The readings for this week focus on goals for literacy leaders, principles of adult learning, effective professional development, and beginning to think about coaching. In this blog, I want you to focus primarily on connecting your own experiences to the ideas about adult learning and professional development as we prepare for our weekend together. We will spend time in class on coaching, but there are also three more weeks devoted to understanding coaching and how it works. Think first about the principles of adult learning that were discussed in L&T 4 and EP&L 1. For you as an adult learner, which of the principles are most important for you as you learn something new? For me, I have to know why I am doing an activity or reading a text, and it has to be tied to something I need and want to learn. In fact, it is best if I choose to learn it. Technology integration into my own classes has been an example of this--I sought out books on technology in classrooms, specifically tied to literacy learning for my undergraduates. What is an example for you?
Now think about characteristics of effective professional development from L&I 3. Think about PD sessions that you have attended that were effective for you and ones that were not. How did they match up to the list on page 52? What can you learn from those sessions that you can apply to your work now and in the future as a literacy leader? I'm looking forward to reading what you have to say. Preview of coming attractions: We have a full agenda for Friday night and Saturday which should give us a good start on you personal learning plans, understanding technology as part of being a literacy leader, and creating the survey to find out the learning needs in your setting. See you on Friday at 6 pm in Rm 334!
SB
1. For you as an adult learner, which of the principles are most important for you as you learn something new? What is an example for you?
ReplyDeleteI think the most important principal to me is #2 (Adult learners come to learning situations with a wealth of experience). Sometimes when I’m in a professional development situation I learn more from my table mates than I do the actual speaker. Everyone has their own strengths. If given time to collaborate, we can learn a lot from our peers. Some of my best learning has been just have a conversation with another teacher. When the environment in nonjudgemental, everyone feels free to be who they are.
2. Now think about characteristics of effective professional development from L&I 3. How did they match up to the list on page 52? What can you learn from
those sessions that you can apply to your work now and in the future as a
literacy leader?
One of my favorite PD was a conference NPS put on several years ago called “Get Fit.” I just learned OU collaborated with this event along with several other sponsor. This program gave teachers the ability to choose from 100s of breakout sessions lead by fellow teachers and experts in different areas of teaching. I loved how it was put on by teachers who administration felt had expertise in certain areas. I connected to the speakers of the sessions I chose because they were actually living what they were teaching us. This conference lined up with the principals of professional development in L&T. Administration listened to staff needs and concerns. Continuous learning happened with many of the breakout sessions. Several of the speakers reached out to the people who had come to their session and provided follow up resources. A lot of collaboration went on in these sessions. Since most of the sessions were grade level specific, it was easy to identify with other peers. Overall this program was really effective according to the professional development standards.
Having had opportunities to be a part of PD and attend seminars, I am feeling more confident in eventually leading PD. These last chapters have really highlighted what a productive leader does. When I become a reading specialist it will be good to reference these chapters to make sure I’m being the most productive leader I can be.
I also really enjoyed the courses I participated in during the Get Fit conference. There was one course in particular, that was so interesting, relevant to the classroom and very interactive. We didn't just have a speaker talking at us, which was refreshing.
DeleteKaitlin, I've learned so much from other teachers during PD seminars! You're right.....when we're given time to collaborate with peers we learn so much more than just listening to a speaker or watching a power point.
DeleteThe "Get Fit" PD sounds great! Again.....collaboration. :)
For you as an adult learner, which of the principles are most important for you as you learn something new? What is an example for you?
ReplyDeleteFor me I think that the principle that adults will change when the perception that change is more effective than what he or she is doing now, really stuck with me. I think that this is often true, individuals are more willing to accept change, when they realize that something else might work better. I experienced this last year. I had a group of students who I really struggled to motivate. I knew that what I was doing in my classroom was not working for them, but I honestly did not know what to do differently (especially since I felt like I had tried so many different things). At that point I realized that what I was doing was no longer effective for that group of students, which drove me to be more willing to seek change within my classroom.
Think about PD sessions that you have attended that were effective for you and ones that were not. How did they match up to the list on page 52? What can you learn from those sessions that you can apply to your work now and in the future as a literacy leader?
