Friday, February 2, 2018
Week 4 Professional Development Part 1
All three groups had interesting, but different discussions on your blogs. Thanks for your heavy thinking and making connections to your own situations. One thing I'd like for you all to think about and that is the difference between a core reading program and the reading and language arts curriculum. The two are NOT the same thing. The core reading program should be chosen to support the curriculum already in place in your school. For most of us in Oklahoma, that is the ELA standards. Some districts may enhance those standards with additional curricular topics. So see the core reading program as only one of the possible materials that could be used to support your teaching of the literacy curriculum.
This week you will look at research on effective professional development, elements and guidelines for successful site based PD and some principles of adult learning, as well as some tips for developing PD. What do you think are characteristics of effective PD? Tell me what works for you.
First , read section 1 of the uploaded piece on research on effective PD, thinking about what effective means and the characteristics of effective PD from the research. Then read the other three chapters, one from each of the books. Begin also to note different types of PD and compare it to the types of PD article uploaded on Canvas. Take notes for yourself about what you want to remember as you begin to put together the professional development plan for your school.Think about these questions or activities for your blog: What is the difference between professional development and professional learning? Which do you want to focus on in your plan? Look in the Bean chapter at the Think about This questions on 114, 120, and 121. Pick one to respond to for yourself. The blog leader may talk about the one she did and ask for your input on the ones that you did. What is your understanding about adult learning theory mentioned in the B chapter figure 5.1 and alluded to in WSQ p. 131 and Bean page 122?
Don't forget that this week you need to complete the Virtual Check In form you can find on Canvas. I'll be checking it on Wednesday and again on Friday, so if you have needs/questions for me, earlier is better than later.
Have a good week!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I believe one of the most important characteristics of effective professional development is to be ongoing. As the members of my group and I discussed on our blog, teachers often receive introductory professional development, but no follow up. For me, it is most helpful to get the opportunity to continue professional development on a subject or topic after I have begun attempts to implement them myself. This allows a chance for questions to arise and be discussed along with real-world situations and examples rather than distant scenarios. This also allows for innovation discussions to take place. It is very difficult to consider innovation before implementation has really begun. Professional development should not be something that only occurs the first few days before students return.
ReplyDeleteThis one may seem obvious, but another major characteristic of effective professional development for me is relevance. While this is much less of an occurrence for me, there are times that I watch other teachers from my building sit in PD that is irrelevant to their contexts. While I understand completely and believe in the need for even PE teachers to know about and understand what we are doing in reading and all other subjects for that matter, I also believe that some times their time would be better spend in PD more directed toward supporting literacy development in their own contexts.
A third characteristic of effective PD I would like to mention is interactivity. I find professional development most meaningful when I get a chance to actually interact with the materials or try out the approaches and strategies. I also find it more meaningful when I am given time to discuss what I am learning with others. I love when they give us time to try it out, discuss, and reflect!
Finally, effective PD has a supportive environment to it. Teachers want to feel like their thoughts and concerns will be not only heard, but taken into consideration and this applies to professional development as well. I need to feel that I can speak out during professional development and be supported and encouraged.
Effective professional development should be supportive of a teacher's practice and pedagogy. Providing professional development opportunities that will reflect similar beliefs in teaching to the targeted teachers will be more engaging, relatable, and practical for implementation. When teachers value the information gained from the PD, it is more likely for them to implement the new ideas into classroom instruction.
ReplyDeleteEffective PD should also present ideas that are achievable, realistic, and do not require an ample amount of time to implement. Teachers are constantly given deadlines, completing and analyzing assessments, and much more. The last thing that they would want to do is to adopt a completely new and extravagant idea of instruction. Effective PD should present a supplemental and supportive aspect to the teacher's practice. It should not require too much time to implement and should be practical for the classroom.
The last characteristic for effective PD is being ongoing. Continuous support should be provided for accuracy, clarification, and efficiency. Teachers should also be provided with easily accessible resources throughout the implementation process. Questions, suggestions, and new discoveries should be shared frequently among the teachers to promote the use of the newly learned ideas.
I think effective PD is the relevant and applicable to what you are currently teaching in your classroom or what you plan to teach in the near future. If the PD doesn’t apply to me, I am less likely to get something out it. At our January inservice day, we had a great PD about students who have experienced trauma and how to teach them. Because the presenters, our counselor and a teacher at our school, gave examples using some our students (anonymously), which really made this topic stick with me.
ReplyDeleteAnother trait of effective PD is that it is interactive. Interactiveness can take the form of small group discussion, moving around the room, showing a video, using a new presentation software like Nearpod, writing some kind of piece (poem, paragraph, lesson plan, etc.), hands-on activity, and much more! I also like when you are given a chance to try or discuss the topic during the presentation, so you can get feedback from the presenter and other people attending. Purely lecture-style PD presentations are very hard for me to sit through!
