Thursday, January 12, 2006

Education Quality Improvement Partnership = EQUIP

Designs and strategies

The standard
The rationale
Annotated bibliography

The standard

Staff development that improves the learning of all students uses learning strategies appropriate to the intended goal.

The rationale

Just as successful teaching requires that teachers be adept at using a variety of research-based instructional strategies, so too does successful staff development require that planners select learning strategies that are appropriate to the intended outcome and other situational factors. That means that staff development leaders and providers must be aware of and skillful in the application of various adult learning strategies.

For many educators, staff development is synonymous with training, workshops, courses, and large group presentations. They are unaware that teacher and administrator learning can occur through means as diverse as collaborative lesson design, the examination of student work, curriculum development, immersion in the work of mathematicians and scientists, case studies, action research, study groups, and professional networks, to name a few such processes. They are also often unaware that training sessions and coursework must include numerous live or video models of new instructional strategies, demonstrations in teachers' classrooms, and coaching or other forms of follow-up if those strategies are to become a routine part of teachers' instructional repertoire.

It is essential that staff development leaders and providers select learning strategies based on the intended outcomes and their diagnosis of participants' prior knowledge and experience. For instance, while awareness of new ideas may be achieved through large group presentations, that approach alone is unlikely to lead to changes in teaching practice. An extended summer institute with follow-up sessions throughout the school year will deepen teachers' content knowledge and is likely to have the desired effect. A two-hour after-school work- shop will not achieve that goal. And while teachers are likely to adapt their instruction to new standards-based curriculum frameworks through the joint planning of lessons and the examination of student work with their colleagues, simply reading a journal article about the standards will in most cases be insufficient.

The most powerful forms of professional development often combine learning strategies. To promote the development of new instructional skills, training may be combined with coaching, study groups, and action research. To promote the skillful implementation of a standards-based curriculum, study of the subject with a content expert may be combined with curriculum replacement units and a course on the development of rubrics.

Technology provides a useful tool for accessing various means of professional learning. It provides for the individualization of teacher and administrator learning through the use of CD-ROMs, e-mail, the Internet, and other distance learning processes. Technology enables educators to follow their unique learning goals within the context of schoolwide staff development plans. They may download lesson plans, conduct research on a particular topic, or compare their students' work with that of students in other schools or even other countries who are participating in similar lessons. Technology also makes it possible for teachers to form virtual learning communities with educators in schools throughout the country and around the world. For example, teachers may become members of online subject-area networks, take online courses, and contribute to action research projects being done in various locations around the country.


Annotated bibliography

NOTE: When resources in this list are available on the web, a link is provided. Many of these publications are available through the NSDC Bookstore.

Abdal-Haqq, I. (1996). Making time for teacher professional development. Washington, DC: ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 400 259)Read at http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed400259.html

This paper outlines what research and best practice suggest about effective professional development for teachers working in restructured, learner-centered schools. It considers the implications of traditional school scheduling patterns for implementing effective professional development and shares some approaches that various schools and districts have taken to find time for teacher development activities. Effective professional development provides adequate time for teachers to acquire, practice, and reflect on new concepts and skills as well as time to collaborate and interact with peers. Traditional school schedules typically lack sufficient time for this kind of teacher activity during the school day. Some schools and school districts have devised several approaches and strategies to make time for teacher development available during school hours.

Collins, D. (1997). Achieving your vision of professional development. Tallahassee, FL: The Regional Educational Laboratory at SERVE.Download in PDF form at http://www.serve.org/publications/htayv.htm.

This "how-to" resource guide offers many tips to help at each stage of building an effective professional development system. The guide reports the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory's six strategies for implementation: developing a vision, creating a context for change, planning, investing resources, providing continual assistance, and assessing and monitoring progress. It also includes summaries of the 1997-98 winners of the U.S. Department of Education's National Awards Program for Model Professional Development and five examples of model schools.

Corcoran, T. (1995, June). Helping teachers teach well: Transforming professional development. CPRE Policy Briefs. Rutgers, NJ: Consortium for Policy Research in Education, 69-79.Download in PDF form at http://www.cpre.org/Publications/rb16.pdf

To meet rising expectations, teachers need to deepen their content knowledge and learn new methods of teaching. They need more time to work with colleagues, to critically examine the new standards being proposed, and to revise curriculum. Corcoran reviews what is known about professional development--where it is now and where it needs to be. The brief discusses professional development's organization, costs, and effects on practice. The brief also suggests some principles to guide professional development in the future and offers a framework for designing and assessing policies and programs.