I have been to a lot of professional developments, and look back at the standards to PDs I would unfortunately have to say that a lot of them do not follow these guidelines. I have often felt like I was being talked at, but not really being included in the conversation or considering the needs or feedback of educators.
I am glad that Kaitlin mentioned the "Get Fit" conference, because I did feel like that PD was interesting for several reasons. First, there was a wide variety of courses. This gave educators the opportunity to choose a course that was more relevant to them. Second, as Kaitlin mentioned, the courses were taught by other educators. To me this helped me to feel more connected to the presenter. I felt like the presenter really understood what it means to be a classroom teacher. Last, the courses (that I participated in) were very interactive and included asking the participants (educators) for their feedback.
I feel like this list will help me to be a productive literacy leader, especially when leading a professional development. I want to make sure to present information that is relevant to the participants, so that they do not feel as though their time is being wasted. I am definitely interested in learning more about leading a PD and becoming more confident in doing so.
I'm so glad you mentioned not knowing what to do next because you feel like you've tried everything. I've had that experience with staff members. That's when I started to look at my management skills to determine what I needed to change.
DeleteI've never attended a "Get Fit" conference, but it sounds awesome! I need to look into that. Where would I find information on that, just google it?
DeleteThe principle I most identify with is #2 from EP&L.....adults are most interested in learning when it has immediate relevance to their job or personal life. I find that I'm more motivated to learn when I know I will use the knowledge or skill on a daily basis, or that it has the potential to improve an area in which I'm struggling.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best PD seminars I attended was taught by an instructor from the CECPD. The training introduced me to the Early Learning Guidelines (Infants-Preschool) developed by DHS. The instructor, material, group work, conversations and modeling contributed to this being a wonderful experience. Our instructor was knowledgeable and positive. She didn't looked bored or annoyed at holding a training at 9am on a Saturday. I continue to use the material several times a week at work. We worked in small groups and with a partner. Teachers also had the opportunity to share and discuss what has worked and not worked in the classroom. Looking at the list on page 52 of L&T I feel my PD was effective because teacher ideas/beliefs were valued and acknowledged, we learned to apply our current knowledge and new understandings to benefit our students, and there was an air of collaboration among the attendees and the trainer. That we are all in this together.
The readings this week have really challenged me to think critically at how I lead teachers under my supervision. I've already found numerous areas that I want or need to change. A specific area in need of change is including my teachers in their PD. Two sections in the EP&L text made an impression on me. On page 7 a reading specialist talks about being terrified of coaching adults. She asked teachers what they wanted from coaching. I think that's brilliant! The teachers had specific goals and needs in mind, not just another PD day. My favorite is from the first paragraph on page 11. A goal of a literacy coach should be building a team of equals so that the focus is on the innovation and not on the coach. While I feel I am quite capable of leading others, these readings have already provided ideas and tools I want to implement to become an effective literacy coach.
I connected with what the authors said about being scared of teaching other adults too. I mean, most of us go into teaching picturing tiny, smiling faces looking up at us and believing every single thing we say…so to switch from that to having to teach another adult (and often, if you're new to the literacy coaching field, an older and more experienced teacher)…it's intimidating, to say the least. That's why I agree with you, that the goal of building a team of equals was such a great point for the authors to make. There were so many great ideas in this week's readings, especially in the EP&L
DeleteI agree, Melissa. It can be very intimidating to teach PD for more experienced teachers. I made note of several ideas in the EP& L book to encourage more collaboration and team building with my staff.
DeleteI felt that reading the chapters over adult learners and effective literacy coaching was beneficial. I know I'm just a teacher but it really has given me ideas of collaborating more with other teachers in the school. It's very intimidating, though; when a lot of the other teachers have more experience than me.
Delete1. For you as an adult learner, which of the principles are most important for you as you learn something new?
ReplyDeleteI strongly agreed with all of the principles listed, such as learning from mistakes (experience), internal rather than external motivation, and learning being problem-centered rather than content-oriented. But the ones that stood out the most as being so "me" were the first two. I have to know the WHY when I'm learning something new and it needs to have immediate relevance to my job/personal life or else I just tune out. For example, in my undergrad studies (elementary education), I had to take a handful of classes in early childhood. I knew from the get-go that the "littles" are not for me--1, the idea of having to teach these vital, fundamental concepts from scratch [how to read, etc.] is too intimidating, and 2, I don't like to be touched, lol--so when we had lessons on phonemic awareness and how to use chunk-the-word strategies, I was doodling on my notebook, writing out to-dos and figuring up the month's bills, sometimes even working on homework for another class. But when I feel that I will truly use something in my career, I am 100% focused. As an adult learner, I have become used to only taking in information that I feel is necessary for me in real-life terms.
