWS Learning Academy (wordpress.com)