Fullan, M., (2001). The new meaning of educational change, The third edition. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.Order from the Teachers College Press hotline: (800)575-6566

Michael Fullan reviews the literature of planned educational change over the last 30 years to provide some clear insights about the do's and don'ts of bringing about change in elementary and secondary schools. Fullan distills from his experience the most powerful lessons about how participants can cope with and influence educational change. He compiles the best theory and practice in order to explain why change processes work as they do and to identify what would have to be done to improve them.

Gall, M. & Vojtek, R. (1994). Planning for effective staff development: Six research-based models. Eugene, OR: ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management.Order from the ERIC Clearinghouse web site: http://www.eric.uoregon.edu

Meredith Gall and Roseanne O'Brien Vojtek classify objectives for teacher staff development into eight categories: development of teachers' (1) knowledge and understanding, (2) attitudes, (3) instructional skills and strategies, (4) ability to reflect on their work and to make sound decisions, (5) ability to perform specialized roles, (6) ability to improve students' academic achievement, (7) ability to develop and implement curriculum, and (8) ability to restructure their schools' curriculum, instruction, and organization. They then identify six models for staff development and identify some program-design features that should be incorporated in staff development.

Haslam, B. (1997, Fall). How to rebuild a local professional development infrastructure. NAS Getting Better by Design. Arlington, VA: New American Schools.Download in PDF form at http://www.naschools.org/respub/haslam.pdf

Bruce Haslam argues that too many schools still see professional development as something that is delivered to teachers without opportunities for follow up, little or no time for individual or collective reflection, and little testing of new ideas and information. He outlines a six-step school transformation strategy for districts: (1) convene a professional development task force, (2) map the local professional development infrastructure, (3) agree on broad principles and attributes to guide local practice, (4) report on current professional development programs and policies, (5) redesign current professional development programs and policies to support school transformation, (6) and monitor progress continuously.

Hilliard, A. (1997). The structure of valid staff development. Journal of Staff Development, 18(2), 28-34.Read at http://www.nsdc.org/library/publications/jsd/jsds97hill.cfm
Asa Hilliard argues for a revolution in the structure of staff development. He claims that current staff development is too preoccupied with questions of student capacity and student rankings and that staff development must change to incorporate the ideas of successful teachers who break with routines to try new strategies.

Hord, S. (1994). Staff development and change process: Cut from the same cloth. Issues…about Change, 4(2). Austin, TX: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. Read at http://www.sedl.org/change/issues/issues42.html

In this paper, Shirley Hord describes the Joyce and Showers staff development model and relates it to a change model derived from school improvement studies. Noting the fit of the two models, Hord suggests successful strategies for a comprehensive approach to changing teachers' practices which include developing and articulating a vision, planning and providing resources, investing in training, monitoring progress, providing continuous assistance, and creating a context conducive to change.

Joyce, B. & Showers, B. (1988). Student achievement through staff development. White Plains, NY: Longman Inc.Order from Longman at http://www.awl.ca/ordering.html

Bruce Joyce and Beverly Showers offer a rationale for staff development based on the goal of student learning. They describe how teaching, schooling, and curriculum can be organized to accelerate student learning and the aptitude to learn further. Their book notes current staff development practices, but looks toward a future in which the investment in teachers and administrators will be adequate and time for study will be part of their work.

Kennedy, M. (1999). Form and substance in mathematics and science professional development. National Institute for Science Education Brief, 3(2), 1-7.Download in PDF form at http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/nise/Publications/Briefs/Vol_3_No_2/Vol.3,No.2.pdf

Mary Kennedy presents research and policy analyses that criticize the one-shot workshop approach to professional development and offer a number of proposals for how professional development should be designed and organized. The research indicates that (1) programs should be lengthy rather than brief, (2) teachers should have a role in defining the content rather than having the topics imposed on them, (3) the scheduled meetings should be interspersed with classroom practice rather than concentrated into a short period of time, and (4) teachers should work together in groups, rather than in isolation.

Killion, J. (1999). What works in the middle: Results-based staff development. Oxford, OH: National Staff Development Council.Download in PDF form at http://www.nsdc.org/midbook/index.cfmOrder hard copy from the NSDC Bookstore.

