You will be reading this blog after our face to face class. So the key piece for this week is to think about what we talked about and did in class. What are the 3-4 takeaways from class that you found key from discussions, class activities? Why are they important to you?
The topic for this coming week is is the role of materials, technology and assessment in program improvement. Before you read, what do you think is the role of materials, technology, and assessment in program improvement? What do you hope to learn?
You will remember from class that the readings will be jigsawed this week, and that some of you have specific readings assigned while other groups can work it out for yourself. With the Jigsaw, it makes some changes into how your blog will work since those who read specific chapters that others did not read will have to summarize key points of the chapters for the rest of your group. In addition, the leader will need (after everyone has posted about their chapters) to bring the pieces together, mostly in the questions that they pose. That means that everyone will need to post about their chapters to your group's blog by WEDNESDAY so that there can be a discussion by Friday morning on all of the ideas in the readings. I'll be asking what you learned from others in my blog for Week 12. The reflection questions and engagement activities may offer a way for each person to starting a discussion, as you need to discuss all of the chapters, not just post on your chapters.
Have good week, and know that I support each of you in your important work as teachers (whether or not you choose to participate in the walk out). I'll be at the Capitol on Monday morning.
One of my key take aways was a clearer understanding of the roles a professional development leader may take on. It was very helpful for me to think about these roles and where and how they are present in my PD plan. Another key take away was the importance of understanding the coaching models. While we had read about these a couple week ago, I had forgotten about them in my focus on my PD plan. It was interesting to think about how the coaching present in my PD plan fits, or doesn't fit, these models. It also reminded me that I need to keep a coaching into practice mindset as I practice coaching. A third key take away was how go about about planning a professional development activity. There is so much planning that goes into a single activity, so it was very helpful to see the questions I can use to guide myself through the process.
ReplyDeleteI think materials, technology, and assessment all play large roles in program improvement. It is important that materials are kept up to date and this may be a part of program improvement efforts. The same goes for technology. In addition, since we now live in a highly technological world, it is important that our students are taught technological literacy. Program improvement initiative may tackle this as well. Curriculum must be taught using materials and technology that support student growth, which will require improvements as curriculum changes. Assessment plays such a large role in instruction as the guiding force in instructional decisions, that it must play a large role in program improvement as well. It must be ensured that the assessments are meeting the needs of the program and the curriculum. I hope to learn more about how the change process concerning each of these best takes place.
I had some great takeaways from class yesterday! One of them was the difference between cooperation and collaboration. I never really thought about them being so different but it ends up they are! I definitely learned something yesterday. I also took away a lot from that video you had use watch about the different PD roles. You'll change your role as you are doing different PD activities. The last take away I had was the advice you had on my task 2! It was very helpful and I will make sure to think about all that as I am revamping my plan. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteMaterials, technology, and assessment are some of the key things that support a classroom in my opinion. The materials are what the teachers use to learn more about the program improvement and then in turn use those materials to teach their students. Technology is used to implement improvements and often used by students. There are usually components of programs that use technology. Assessments are used to see if the program improvements are working and improving things the way the need to be! I am interested in seeing and learning how all three of these fit together in program improvement.
Thank you for supporting us Dr. Beach :)
I took quite a few things from our session yesterday. It was really nice to collaborate with my group so that I have better understanding of the various roles of a literacy leader. No only that, but conversations with my group and as a class helped me to realize that our roles as a reading specialist and leader will change as the professional development required of teachers has choice and flexibility. Additionally, I was really able to separate the differences between collaborative relationships and cooperative relationships.
ReplyDeleteI almost feel like, in this "tech heavy" time, materials and technology often walk hand in hand. It is so important for teachers be provided the materials that they need in order to help them grow as professionals. Just like our students, we can talk about a new concept, but of the students do not have the proper books, supplies, and resources then our lessons are difficult to understand and cant hold water. Teachers need the same quality materials the support their growth. Technology is often the easiest place to go for resources. It also can provide an extremely wide range of support for teachers, and therefor is the perfect "go to" for various professional development ideas and resources to support both students and teachers.
Assessments, to me, are in a category all there own. They are vital in determining the needs and effectiveness of the programs in place. They also might help determine how technology and materials can best utilized for each individual teacher and classroom.
