In this series of six tutorials, I'll be walking you through the process of aligning your professional development to Knowles' six assumptions for adult learners. Recall that the six assumptions are self-concept, experience, readiness, problem-centered orientation, internal motivation, and the need to know.
It's important for us to analyze our professional development plans in the context of adult learning theories. In all stages of professional learning, from the design to the implementation, teachers need to be able to connect the various stages of their learning to the acquisition of new knowledge and skills and to their classroom practice. Knowles' six assumptions of adult learning can help us here, as they provide a framework for analyzing our professional development.
For each of Knowles as six assumptions, I'll guide you through a three-step process. We'll begin by identifying the areas of existing alignment. We'll then identify areas of possible misalignment. And finally, we'll identify specific areas for enhancement.
This analysis of our professional development is going to be an evaluative process, so I will be providing you with some evaluative questions and possible solutions that I recommend you use throughout the process. Evaluative questions are going to ask for an opinion or ask for a belief or a point of view, and so it's important to remember that these types of questions don't have any wrong answers. Rather, they are meant to spark some thought and to get you to consider multiple points of view as we go through the process of alignment.
As we go through this process, I will be referring to a sample professional development plan. Note that this plan includes the focus area of professional development, the site goal, and the alignment to district goals, along with action steps, resources, a timeline, details about who is responsible and who is involved, and evidence. The two action steps outlined in this plan are aligning curriculum to common core standards and enhancing instruction with technology. We'll look at various aspects of this plan more closely as we go through the alignment process.
In this tutorial, we'll be focusing on assumption number one, self-concept. The assumption of the learner self-concept tells us that adult learners are likely to want to have influence and to have choices in their learning. Self-directed learning theory supports the assumption of the learner self-concept. We can apply self-directed learning theory to our professional development anytime that the learners are directing their own learning experiences.
For example, if a district administers a survey to teachers in order to gain information about what topics teachers would like to have covered in their professional development, this would be an example of incorporating the learner self-concept. An even more powerful addition to this scenario would be if the district would then allow teachers the opportunity to choose from among several different options that came about as a result of the survey. Teachers might also be given choices in how to approach the learning, perhaps through online courses or in-person study groups.
So let's see how to align our professional development with this assumption of the learner self-concept. Step one in this analysis and alignment is to identify areas of existing alignment. As part of step one, you might ask yourself these questions. Are teachers currently able to make choices about their learning in the professional development plan? If so, this would indicate alignment to this principle.
Are teachers given choices as to what types of self-learning are needed? Can teachers choose the direction of their own learning? Are teachers involved in the actual design of the professional development plan? Can teachers choose how to apply that professional development to their classrooms?
Step two in the process is to identify areas of misalignment. In this step, here are some questions that you can ask yourself about your professional development plan. In areas where alignment is not present, what could be changed in order to better involve the learners?
What choices do the learners currently have in their learning? Are the learners actively involved in applying their new skills and knowledge? These types of questions can help you to identify those potential areas of misalignment or instances in which the principal is violated or where it's just not applied properly to the professional development plan.
The final step in the process is to identify areas for enhancement. Note that in some cases, the approach to the professional development may be just fine, but the design of the activities could potentially be altered to create an even better alignment to Knowles' six assumptions. So to check for alignment with assumption number one of the learner self-concept, you might ask yourself these types of questions about your professional development plan.
What needs to be improved in order to make this plan more aligned to this principle? What are the changes that would be necessary in order to include teachers in the decision-making process? Are there any specific choices that the teachers are going to be able to make that will improve the professional development plan?
So let's return to these sample professional development plan in order to see an example of how this process might be carried out. In step one, identifying the areas of existing alignment to the principal of the learner self-concept, we see that teacher surveys will be used as evidence of enhancing instruction with technology and also that staff exemplars will be used as evidence here as well. We also see in both action steps that teachers will be able to request curricular resources and iPad applications and other digital subscriptions if they are identified as needs as part of the process.
Step two is identifying potential areas of misalignment. We see here that in both action steps, the initial training and sharing of information is going to be conducted by the curriculum director and by the technology staff. There is no indication here that teachers will have any input or even any important roles to play in the beginning stages of either of these action steps.
So in step three of the alignment process, when we are looking for possible ways to enhance our alignment, we might include in this plan some elements of teacher input into the initial stages of both of these action steps. For example, representatives from each curricular area might meet with the curriculum director before this August training in order to share the needs of their particular departments. Similarly, the district technology staff may consider surveying teachers to find out their current levels of comfort and skill with the technology that is going to be used. Not only would this provide the technology staff with important background information that will help them in planning their training, but it also will help the teachers to feel more involved and more empowered in the process.
So now it's your turn to stop and reflect. Take some time to analyze your professional development plan for alignment to Knowles' first assumption of adult learners, the learner's self-concept. As you reflect on how this new information can be applied, you may want to explore the additional resources section that accompanies this video presentation. This is where you'll find links to resources chosen to help you deepen your learning and explore ways to apply your newly acquired skill set.
Thanks for joining me today. Have a great day.
(00:00 - 02:14) Introduction to Professional Development Alignment
(02:15 - 03:19) Assumption #1
(03:20 - 04:04) Step 1
(04:05 - 04:43) Step 2
(04:44 - 05:32) Step 3
(05:33 - 07:23) Alignment of Sample Plan
(07:24 - 07:57) Stop and Reflect
Andragogy and Teacher Professional Development
This site provides a clear connection between the importance of considering andragogical principles and developing professional development opportunities for teachers.
http://cnx.org/contents/01b08e6f-8a39-4c2b-a7bf-a63290081a65@1/Andragogy_and_Teacher_Professi
The Importance of Andragogy in Education
This blog post by Tom Whitby stresses the importance of considering the principles of andragogy in professional development design. Whitby indicates professional development should be active, teacher-centered, and include opportunities for dialogue.
https://tomwhitby.wordpress.com/2015/04/13/the-importance-of-andragogy-in-education/