As project director for Results-Based Staff Development for the Middle Grades, Joellen Killion discusses processes and resources for selecting, designing, and evaluating staff development to improve student achievement. The guide describes 26 successful staff development programs in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and interdisciplinary programs that were studied and evaluated to ascertain their impact on student learning. It offers guidelines for selecting and/or designing initiatives to improve student performance.

Kolenko, C. & Schrup, M. (1992). Inservice education-staff development: CASE information dissemination packet. Bloomington, IN: CASE Research Committee, Indiana University.Request from CASE Research Committee, (812)855-5090

This information packet is intended to provide special education administrators with information and materials regarding inservice education and staff development. The first section presents a research and development model based on Project TAMEC (Technical Assistance for Mainstreaming Exceptional Children). The second section presents seven "best practices" models, focusing on building-based programs and networking systems. The final section focuses on structuring staff development programs.

Loucks-Horsley, S. (1996). Principles of effective professional development for mathematics and science education: A synthesis of standards. NISE Brief 1(1). University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI: National Institute for Science Education (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 409 201)Download in PDF form at http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/nise/Publications/Briefs/NISE_Brief_Vol_1_No_1.pdf

Susan Loucks-Horsely discusses some of conclusions from the Professional Development Project of the NISE. She presents seven principles that are found in excellent professional development experiences for science and mathematics educators: developing a clear, well-defined image of effective classroom learning and teaching; providing teachers with opportunities to develop knowledge, skills and teaching approaches; using instructional methods to promote learning for adults which mirror the methods used with students; strengthening the learning community of science and mathematics teachers; preparing and supporting teachers to be leaders; providing links to other parts of the educational system; and making continuous assessment part of the professional development process.

Peterson, P., McCarthey, S., & Elmore, R.. (1996). Learning from school restructuring. American Educational Research Journal, 33, 119-153. Order from AERA by emailing subscriptions@aera.net

The authors analyze successful restructuring experiments from three elementary schools. Their study found that (1) teaching and learning are mainly a function of the teacher's beliefs, understandings, and behaviors within the context of specific classroom problems; (2) changing classroom practice is primarily a problem of continuous learning resulting in improved practice for teachers, not a problem of school organization; (3) school structures can provide opportunities for learning, but structures by themselves do not cause learning to occur; and (4) where teachers have a shared vision, teaching practice and student learning are successfully connected.

Rényi, J. (1996). Teachers take charge of their learning: Transforming professional development for student success. Washington, DC: National Foundation for the Improvement of Education.Read at http://www.nfie.org/publications/takecharge_full.htm

This report provides the results of the NFIE's national survey of more than 800 teachers and two years of observations, consultations, surveys, and other studies. Two major findings: (1) 74 percent of teachers said they engage in professional growth to improve student achievement, and (2) 53 percent said they participate in professional development to improve their teaching skills. The report explores the conditions and policies needed to incorporate teachers' learning into their daily work in schools and makes recommendations regarding incentives, processes, policies, and structures that support wise, shared decisions about teachers' learning.

Riel, M. & Fulton, K. (2001 March). The role of technology in supporting learning communities. Phi Delta Kappan, 82(7), 518-523.Order through Phi Delta Kappa. Contact Terri Hampton at (800) 766-1156

The authors assert that both students and adult learners benefit from participating in communities of practice. Technology facilitates interaction within learning communities. Online mentoring, distance education, and state-supported electronic networks open up the isolation of classrooms and offer teachers access to one another for ongoing support and professional development and sharing. The use of technologies such as interactive lesson plan templates, multimedia databases, streamed video, web-conferencing, and e-mail can help teachers access other teachers for ongoing professional collaboration. The authors site several examples of electronic communities of practice for educators.

Senge, P., Kleiner, A., Roberts, C., Ross, R., Roth, G., & Smith, B. (1999). The dance of change: The challenges to sustaining momentum in learning organizations. NY, New York: Doubleday, Inc.Order from the NSDC Bookstore.