I left class with a "bigger picture" mindset regarding Part 2 of our PD plan. One statement you made to my group that resonated with me was, "These are the kinds of plans that schools see now. How can we expect them to do better, if we do not show them a better way?" I understand that statement and see where my PD plan needs improvement. I also made a connection to "Refer to.." and "Cite." I saw "refer to" as making a general statement about, when I was actually expected to cite. I have a better understanding now of what is expected. I also was very thankful for camaraderie of my group yesterday. They were very helpful to me. I also now have a better understanding of the differences between collaboration and cooperation.
ReplyDeleteMaterials, technology and assessment are very important for program improvement. Without access to quality and useful materials, or the knowledge of where to find them, students are put at an educational disadvantage. Books held together by duct tape, missing pages and outdated topics do not have high possibilities of garnering students' interest. Our students deserve access to quality and interesting materials. In today's society, technology and the understanding of how to function with technology is VIP! Although there are limits to how much "screen time" a student should have at home and at school, the types of resources and experiences that are a result of technology are very important to our classrooms. We cannot rule out virtual field trips, science information found online, and math and reading sites. A healthy balance must be kept in mind, however. Lastly, assessment is key! We must use it, learn from it, and grow. Teachers need to understand the importance of preparing quality assessments and how to use that data to plan for students'.
Each week I gain so much information from our assigned readings. However, our class sessions help to bring clarity to the readings. Although cooperation and collaboration both share the characteristic of working together, using the Venn diagram helped me distinguish the differences between the two. Using an acronym for professionalism helped me focus on its characteristics. Three characteristics that stood out to me were: respect for all pedagogies, acknowledging differences and responding appropriately and maintaining poise. As a professional, we will encounter different pedagogies that go against our own. It will be important to maintain poise while being respectful to others viewpoints. As my grandfather would say, “Agree to disagree.” The next takeaway I received from class was in our small group. We created a table to organize the components of the three coaching models. It was interesting to see that there were possible issues with each model alerting coaches of potential problems. All models described a variety of characteristics of an effective coach such as being supportive, respectful, resourceful, and offering feedback among other characteristics. Another takeaway was how much behind-the-scenes goes into planning effective PD and PD activities. There is so much to consider. Effective planning should begin in enough time before the scheduled event. My takeaway from my PD draft plan was to make top priority giving teachers choices in topics that they would be interested in receiving PD on.
ReplyDeleteI feel the role of materials in program improvement is as a support to assist in improving the program. There may be materials already available to use in a different way to support program or materials may need to be borrowed or bought to enhance improvement. I feel the role of technology in program improvement is seen as a resource for teachers and students. The role of assessment in program improvement is to evaluate if the improvement is successful or not and in which areas need support or need to be reevaluated.
Our face to face class sessions always help ground my understandings. My biggest takeaway centered around the development of professional development. There is so much thought that goes into the planning. Teacher choice beyond taking their opinions has to be a top priority. It was also very important for me to receive feedback in a constructive manner that I can actually take and put forth in my continuing work. The stations were so helpful in bringing all of the readings and work we have been doing together in a whole picture. I feel more prepared to tackle the remaining PD tasks.
ReplyDeleteWhen considering school improvement, materials can have a huge influence. Teachers need to have the proper resources and materials available so that they can implement appropriate instructional strategies that lead to student growth. With the technology advanced society we live in, technology can be a wonderful resource and tool in helping teachers and students make growth. It is also important that students can connect their learning with technology. By the time they graduate and enter the work force, I can only imagine the amount of technology that will be involved in their work responsibilities. Assessment is used to evaluate if program improvement has been successful.
As we read this week, I am hoping to gain more knowledge of ways to assess program improvement.
One important takeway I got from class yesterday was individualized feedback on my PD plan. I really appreciated having opportunities for feedback from my peers as well as you, Dr. Beach. After our small group meeting, I feel that I have a better idea of how to create an effective PD plan for my individual school. Another takeaway was our discussion on the differences and similarities between collaboration and cooperation. I do think sometimes we view these terms as synonyms but they are not. Our Venn diagram helped me to see the distinctions. Additionally, I got a lot out of the video about the different roles a PD leader takes on. I wasn’t surprised by roles like presenter or coach, but I hadn’t thought much about the role of moderator. If I am bringing in outside sources or presenters, I will stay play a vital role in making sure the presentation goes smoothly, is relatable, and allows teachers to ask important questions about how to apply the information to their classroom.
