Source: Image of NCTAF logo, Fair Use, nctaf.org; Image of MET Project logo, Fair Use, metproject.org
In this tutorial, we'll examine the benefits of collaborative professional development. We'll begin by discussing the overall importance of professional development. And then, we'll look at three separate bodies of research on teacher impact, Teaching for America's Future from 1996, John Hattie's work from 2011, and the Measures of Effective Teaching or MET research study from 2013.
We'll conclude by summarizing the benefits of collaborative professional development. Let's get started. Let's begin with an overview of the importance of professional development. We know that high quality teachers can significantly impact student achievement. So more and more emphasis is being placed on professional development and growth plans, and rightfully so.
In order for our professional development plans to be effective, we must use PD models that focus on improving teacher quality. This can be through the use of coaching, and mentoring, and support with an overall focus on professional development and growth. I'll walk you through the findings from three different studies that focused on teacher impact.
Research from these studies and others consistently shows us that it's teachers that have the most significant impact on student achievement compared to any other factors. So since having highly effective teachers is really the most powerful and effective way to help students, we want our professional development to serve as a tool in ensuring that students have access to those highly effective teachers.
The first study that will help us to get a better picture of this idea is Teaching for America's future, which was a 1996 report by the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future. This report indicated that a teacher's content knowledge and a teacher's skills have the greatest impact on student achievement.
It went on to say that recruiting and retaining effective teachers is a key element in successful school improvement initiatives. According to this study, another factor that impacts school improvement is whether or not schools are able to provide teachers with both the environment and the resources that they need for effective teaching.
Next, let's talk about the research of John Hattie. Hattie conducted a meta analysis of 800 different studies that examined factors that influence student achievement. He published updated findings from this meta analysis in 2011. In his report, each factor is assigned an effect size.
An effect size of 1.0 means a 50% growth in student achievement and that's a very significant gain. The factor of teachers giving feedback to students has an effect size of 1.13 and the factor of instructional quality has an effect size of 1.0. This indicates that teachers really do overall have one of the greatest effect sizes when it comes to impacting student achievement.
Let's look at the findings of one more study conducted by the Measures of Effective Teaching Project. This study published in 2013 tells us that teachers, again, are the most impactful factor in student achievement. The study goes on to tell us that effective teaching can be fostered through teacher evaluations that are focused on several elements, including classroom observations, student surveys and student achievement gains.
It's clear from the research that teachers do have the greatest impact on student achievement. So we want to maximize the opportunities that we have in professional development to increase our effectiveness as teachers. Collaborative professional development has been shown to be a very effective way to accomplish this and there are many different models and theories that support teacher collaboration including sociocultural theory, networked learning theory, situated learning theory, and adult learning theory in general.
A common element as we review all of these theories is that teachers who are allowed opportunities to work together find benefits in the dialogue and the observation and the modeling and the feedback that are part of these processes. In these collaborative professional development opportunities when teachers are learning and sharing with one another, really their professional development and professional growth is just enhanced and their instructional strategies and practices are further improved.
So if we keep in mind that the research tells us that high quality teachers have the greatest impact on student achievement, then we need to understand that collaborative professional development, including the planning part of this professional development process really is crucial in fostering the success of both students and teachers.
Now, it's your turn to stop and reflect. You may wish to take some time to examine more closely the reports from Teaching for America's future, John Hattie's Visible Learning, and the Measures of Effective Teaching Project. For more information on how to apply what you learned in this video, please view the additional resources section that accompanies this video presentation.
The additional resources section includes hyperlinks useful for applications of the course material, including a brief description of each resource. Thanks for watching. Have a great day.
(00:00 - 00:35) Introduction
(00:36 - 01:11) Importance of Professional Development
(01:12 - 02:31) Teaching for America's Future
(02:32 - 03:21) John Hattie
(03:22 - 03:51) Measures of Effective Teaching
(03:52 - 05:24) Summary
(05:25 - 06:01) Stop and Reflect
The Importance of Collaboration in Teacher Professional Development
This article focuses on the teacher collaboration and growth surrounding formative assessment practices.
https://www.nwea.org/blog/2013/the-importance-of-collaboration-in-teacher-professional-development/#sthash.9lkzEj5L.dpuf
Teaching Channel Launches Collaborative Professional Development Platform
In this article, Kevin Hudson explains how to use the features of the Teaching Channel for professional development. Although not noted in the article, the Teaching Channel now offers the option of creating groups with your colleagues.
http://thejournal.com/articles/2013/06/25/teaching-channel-launches-collaborative-professional-development-platform.aspx