A Fifth Discipline resource, the book offers in-depth accounts of efforts to sustain learning initiatives undertaken by corporations and other organizations. Ten unique challenges are identified as those "sets of forces that oppose profound change." These challenges are discussed in terms of three growth processes that sustain change. The challenge of initiating include not enough time, lack of support, irrelevance, and lack of participation. The challenges of sustaining transformation include fear and anxiety, assessing, and supporters vs. non-supporters. The challenges of redesigning and rethinking include governance, diffusion, strategy, and purpose.
Sparks, G. (1983). Synthesis of research on staff development for effective teaching. Educational Leadership, 41(3), 65-72.Order from ASCD's web site: http://www.ascd.org/
Georgea Sparks briefly summarizes some of the research on appropriate content for staff development, as well as the appropriate context for staff development. The major focus of the article, however, is on the training process of staff development. Sparks combines some of the research on effective training activities to form a list: diagnosing and prescribing, giving information and demonstrating, discussing application, and coaching. Finally, she presents some of the research concerning the importance of designing staff development programs that are adapted to fit various teacher characteristics and attitudes.

Sparks, D. & Loucks-Horsley, S. (1989). Five models of staff development for teachers. Journal of Staff Development, 10(4), 40-57.Read at http://www.nsdc.org/library/publications/jsd/sparks104.cfm

Dennis Sparks and Susan Loucks-Horsley describe five major models for developing teachers: individually guided, observation/assessment, involvement in a development/improvement process, training, and inquiry (individual or group). The authors provide examples, explain the theoretical and research underpinnings and potential outcomes of each model, and describe the organizational contexts needed to support each model.

Sparks, D. & Hirsh, S. (1997). A new vision for staff development. Alexandria, VA: ASCD and National Staff Development Council. Order from the NSDC Bookstore.

Dennis Sparks and Stephanie Hirsh describe three powerful ideas altering the shape of schools and staff development: results-driven education, systems-thinking, and constructivism. Major shifts in staff development resulting from these three ideas include movement from individual development to individual and organizational development; from fragmented, piecemeal improvement efforts to staff development driven by a clear, coherent plan; from a focus on adult needs and satisfaction to a focus on student needs and learning outcomes; from training conducted away from the job to multiple forms of job-embedded learning; and from staff development as a "frill" to staff development as indispensable. Sparks and Hirsh elaborate on these shifts and provide examples from around the country.

Stigler, J. & Hiebert, J. (1999). The teaching gap: Best ideas from the world's teachers for improving education in the classroom. New York, NY: The Free Press.Order from Simon & Schuster's web site: http://www.simonsays.com.

James Stigler and James Hiebert use the results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study to show that although American teachers are often competent at implementing American teaching methods, these teaching methods themselves are severely limited. They propose a new plan for improving classroom teaching in America. Their proposal is based on six principles: (1) expect improvement to be continual, gradual, and incremental; (2) maintain a constant focus on student learning goals; (3) focus on teaching, not teachers; (4) make improvements in context; (5) make improvement in the work of teachers; (6) build a system that can learn from its own experience.

U.S. Department of Education Professional Development Team. (1994). Building bridges: The mission and principles of professional development. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.Read at http://www.ed.gov/G2K/bridge.html

The Professional Development Team used available research to create a set of principles for staff development. According to their study, high quality professional development: (1) focuses on teachers as central to student learning; (2) focuses on individual, collegial, and organizational improvement; (3) respects and nurtures the intellectual and leadership capacity of individuals within the school community; (4) reflects best available research and practice in teaching, learning, and leadership; (5) enables teachers to develop further expertise in subject content, teaching strategies, and technology; (6) promotes continuous inquiry and improvement; (7) involves collaborative planning; (8) requires substantial time and other resources; (9) is driven by a coherent long-term plan; and (10) is assessed by its impact on teacher effectiveness and student learning.

What matters most: Teaching for America's future. (1996). New York, NY: National Commission on Teaching & America's Future.Download in PDF form at http://www.tc.columbia.edu/~teachcomm/WhatMattersMost.pdf

This report offers one of the most important strategies for achieving America's educational goals: a blueprint for recruiting, preparing, and supporting excellent teachers in all of America's schools. The Commission offers five major recommendations for surmounting some of the barriers to achieving America's education goals: (1) get serious about standards, for both students and teachers; (2) reinvent teacher preparation and professional development; (3) fix teacher recruitment and put qualified teachers in every classroom; (4) encourage and reward teacher knowledge and skill; and (5) create schools that are organized for student and teacher success.
http://www.nsdc.org/standards/strategies.cfm

posted by AcrosticGuy @ 8:04 AM

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