If you’re planning a comprehensive professional development program for your school or district, here are some important things to keep in mind. Effective professional development is...
Directly focused on helping to achieve student learning goals and supporting student learning needs.
A collaborative endeavor - teachers and administrators work together in planning and implementation.
School-based and job-embedded.
A long-term commitment.
Differentiated.
Tied to the district goals.
The content of professional development programs is based on organizational needs. Research and best practice show that for continuous improvement, schools should focus on the following categories and the connections among them:
Instructional Leadership
Instructional Practices
Assessment
Curriculum Development
Understanding theLearning Process
Not sure where to begin your professional development plan?
http://webserver3.ascd.org/ossd/planning.html
Follow these links to read a short article on each professional development strategy, how to use the structure in your school, and where to find additional resources on the strategy.
Study groups
Action research
Peer coaching and review
Reflection
Collaborative planning
What is a study group?
A study group is a group of people interested in collegial study and action. In schools, study groups can meet to study and support one another as they do the following:
design curriculum and instruction innovations
integrate a school’s practices and programs
study the latest research on teaching and learning
monitor the impact of new practices on students and staff
analyze and target a school wide need
Why use study groups?
Schools are said to get better when educators build a shared understanding of what good teaching and learning look like. To build a shared understanding, educators commit themselves to studying and learning from one another over time. Study groups provide a good structure for sharing and learning together.
How do I get started?
Study groups are usually a group of 6 to 8 people. The groups can be homogeneous (such as grade-level teams analyzing student data and planning a course of action based on their analysis), or heterogeneous (such as cross-departmental groups studying the latest practices in curriculum design and planning an integrated unit). Groups can meet anywhere, but they need to establish a regular schedule of meetings convenient to all members. A trained leader is not necessary, but it's helpful to rotate leadership responsibility for the group meetings. The leader takes care of logistics for the meeting, arranges for materials needed, and assigns responsibilities for the next meeting.
The content of study should be decided by the school goals, but the focus of study is the choice of the study group. For example, if the school has a goal to increase the achievement gains of special education students in regular education classrooms, then one study group may decide to learn more about differentiated instruction practices, while another group may decide to analyze their own students' data to determine the specific gaps in learning.
Study groups can communicate their work to the entire faculty by the use of logs or sharing sessions. During faculty meetings, take time for each study group to share its progress and challenges. Keep study group logs in the faculty lounge, where they're available to all. Click here for a sample study group log sheet.
Read More About It
To read an article about how one school implemented study groups for professional development, follow this link.
“Study Groups Foster Schoolwide Learning"by Carlene MurphyEducational Leadership, November 1992 (p. 71-74)
Other resources on Study Groups
· "Creating Effective Study Groups for Principals," by N. Mohr, Educational Leadership, Vol. 55, No. 7, April 1998, pp. 41-44.
· Whole faculty study groups, by C. Murphy, 1998, Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
· "Study groups," by C. Murphy, Journal of Staff Development, Summer 1999, pp. 49-51.
· "On-the-Job Learning," by F. Wood, & F. McQuarrie Jr., Journal of Staff Development, Summer 1999, pp. 9-13.
What Are Peer Coaching and Peer Review?
Peer coaching and peer review are professional development strategies for educators to consult with one another, to discuss and share teaching practices, to observe one another's classrooms, to promote collegiality and support, and to help ensure quality teaching for all students.
In peer coaching, usually two teachers (though sometimes three or more) come together, share in conversations, and reflect on and refine their practice. Their relationship is built on confidentiality and trust in a non threatening, secure environment in which they learn and grow together; therefore, peer coaching is usually not part of an evaluative system.
Similar to peer coaching, peer review pairs an experienced consulting teacher with either a new teacher or a veteran teacher who needs assistance. The pair observe each other's classrooms and share ideas, skills, and study materials, with the mentor providing instructive feedback and recommendations to the novice or struggling teacher. Peer review has one added element that is not part of peer coaching: The consulting teacher conducts formal evaluations and makes recommendations to the participating teacher's supervisor regarding his or her employment status.