ReplyDeleteBesides state or national standards the program is based on, I think the next most important aspects of program improvement are assessment, technology, and materials. Assessment is important so teachers can see how students are progressing towards the state standards and goals. Materials also play a key role in program improvement because they will be the “meat” of the program, and are how the teacher will teach the standards required. Materials includes the various types of texts that will be used in a program (informational, leveled readers, novels, picture books, magazines, articles), but also encompasses apps, programs, videos, vocabulary cards, posters, and more. Technology makes the program more relatable to students know and improves their skills for the future. Students are typically more motivated and engaged when technology is involved, yet also provide a twist on traditional standards by also incorporating new literacies skills.
After reflecting on our afternoon class, three takeaways that resonated with me were the different roles of a coach, the styles of approach to coaching, and key aspects to consider in the development of the professional development plan. After listening to the powerpoint of the different roles of coaching, I realized that these roles apply to all components of a development plan. The presenter role is seen when implementing whole group presentations, the demonstrator is seen when modeling is used for instruction, the coaching is observed during one-on-one mentoring, and more. An effective professional development plan includes all five roles presented to ensure improvement in instruction. The different approaches to coaching provided by the ILA article was a nice refresher on how coaching can be used to promote change. The explanation of using coaching to conform, to practice, and to transform reiterated how change can occur from coaching with these objectives in mind. Last, as I continue to work on my PD plan, I will continue to consider the adult learning theory and the research studies on effective PD to develop the activities and format of the plan. I will remember to include choice and veer away from the traditional formats of PD. I want to transform the way PD opportunities are executed into a more engaging, self-selecting, and innovative approach.
ReplyDeleteMaterials, assessment, and technology can all be interconnected when it comes to program development. Useful and rich materials are needed for students and teachers to utilize for improved learning. Assessments are needed to guide teacher instruction, which would also need quality materials to assess with. Technology programs can also be considered as a material that can assess students and collect data for teacher instruction. Therefore, these 3 topics can be related and used among each other for improved instruction, or they can also all be independent of one another. I hope to develop a better understanding of how I can use these 3 aspects in my program development plan for effective instruction.
I think one of the biggest takeaways from class yesterday came from our small group review of our PD plans. I felt like I learned a lot from you Dr. Beach, as well as my classmates about what a PD plan actually needs to look like to be successful. Another takeaway was from the station where we watched the videos about the different roles that are taken during PD. It was helpful to relate these to our PD assignment. Another takeaway for me was the Venn diagram that we did as a class for cooperation versus collaboration.
ReplyDeleteMaterials in the program are going to based on the state/district standards and are going to be the main source of information. Technology is very important because this is going to help students learn in various formats and will allow them to access their materials, texts, and writing in different ways as well. Assessment is obviously a critical part of program improvement because this is what drives the instruction. We know from our readings that we need to be doing an initial assessment towards the beginning of the year, follow up assessments (the # will depend on the students, teacher, school, etc), and one at the end of the year (at least). I would hope to learn how to use these three tools in our program development to carry out effective instruction.
One of the key ideas from class that really stuck with me was how my role isn’t always going to be the same throughout my PD plan. I liked learning about each role as I had never heard of some of these before. I also liked the poem we did for professionalism. I think this would be a fun activity to complete in my own class! The Venn diagram we made helped me to be able to clearly understand the differences and similarities between collaboration and cooperation. I also enjoyed making the handout about the 3 coaching models. It was helpful for me to revisit the article and write about why the model would be used, issues that may arise and components that made each effective.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the materials, technology and assessment need to match the school’s goals for improvement. Much thought needs to go into the selection of each of these components to ensure that they are going to be effective in helping to get the job done.
My main takeaway was from the PD role video. The different types of PD and how the roles change through working in different positions. This was something I hadn’t considered before. The discussion I was able to have with my group regarding these roles really helped me better understand them and the position and role we have as reading specialists. The feedback I was able to receive regarding my PD plan was really helpful in understanding what improvements could be made and what worked. The reminder of making sure there is choice made me understand that teachers now feel they don’t have a lot of choice in the professional development and I want to change that. Lastly, I felt that the conversation about the difference between collaboration and cooperation was really a great reminder. The Venn diagram will be a great resource to use to refer back to.
ReplyDeleteMaterials, technology and assessment all play different roles in program development. Materials and technology both play a role in helping the teacher do their best to educate the students. They are supplemental aids that the teacher uses to teach lessons. Technology nowadays plays a much bigger role than in the past. It has become commonplace, especially in Norman, for students to interact with technology much more. Assessments are what teachers use to determine whether or not the students are understanding what is being taught. Assessments help us determine what areas we need to reteach and which students are missing that information. I hope to learn more about how to effectively use technology in the classroom as well as how to use assessments to influence my teaching.