What is professional learning? Professional learning is ongoing education and development activities in which educators engage in to enhance skills and effectiveness in the classroom. This form of learning supports teachers in their pursuit of excellence, helping them meet the evolving needs of their students and the educational standards set by districts and states. Effective professional learning is critical for fostering a culture of continuous improvement within schools, but what is the problem with the traditional style of professional learning? Many professional learning sessions are a one-size-fits-all model. They are often lecture-style and disconnected from the real-world challenges that educators face in the classroom. As a result, many teachers find traditional professional learning ineffective in fostering genuine change or improvement in their teaching practices, leading to a disconnect between professional development opportunities and actual classroom needs. So how does this relate to my experience in this course?
In the 2015 Mirage Report, research results showcased that most teachers were not improving substantially from year to year based on the professional development offered within school districts (TNTP, 2015). Based on the current ineffective professional learning styles, I created an alternative professional learning plan. Alternative Professional Learning plays a critical role in modernized education as it moves away from the traditional one-size-fits-all model to a more personalized meaningful experience for teachers that they can take back and implement into their classrooms with the proper modeling and ongoing support. I envisioned a system where professional learning encourages exploration, collaboration, and practical application, allowing teachers to directly implement new strategies in their classrooms and receive meaningful feedback. My alternative plan is supported by the 5 key principles of effective professional development.
By incorporating these principles, my plan not only supports teacher growth and innovation but will also directly contribute to improved student outcomes, creating a dynamic and responsive learning environment.
My Alternative Professional Learning plan has a direct correlation with innovation in the way that my innovation plan does. My innovation plan is to implement project-based learning with student reflections through e-portfolios in grades 4-12. So how does this connect to developing my professional learning course? To implement something, you want teachers to not only be able to implement it with you as well, but have the desire to implement your innovative ideas. Therefore, I made my alternative professional learning cooperative with my innovative plan. Teachers will engage in project-based learning through professional development. Teachers will learn the importance of PBL and e-portfolios while also having opportunities to engage in modeling and reflection. This correlation will allow teachers to experience the same interactive outcomes we desire for students' learning experience.
In the beginning stages of the alternative PL plan, I will provide teachers with the opportunity to watch my call to action video and engage in a survey based on the current professional learning state. This survey will provide insights into the effectiveness, relevance, and areas for improvement in the current PL model, helping guide the conversation toward alternative professional learning approaches.
This then led me to the creation of my Fink's 3 Column Table and professional learning outline that would guide my course for educators. Fink's Three Column Table is a tool developed as part of his integrated approach to designing courses. It is is rooted in Fink's Taxonomy of Significant Learning, which expands on traditional educational frameworks by emphasizing the integration of different types of learning to promote significant educational experiences (Fink, 2013). Based on these two documents I was able to create a roadmap
and slide deck
for educators detailing the plan and how the 5 key principles will be incorporated into my professional learning plan "Empowering Educators: Mastering Innovation in a Tech-Driven Classroom". The course is over 9 months. Each session will be held during each grade level's PLC timeframe which is an allotted 75 minutes. Teachers will then be given 4 weeks to implement and practice each learning goal focus. This gives the necessary time for hiccups, feedforward, and correction.
Throughout the professional learning course, educators will engage in collaborative experiences through project-design workshops, creating PBL units to implement within their classrooms. They will have access to Schoology LMS to collaborate on ideas and resources and seek advice or feedforward. There will be tech specialists available to address technological issues and I, myself, will act as the facilitator throughout the 9 months.
Professional development is crucial for teachers to adapt to changing educational environments and improve their instructional practices to better serve their students (Mizell, 2010). Moving towards this innovative professional learning dynamic ensures that educators are well-equipped with the tools and insights necessary to meet the diverse needs of their students, address real-world classroom challenges, drive better outcomes, and foster a lifelong love of learning within the educational community.
Reference:
Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses (Revised and Updated). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Mizell, H. (2010). The Learning Educator: A New Era for Professional Learning.
TNTP. (2015). The Mirage: Confronting the Hard Truth About Our Quest for Teacher Development. Retrieved from http://tntp.org/publications/view/evaluation-and-development/the-mirage-confronting-the-truth-about-our-quest-for-teacher-development
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