Why Use Peer Coaching and Peer Review?
Both strategies provide job-embedded, ongoing professional support. Peer coaching is effective for the following reasons:
It allows teachers to work together professionally, thereby eliminating feelings of isolation.
It encourages reflection and analysis of teaching practice.
It promotes specific feedback over time.
It fosters collaboration among teachers throughout the school building.
As a result, teachers experience positive changes in their teaching practice.
Peer review is an effective way of ensuring quality teaching and helping inadequate teachers improve. Proponents prefer peer review to traditional principal evaluations, because principal evaluations may be rushed, superficial, or perfunctory. Peer review does not have to replace more traditional methods of evaluation, however, but can deepen and expand the processes of accountability. Peer review also allows teachers to take a more active role in their professional development. Because peer review can lead to changes in employment, teacher unions often have been involved in the implementation and evaluation of peer review programs.
How Do I Get Started?
Setting up and implementing peer coaching and peer review programs is not hard, but they can be time consuming. Indeed, time is a crucial factor. Coaches and consulting teachers need ongoing training and support. Pairs or teams of teachers must have time to meet, research, and collaborate. Teachers also need time in their class schedules to observe their peers during the school day. Peer coaches and reviewers often receive a stipend for the extra time commitment involved.
Selecting partners can be a sensitive issue—some programs encourage self-selection, whereas others recommend a more structured approach. Trust between and among peers is an essential component. Because most coaching and review strategies involve some form of classroom observation, teachers need both a preconference, in which they meet to discuss the lesson purpose, the classroom dynamics, and what to look for during the observation; and a postconference, in which they review the lesson, model new strategies, and collaborate on improvement.
The success of peer coaching and peer review often depends on the environment of the school. Is there a climate of collegiality? What has been the traditional review process? Do teachers feel comfortable taking risks and asking for help? Is there ongoing staff development to encourage and model peer coaching and peer review? What is the administration's role? These questions must be addressed throughout the process of implementing peer coaching or peer review.
Read More About ItTo read about the various types of peer coaching, click here.
Other Resources on Peer Coaching and Peer Review
· Peer Assistance and Peer Review: An AFT/NEA Handbook, by the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association, 1998, Washington, DC: Author.
· Peer Coaching for Educators, by B. Gottesman, 2000, Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.
· "Peer Review of Teaching: New Roles for Faculty," by P. Hutchins, AAHE Bulletin, Vol. 47, No. 3, 1994, pp. 3-7.
· "The Coaching of Teaching," by B. Joyce & B. Showers, Educational Leadership, Vol. 40, No. 1, October 1982, pp. 4-10.
· "Peer Assistance and Peer Review," R. K. Rogers & D. Threatt, Thrust for Educational Leadership, Vol. 29, No. 3, 2000, pp. 14-16.
What is reflection?
Reflection is a process of self-examination and self-evaluation that effective educators regularly engage in to improve their professional practices.
Essentially, effective educators do four things:
They think carefully about what is taking place in a given situation.
They identify the options available.
They consider their own values as professionals and their comfort level in acting on those values.
They make conscious choices about how to act to make a difference.
In short, effective educators are reflective: They carefully examine their own and others' practices in order to strengthen the quality and the effectiveness of their work.
Why become a reflective educator?
John Dewey maintained that reflection is an important aspect of learning from experience. He wrote in Experience and Education (New York: Macmillan, 1938) that reflective thinking leads educators to act in a "deliberate and intentional fashion" rather than in a "blind and impulsive" manner.
Dewey stressed the importance of reflecting on practices and integrating observations into emerging theories of teaching and learning. He believed that this helps educators become both the producers and consumers of knowledge about educational practices.
