Although I'm actually writing this blog on Friday morning before class, I know we will have a productive class. Your Task 1 Needs assessment should be uploaded already. My plan is to read them on Monday and get you feedback on them.
So for this week, reflect on class on Saturday afternoon. What are your key take-aways? What are your goals for yourself in relationship to your Task 2 plans for the next 2 weeks?
This week you will be reading about adolescents and the secondary grades. I think most of you have taken adolescent literacy already, so you have some background in what the needs of middle and secondary students need in terms of literacy. Use that information as you read, and use the following questions as a guide to your own blogging:
What do you think are the key differences between a literacy program for adolescents and one for early childhood and/or elementary children? How does the role of a literacy leader change when working in a middle or secondary school or with secondary teachers? How does the information in WSQ 12 about writing apply specifically to adolescent learners?
Go into the Google doc that we worked on in class about characteristics of effective literacy programs and add information about programs for adolescents/secondary schools. Add to the section that you and your partner/group worked on in class.
Have a good week!
One of my key take-aways from class today was the difference between professional development and program improvement. While I mostly understood the difference before class, our discussion really solidified this for me. I understand that professional development is a tool to support changes in teachers' practice and is one part of program improvement.
ReplyDeleteAnother key take away was the difference between a presentation and workshop. I had thought of the two as nearly synonymous, but now I understand that while they do have a few similarities they are quite different. A presentation consists of a speaker and listener, while workshops are more interactive.
Finally, my last key take-away was what differentiation in PD really means. I assumed differentiation of PD was referring to only topic, but now I understand that this can and should refer to formats as well. These will all be an important to keep in mind as I create my PD plan.
My goal for myself for the next two weeks for Task 2 is to get as much done as possible! More specifically, my hope is to have a skeleton ready before our group meeting. I plan to start working my way through the steps outlined. I am going to focus first on the consideration questions so that I can prioritize topics and formats and set some goals. Then I can start on organization and activity planning to get my skeleton going.
ReplyDeleteOne important thing I took away from our class was the difference between presentations and workshops. Because of going through the OWP Summer Institute, I thought presentations were more interactive and hands-on with collaborative components. That’s what OWP calls a presentation, but really it is a workshop. I appreciated the Venn Diagram we did so we could easily see the differences and similarities.
Another key takeaway for me was the relationship between effective professional development and adult learning theory. We had read some much about effective PD that it was good to consolidate and synthesize all we read into one list. After we did that, the connections between effective PD and adult learning theory were more clear.
Additionally, I appreciated the combined Google Doc we worked on for a comprehensive literacy program. Breaking it down into curriculum, instruction, organization, assessment, and materials made it more manageable when thinking about program improvement. I didn’t feel so overwhelmed when thinking of my Pre-K-8th school and its literacy program when I saw these components separated out.
Task 2 seems a little overwhelming because I am looking at creating a PD program that works for elementary and middle school. But, I am up to the challenge! I want to do the brainstorming part of the plan this week by working through the thinking questions you gave us for our rationale. Then, I’ll start to work on the skeleton next week and get feedback from my colleagues and administrators. I’m excited to see how it all turns out.
One of my take aways from class was how adult learning theory is specifically tied to effective and engaging PD. From reading that article I knew they were connected but our class activity made it super clear for me! First writing down effective PD characteristics and then tying the adult learning theory really helped solidified their connection. The second take away for me was how to complete task two. When looking at the syllabus the task seems daunting but your list on how to complete it made it clearer and way less overwhelming :) so thank you for that Dr. Beach!
ReplyDeleteMy goals for myself for task 2 are to take it step by step and work on it a little bit at a time. It's easier for me to get things done if I start early and work on things slowly (but surely). It gives me time to reflect and redo things if need be. Another goal is to show it to my principal and title 1 teacher to get their feedback early on!
There were many "ah ha" moments in our face to face meeting yesterday. The first was in gaining better understanding of the characteristics of effective professional development, and how the effectiveness is directly affected by the adult learning theory. Although I have been thinking a lot about my plans for the future and how teachers are best reached and supported, this conversation really simplified and clarified some ideas I was throwing around in my head.
ReplyDeleteAnother take away from class was the differences between workshop style PD and presentations. Again, this got my wheels turning about the various types of PD I have found most effective for myself and helped me to filter through some developmental opportunities that might better reach my colleagues.
My plan for Task 2 is to begin brainstorming how to best serve both teachers in the elementary school and middle school. I will work through a draft over the next week, one piece at a time in hopes to gain feedback from my fellow class members and coworkers. I am super excited about this task, but very nervous to present it to administration. It's a big step that will let everyone know that I am definitely on the path toward becoming a literacy leader. YIKES! :)
I had many key take-a ways from Saturday’s class. Everything that I read and discussed in the blogs over the past weeks about effective PD programs and the characteristics of an effective literacy program connected during our face-to-face class. What has helped me the most were the use of graphic organizers to distinguish differences between professional development and program improvement and presentations versus workshops. It was helpful as a visual learner to see the differences side-by-side. The distinction between workshop and presentation was very helpful.