I agree that it must be relevant to me. It's very hard to be interested in something when you cannot apply it to your daily life. It fits in with the internal motivation I think. Since I cannot connect it to my daily life then I am not internally motivated to learn it.
Delete(Guys, I am SO sorry that I get so wordy! I have all these ideas pouring out and I can't stop them…again, I'm having to break up my response into two separate comments…bear with me! Ha ha!)
ReplyDelete2. Now think about characteristics of effective professional development from L&T 3. Think about PD sessions that you have attended that were effective for you and ones that were not. How did they match up to the list on page 52? What can you learn from those sessions that you can apply to your work now and in the future as a literacy leader?
In the districts I've been a part of, we have had a total of two PD days a year. One the Monday before school starts (in August) and one the first Monday in January after Christmas break. They're always the same: the entire district (500-some odd teachers of all ages and subjects) piles into a huge auditorium, someone plays exciting music and flashes some inspiring pictures of smiling kids up on the screen, and then a really expensive speaker comes out with his microphone and makes us laugh and gets us all motivated to go out there and feel proud because we're teachers and we're changing the world. But you know what? I never leave feeling like I've learned any useful real-world strategies to implement in my classroom, other than, you know, the whole "kids don't care how much you know until they know how much you care" and "make sure your kids know they're loved" hullabaloo. Not that those concepts are unimportant--they are certainly essential to being an effective teacher--but in terms of helping students with reading comprehension, being able to write a purposeful 5-paragraph essay, or (the holy of holies) passing the damn state tests…I just don't get much. Teachers' ideas aren't even consulted, much less valued and added into the conversation. There are no opportunities to connect with my peers and get insights (other than a 5-minute coffee break, which we spend lamenting the end of our vacation days and fighting to get into a bathroom stall). We don't have any specific issues to focus on because there's too wide a variety of teachers in the building, and there are no opportunities the apply the new knowledge to students' needs. I definitely feel that the PDs that I've attended have been the "one-shot" remedy type. I'm reading about you guys attending the "Get Fit" days and it makes me realize that I haven't been out there and experienced enough really good, effective training seminars. So any other suggestions you want to throw out there, I'd be glad to hear them! :)
As far as being a literacy leader, I don't see myself ever being a reading specialist, but I think I can see myself becoming a teacher leader in my school/district, coaching, listening to, and encouraging others, particularly other reading and writing teachers. I hope to be able to implement some of these strategies because the bottom line is, as the EP&L text states, we need to be working toward student reading and writing gains. If it means getting over my fear of teaching other adults, then that's what I'll do. I'm just glad I've been able to read some very real strategies for making that happen.
Melissa, I'm assuming PD seminars are different for school teachers than for early care teachers so I'm not sure what to suggest for you. I try to send my teachers to trainers that are knowledgeable, hands-on, and provide them with ideas they can use immediately. It's frustrating when you don't feel you're taking anything from the experience.
DeleteAs an adult learner, I have to be interested in learning the subject because it is relevant to my job. As a teacher, I am constantly wanting to gain more knowledge of how to integrate new ideas or concepts into my classroom. I have noticed from attending several workshops, that I have learned more and gained more knowledge from the ones I was able to choose compared to the workshops that were required of me to attend.
ReplyDeleteI remember attending a workshop from a well-known kindergarten teacher. The workshop was so amazing! I was engaged the whole time and I was eager to implement everything I was learning into my classroom. The instructor was very energetic and sociable. She was very knowledgeable in the content she was covering. She allowed us to "become the student" and work out problems, afterward; she had the teachers discuss how this would work in our classroom and how we would implement it. Reviewing the list on p. 52 I do believe that this workshop match up.