I think PD is also effective when it relates directly to your curriculum. I have learned much at PD that is about a program or website I am already using in my classroom. Since I have a base knowledge of the program/website, I like finding out additional ways to use it or new features of the program. When PD is about something completely foreign, I feel very overwhelmed. Additionally, effective PD can be implemented quickly into your current curriculum. The best PDs give me a strategy or activity that I want and can use in my own classroom in the next day or week.
Though I have not been a part of a formal ongoing PD, I do think it is an important characteristic. Forming relationships with the other members of the group and the presenter will help you feel comfortable to ask for clarification and hold you accountable to actually implement the program/idea.
I don't think anyone plans a PD so that teachers go back to their buildings and do NOTHING with it. Unfortunately, often times that is what happens. In order to avoid this, PD needs to be carefully planned and designed so that it will be effective. Effective PD is relevant, applicable, and on-going.
ReplyDeleteI take more from PD when it is relevant to the things already going on in my classroom. Our PD in January was all based on using mini-lessons. I felt that I was already doing this but it gave me more support in this area. Since it was something I was already doing, it was relevant and made me more motivated and focused.
PD should also be applicable. I hate leaving a PD thinking, those were great ideas but how do I actually use them in my classroom? What does that look like in my room? Where do I get started? The supports need to be in place to help teachers plan for implementation. I think this is where the on-going component can be helpful.
When thinking about the mini-lesson PD we had in January, the Presenter provided tools such as modeling, supplies and lesson plan templates to help guide us through the process of making a full lesson into a mini lesson. Once we had interacted with all of the tools, we were given time to plan our lessons with the support of the presenters and other teachers. Since then, the presenters and instructional coaches have done walk throughs in our rooms to see how we are doing with implementing the use of mini lessons and provide assistance where needed. This has also given the teachers an opportunity to ask questions and for feedback on lesson plans between walk throughs. The on-going format also adds to accountability. Almost every teacher in our building is implementing/practicing new learning from our PD days this year.
I believe there are at least three major areas of concern when educators are presented with professional development opportunities. The first is relevance to the subject matter and/or grade level being taught. What may be a perfectly appropriate reading workshop for the kinder through 2nd grade teachers is not going to have an interest or applicability to teacher who are looking to increase success in reading for their 4th and 5th grade students.
ReplyDeleteAnother area of concern for professional development for me is the ease of implementation within my classroom or in my professional life. I know we talked in our blog group last week that education our little ones can seem overwhelming at times. It can feel as though assessments, documentation, and expectations are unreachable in the course of the school year. I need whatever professional development, workshop or otherwise, to be applicable and easy to implement in my classroom. My goal is to help my students succeed without burning my candle at both ends.
Most importantly, the timing of professional development is crucial. I have been in more than one workshop required by the district on the day of back to school night, or during the week before state testing. I cannot tell you what the presenter was talking about. It was probably a fantastic learning opportunity and something that could have really benefited my teaching and engaged my students, by my mind was one MILLION miles away thinking about how I was going to finish, or cover curriculum, or fill gaps. I take far for from any professional development opportunity if the information is presented to me during a time when I have space in my brain for new, wonderful, helpful information.
Being in a small school we seem to be at a disadvantage for PD. I do not know if it is a budget issue or a climate issue, but we rarely have PD (including quality PD). Generally it occurs at the start of the school year and then one day each January. I can only recall a few of those sessions being meaningful to me.
ReplyDeleteA key for PD is it should be meaningful/relevant for teachers. If teachers have no "buy in" to what they are learning about, the time spent will be in waste. Teachers should also have confidence that the PD they are participating in is not a quick fad that will never have any follow up or follow through from the school. In my eleven years of teaching I can only recall 2-3 occasions where the presenter stopped in to visit with me and my other grade teachers for questions or followup. (Sad! But again, maybe the disadvantages of a small school.) As followup indicates, I think PD should have longevity. Once and done does not regularly lead to change. Teachers need to think-talk through what worked and what did not. Teachers need to be recognized for their knowledge and what they can share with one another. PD should also be interactive. Participants should move around, discuss, write and use the new ideas just the way their students will be using them if they implement the idea in their classrooms.
The idea of followup reminds me of the Reach Literacy Coaches that the state implemented several years ago. Did anyone else have experience with a Reach Coach?
When I attend a professional development, I like for it to be hands on and participatory. I like the ones where I get to make an example and experience the activity before I have my students complete it. I get very bored and tune out the presenter if I just have to sit and listen to them lecture. I also like when presenters don’t come off as having all the answers. I like for it to be a collaborative discussion where I feel comfortable asking questions and expressing my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteAnother key characteristic of effective professional development is that teachers should be given a choice about what they are learning. Norman does a PD where teachers can sign up to present at the high school, and then each teacher can pick four PD sessions to attend. This system allows for teachers to choose topics that are relevant to them.