ReplyDeleteThere are many things I need to consider when planning an effective PD. One aspect that stuck out to me is catering to the needs of all teachers by offering choices. I appreciate how you explained this. I need to make sure I include small group and whole group discussions, hands-on, modeling, practicing, etc. At first I began to become a little overwhelmed with how I can make sure to include all of this. I realized the PD sessions that I have enjoyed and learned the most from were those that kept me moving – I was offered choices. Many times during our discussion, I found myself nodding in agreement as I reflected on effective and engaging PD that I have attended. The connections of adult learning theory to effective / engaging PD was another key take away for me. Adults must be engaged in order for PD to be effective. The graphic organizer that was used to display the connections was really helpful to see how several of the adult learning theories were connected in more than one way.
My goals for myself in relationship to my Task 2 plans are to begin this week with my planning. From the slide that we can use as a guide for planning your PD program, my goal is to complete steps 1 through 6 by Sunday, March 4th. I need to meet with my principal and the leadership team to present my skeleton plan during the week of March 5th - 9th. OKCPS is on Spring Break for two weeks, March 12th through the 23rd. During Spring Break, I will have discussions with my small group for their feedback and write up draft of plan for our face-to-face class on March 31st for peer and Dr. Beach to review.
I had two major take aways from class yesterday. The first was the difference between program improvement and professional development. In my head, I thought I understood it, but it was helpful to really discuss the ways they are different and talk about how they affect one another. The other big takeaway was concerning adult learning theory. By going through and assigning a component of adult learning theory with an aspect of effective PD, it really helped me understand how it applies.
ReplyDeleteMy plan for Task 2 is to begin looking at the results of the survey and interpreting those to determine what the teachers at my school really need. I want to begin drafting my skeleton plan over the next week, and set up time to meet with the team leaders and principal at my school to discuss. After class, I felt better about this assignment. Looking at the syllabus, it seemed a little daunting and confusing, but after having it explained step by step, it made it less overwhelming.
First off, I really found it interesting to hear everyone’s surprises and confirmations from their surveys. This discussion showed me how unique each site is and how crucial it is to build a PD plan that specifically meets the needs of your school. I also enjoyed learning about how the aspects of adult learning theory are tied to effective and engaging PD. In addition, it was helpful to see the differences between a presentation and a workshop. This information will be helpful to me in the next coming weeks as I begin to create a PD plan for my school. My goals for Task two will be to make sure that I included the elements that make PD effective and engaging into my own plan.
ReplyDeleteI found it very interesting how similar our survey findings were. Big school districts versus small schools and K8 schools were not as different as I expected. I wonder if it is normally this way? I also wonder if my school's results could be more precise if I sent out a survey update with my questions worded differently? I also found the connections from PD to Program Improvement interesting. The logical side of me sees the tremendous importance for this, especially if I want my school's buy in (or a future school), but I had not put the two together until Saturday.
ReplyDeleteMy goals for part 2 of the plan is figure out what is best for my teachers. I'd like to follow up with a team level interview or survey. I'm also understanding that I will need to empower my teachers. "I" see areas of weakness, but they do not. I'm thinking that I will have to empower them to show us what they know and in turn encourage reflections that will hopefully point to areas that they want to learn more about.
After leaving class Saturday afternoon, I realized how the characteristics of effective and engaging PD directly correlated with the Adult Learning Theory. Every aspect that we listed related to a principle of the theory. Therefore, as I begin to develop a PD plan these next few weeks, I need to consider how I can incorporate these characteristics and also appeal to the minds of the adults in my school, what can motivate them, relate to them, impact them, and provide them with experience.
ReplyDeleteMy goal for the assignment is to develop a skeleton of the plan and present it to a small group representative of various positions within the building. I hope to get enough feedback to create a plan that is differentiated, provides choices, and engaging to all.
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ReplyDeleteMy two major take aways from class this week came from two graphic organizers that we filled out. The first one was the graphic organizer that explained PD and Program Improvement. The table helped solidify my understanding and give more concrete words/vocabulary for explaining the two. The other chart that really helped me was the table that described the characteristics of effective pd and connected those characteristics to adult learning theory. This helped me build a better understanding of adult learning theory and how it applies to PD.
ReplyDeleteAs I begin working on part 2 of my pd plan, I will be working to create a skeleton plan that I can share with my principal and a small group of teachers for input and feedback. I will be keeping in mind the necessity for differentiation and feedback and support so that I can create a PD that is meaningful and engaging for all teachers in my building.
My biggest take away from class on Saturday was the difference between the difference between professional development and program improvement. The chart we did in class really helped as others have mentioned. It was also very helpful to tie in adult learning theory to effective PD as well. This one was harder for me to do and I that is one of my goals for the next couple of weeks- to learn more about adult learning theory and how it applies to professional development. My other goal for the next couple of weeks is to start putting together a plan based on our assessments we turned in Saturday and share with my principal/reading specialist in order to get some constructive feedback. I think I need to decide what topic(s) I will choose before I decide on what mode(s) of delivery.
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