I think that professional development should be engaging and beneficial for teachers. I also think that teachers need to come out of a meeting and feel that they have learned something and are excited to implement/share the new ideas learned. It is also important for teachers to be involved and share their thoughts during workshops. Everyone can learn from someone else. Listening to different perspectives can lead to new ideas/concepts.
1. For you as an adult learner, which of the principles are most important for you as you learn something new?
ReplyDeleteIn the EP&L the first principle is very key for me, it says, "Adults want to know why they need to learn something,"(6). I think that this was so key and important to remember when trying to teach to adults, that just like our students they need to understand why the information is important. This is usually why I get annoyed at our PD days when they discuss new fads and repeatedly go over the same teacher evaluation information. I thought this list would be excellent for our administrators to look at and contemplate before subjecting us to another Marzano PowerPoint, or any PowerPoint for that matter. In the L&T book, I thought number 2, "Adult learners come to learning situations with a wealth of experience," and number 5, "Adults are motivated to learn based on internal needs," was also very important. The first assumption is extremely important, and again usually why teachers get frustrated about PD. I even have to catch myself when discussing something with my veteran teachers at the school to make sure I am respecting their knowledge and wisdom. My first year teaching this became a very important lesson for me to learn, especially when trying to implement new curriculum and teaching our veteran teachers new strategies or techniques. Finally, the last assumption is why teachers choose to go to PD, we want to improve something about their own teaching they find needs improvement, always internal. This is also the reason that I have gone to a lot of PDs in the last year.
2. What is an example for you?
Last year I decided to go to the L to J training, not just to better understand what it was, but because a lot of my colleagues were discussing it and I thought I needed to be on par. I understood that my internal need to be on top of strategies and new ideas was driving my desire to go to professional development.
3. How did they match up to the list on page 52?
Norman Public Schools welcome back professional development on brain learning and strategies to best activate the brain and learning was amazing. Marcia Tate blew me away with her abilities to keep me engaged and to deliver information with ease, she also provided us with a note taking packet, this automatically engaged me more and made it memorable. After looking at the list I realized that most of the list was happening during the PD and that the opportunities the speaker gave to the audience to use their own knowledge and to make the strategies list more accessible was what drew people in. The speaker also constantly acknowledged our beliefs and ideas, more importantly discussing how her strategies supported those and recognized what we were already doing.
4. What can you learn from those sessions that you can apply to your work now and in the future as a literacy leader?
I think that I learned how professional development needs to have a purpose, but more importantly in doing that acknowledge the systems or strategies already in play and build off of them. That I need to remember the focus or beliefs of my teachers before I try and implement new ideas or strategies, and that adults are motivated my internal beliefs, that if I can't appeal to their internal motivation then I won't be able to change or enhance their learning.
“For you as an adult learner, which of the principles are most important for you as you learn something new?” For me, learning has to be tied to internal needs. I really don’t think there’s much of an external motivator that truly motivates me to learn. I have a love of learning, but I prefer to learn things that satisfy needs that I have. For example, I am working with struggling readers in a “literacy for life” class this year, so my motivation to learn about helping struggling adolescent readers increased because I now have more of an internal need to learn about that.
ReplyDelete“Think about PD sessions that you have attended that were effective for you and ones that were not. How did they match up to the list on page 52? What can you learn from those sessions that you can apply to your work now and in the future as a literacy leader?” I’d say that the least effective professional development session I have ever attended was one in which the presenter, although very interactive, provided a “‘one shot’ remedy” instead of helping us understand the reasoning behind the “remedy” and figure out how that reasoning might apply in our classrooms (52). The best professional development session I’ve attended, on the other hand, did a great job of encouraging us to “apply [our] knowledge and new understandings to particular contexts” within our own classrooms (52). There were plenty of discussions about applicability to our situations, and we did role playing as various types of students that we have had, so it felt much more individualized and practical. As a literacy leader, I think it’s very important to communicate with teachers (and students) about the principles underlying any suggestions that you give them. Very few people would be motivated to apply a “’one shot’ remedy” to their teaching, and very few people could do it effectively without looking at it as a starting point. A lot of teachers I know complain about professional development because they try the remedies once or twice, and when it doesn’t work out for their particular situation, they drop the practices. It’s important to individualize your coaching to teachers’ needs and to support them in thinking of the professional development as a starting point and a learning experience.