I also think that PD needs to be ongoing. Often times, I have gone to PD workshops and come back and taught the activities but then realized that I have questions. It would be nice to be able to go back and have a follow up PD session where teachers share what went well and what questions or concerns they have after implementation.
Pertaining to professional development in the school systems, I think it's important that the PD is teacher-driven. Like several of my classmates have mentioned, I wouldn't say my school district has a ton of PD available and when it is, I don't feel like it is based on what teachers in our districts or teachers in our buildings specifically need. I believe another important characteristic of PD is that whatever information is being presented it is given in such a way that is helpful for teachers in THEIR OWN classrooms. I Even as an SLPA, I have left more than one district PD session where I felt like good information was presented, but didn't feel like the information was presented in such a way where the teachers could take that and easily implement it in their classrooms. The same thing goes for PD I have attended for speech therapy- I leave feeling excited at first perhaps, but then realize I don't really know enough in order to put the information I learned to work in my own classroom. So lastly, I think PD should be ongoing and has follow up sessions perhaps? I have never actually participated or even heard of "follow up" PD sessions but I feel like this would be the best way to ensure the PD is productive. I feel like some school districts, not necessarily mine, just have PD because it's a requirement.
ReplyDeleteTo me effective PD is PD that is relevant. Often I have sat through PD that applies to teachers who teach upper grades. At that point I turn off my brain and I don't learn anything. In that instance they should have split the PD and had something applicable to the younger grades. Effective PD should also be participatory. People usually learn better through doing it. For example when I went to learn all about the Phonics Dance the PD leader had us get up and do some of the things we would have our students do. This helped us learn how much time it would take, how it should look, etc. I also believe effective PD should have time for teachers to collaborate. Everyone thinks different so it's nice to hear fresh ideas that might help you in your classroom!
ReplyDeleteI feel that professional development carries with it several characteristics. Teachers have different learning styles therefore; PD should be well-rounded to meet the needs of every learner.
ReplyDeletePD should be interactive. I have enjoyed interactive PD that included games or activities played in whole group or small group. Through participation, I experienced what my students would feel if they were to participate in the game or activity in class. I was more likely to implement it into my classroom. I love when presenters start with the line, “You can implement this into your classroom on Monday!” Interactive PD could be through games, technology, songs, or hands-on activities. It also provides opportunities for the exchanging of ideas. Teachers can discuss how an activity could be adapted for different grade levels and discuss how to extend an activity.
Another characteristic of PD is on-going. PD is usually presented in a one-day presentation accompanied with an overload of information. On-going PD means to me, that the presenter offers support after the presentation. When I feel supported, I am more likely to continue implementing into the classroom what I learned in PD. This support can be offered in a number of ways: on-on-one support via email or a web meeting, supplemental material such as a book or a website for reference, hands on materials, a video of how the procedure is implemented or someone modeling the activity in a classroom. PD can be on-going by being offered multiple times over the same subject. Our district recently adopted a new reading series that we were to begin using for the 2017-18 school year. I attended a PD on it in April of 2017 (before the next school year). Because I slept over the summer, I attended another PD session in July. Once school began, I began to dive into the new series but what still overwhelmed with the set up. I attended yet another PD session in October. Some may say that is too much PD in one area! I did not see it that way. Through each session, I was able to learn something new about an area of the reading series that I probably would not have ventured into if it had not been for the on-going PD provided.
PD should be relevant and stem from what teachers say they need. I enjoy attending PD on topics that pertain to the grade level I am currently teaching or may be a topic that I am struggling with.
Teachers should be given choices on which PD they would like to attend. My district does a two-day, all-day PD in the fall, winter, and summer. They send out a survey asking teachers for suggestions then they are allowed to choose which ones they would like to attend. At my school, our principal usually allows us to choose which topics we would like to explore on a PD day. PD also includes feedback for adjustments on future PD opportunities.
PD should be interesting. Interesting meaning a topic that I had not thought of exploring or wanted to explore but didn’t have time to research information on how a program works. Through interesting PD, it can be a great way to introduce a new concept. I had heard of teachers using Class DoJo but I had never tried it. I saw that it was an offered PD and knew this was the opportunity to receive information and try it out. I received help from the presenters who were knowledgeable about the program and could answer any questions.
I think there are two major characteristics I think of when it comes to professional development, and those are relevance and engagement level. I think first and foremost a PD should be relevant to what the participants need. It's always frustrating to attend a PD and it be aimed towards the upper grades, because it lacks relevance to my team and we have to make significant modifications to have it be developmentally appropriate for our students. I think that it should be relevant enough that teachers want to implement it as soon as they possibly can. I also think that PD should be engaging for the teachers involved in it. I think that teachers want to experience what it will look like in the classroom.
ReplyDelete