Based on Dewey's ideas, Donald Schon refers to educators who are engaged in a developmental process as "reflective practitioners." In his book, Educating the Reflective Practitioner: Toward a New Design for Teaching and Learning in the Professions (San Francisco: Jossey–Bass, 1987), Schon explains that reflective practitioners use the knowledge they gain through continual inquiry and analysis to refine instruction.
Educators must continually study their practices if they are to grow. They need to concentrate on developing those practices that help them deliver their best work.
How do I get started?
"It's never too early to learn to become a reflective teacher," writes Peter Frank in his article, "Mission Possible: Becoming a Reflective Teacher" (1999). Teachers should start by writing a mission statement. Then, Frank writes, they can develop a plan of action, maintain and monitor the plan, and evaluate the plan.
Develop a mission statement and action plan — In writing a personal mission statement, educators determine where they are going. The mission statement, Frank points out, should be based on prior knowledge and experience. Educators can then set long– and short–term goals, and assign realistic time frames to complete the tasks.
Maintain and monitor the plan — To do this, educators must ask themselves: How are you doing and what do you need to readjust? How should you proceed to reach your goals? What information do you need and who has the experience to assist you?
Frank, who teaches 8th grade math at Blackstock Junior High School in Oxnard, Calif., also recommends that teachers monitor themselves and their students: Are they excited and involved? Are you guiding them, offering them the chance for personal success?
Evaluate the plan — As the school year progresses, educators should analyze how well they're doing. Could they expect more of their students or themselves? What could they change or make different?
Read More About ItClick here to review a sample lesson of The Reflective Educator, an ASCD PD Online course.
Other Resources on Becoming a Reflective Practitioner
· "Teacher, Improve Thyself: A Call for Self-Reliant, Reflective Practitioners," by C. Bunting, Classroom Leadership Online, Vol. 2, No. 9, August 1999.
· "How Principals Can Build Self-Renewing Schools," by U. C. Reitzug and L. C. Burrello, Educational Leadership, Vol. 52, No. 7, April 1995, pp. 48-50.
· "Mission Possible: Becoming a Reflective Teacher," by P. Frank, Catalyst, Issue No. 8, Fall 1999, p. 1.
What is collaborative planning?
Collaborative planning involves a group, team, or partnership of people working and learning together as they do the following:
Plan curriculum, units, or lessons including classroom-based assessments
Examine student work
Examine teacher work
Plan use and evaluation of instructional practices
Develop school improvement plans using student data
Why use collaborative planning?
Schools that connect teacher learning to student learning often have a better chance of making a positive impact on student achievement. Collaborative planning provides opportunities for teachers to work together during the school day to make those connections through examining their practice, consulting with colleagues, and developing their skills.
How do I get started?
Collaborative planning requires making the time to work and learn with colleagues. Many schools are finding ways to incorporate teacher collaboration into the school day. Some suggestions follow:
Develop the master schedule to allow students to have longer instructional periods with fewer teachers, and teachers to have shared planning time
For schools that have year-round calendars, use gaps between sessions for multiple-day meetings focused on teacher planning.
Ensure that faculty, team, department, and grade-level meetings are opportunities for collaborative planning and learning rather than meetings focused on administration and management details.
Build professional development days into the school calendar that are set aside for collaborative planning.
Lengthen the school day for four days, allowing late opening or early closing for students on the fifth day.
Of course, district administrators and teachers should work together in developing collaboration opportunities and ensuring that teacher collaboration time is valued time, focused on improving teaching and learning.
Read More About It
· To read an article about how schools are making time for collaborative learning and planning click here.
Other Resources on Collaborative Planning
· Educators as Learners: Creating A Professional Learning Community in Your School, by P. Wald & M. Castleberry, 2000, Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
· "Target Time Toward Teachers" by L. Darling-Hammond, pp. 31-36, and "Making Time for Adult Learning" by P. Pardini, pp. 37-41, Journal of Staff Development, Spring 1999.
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