Source: Globe, Clker, http://bit.ly/1CVSonk; Stick Figure, Clker, http://bit.ly/1JoIB83; Baseball, Pixabay, http://bit.ly/1D7jFEP; Traffic Sign, Pixabay, http://bit.ly/1Iq5JWR; Robert J. Marzano, http://bit.ly/1U3gjY2; Charlotte Danielson, http://bit.ly/1HXlUX2
Hello there, and welcome.
You're about to embark on a professional learning journey. And in this unit, you will learn how to do that collaboratively. My name is Gino Sangiuliano and I will be your instructor. I have over 20 years of experience in the field as a teacher, mentor, instructional coach, induction coach, and administrator to share with you. You'll hear me tell some stories or observations that will connect your learning to real life contexts, and maybe help you see things in a different way.
In fact, let's get started with a story now. I could tell you stories about good and bad professional development sessions that I've attended. But I won't. At least not yet. Let's begin with the understanding that professional development is essential for teachers to hone their craft and continually improve. This has always been the case. But it's truer now, more than ever.
With that said, I want to share something that happened in major league baseball recently that unless you're a die hard fan, you probably didn't hear about. For years, the day before the all-star game a select number of players have participated in something called a Home Run Derby. It was pretty exciting 20 or 30 years ago, but eventually it got stale, tired, too long, and flat-out boring.
So this year, baseball has a new commissioner. And he listened to feedback from players and fans and made one small change to the event that made a huge difference. They added a clock so that players only had a certain amount of time to take their home run swings. This sped up the Derby and made it more entertaining for everyone involved. That's listening to feedback and continuous improvement in action.
There are four main objectives in this unit that I would like you to start thinking about. You will analyze learning theories and research-based practices, and in particular, how they are related to the creation of your professional development growth plan. Together, we will look closely at the role of coaching and teacher evaluation, again with an eye on professional development planning.
You will learn how to develop a competency based collaborative professional development plan that includes growth goals and measures use and evaluation. And finally, as with most things, there needs to be a time set aside for reflection on the professional development plan.
In this unit, you'll be exposed to some of the theories that define who we are as learners. Although some have their roots in the last century, the basis for them still rings true. For example, self-directed learning is a process in which individuals take the initiative in planning and carrying out and evaluating their own learning. And when we are developing our professional learning goals, that's exactly what we're doing.
Transformational learning is another theory we'll cover. As educators, we know we are asked to wear many different hats and that our roles can change. As learners, we are constantly changing. And that affects the way we think about ourselves fundamentally. This is a powerful notion that can impact the way we approach not only our professional lives, but our personal ones as well. Whether it's becoming a parent or losing a loved one, we are in a constant state of transformation.
Another theory you will become familiar with is social learning. It states that people learn from one another through observation, imitation, and modeling. So simple, yet so important. As teachers, we are on both ends of social learning, so many times that we don't even realize it's happening. In our classrooms, we use modeling to demonstrate and encourage behaviors. But think about what behaviors are being modeled during a faculty meeting. Are side conversations happening? What about lack of participation?
We see this in our daily lives as well when we pick things up from others. Maybe it's as subtle as a phrase or comment you repeat. Or as blatant as having someone show you how to hit a backhand in tennis. Whatever the behavior is, we learn it by seeing it happen.
The reason that it's so important to understand these theories is because, as participants in collaborative professional development, we can create and support more effective opportunities for one another. We will talk about the important role that coaching and teacher evaluation has on the development and implementation of a professional growth plan. I've been fortunate to have had a coach and been a coach. And in both cases, it's advanced my professional growth.
Having a coach provides you with a trusted colleague to bounce ideas off of and get feedback. Another skill an experienced coach has is the ability to ask you the tough questions and give pushback that can help you think deeper about your practice. You will also learn that a coaching relationship isn't a one-way street. There is give and take that allows all parties to continually improve.
In this unit, you will hear about teacher evaluation, and the names Charlotte Danielson, and Robert Marzano. Their work has resulted in a list of comprehensive domains and competencies that guide our practice and tell us how we're doing.
Think about a survey that you're given at the end of a meal in a restaurant. It asks you to rate the service, food, atmosphere, and so on. Those are the things that determine if you have had a positive experience or not. Teacher evaluations help us determine how effective we are in the classroom.
You'll hear the term collaborative professional development over and over again. That's why it's in the title of the unit. Remember social learning theory? Well, that theory came from Albert Bandura. And he believes that we learn better with others, which is why we encourage students to work in groups engage in discussions, and set goals together.
This is as true outside of school as it is inside. When you are struggling with a project or problem, what do you do? You find someone to help guide and teach you. We can now even do this through the internet. Scroll through your tweets and Facebook feeds. I bet you'll find someone who is reaching out for help with something, from parenting help to how to repair a leaky faucet.
In our professional lives as educators, there are things we need to know and know how to do. The how to do are called competencies. Using question strategies, integrating technology, and classroom management are some prime examples. In this unit, you will learn how to use information gathered from observations and evaluations to develop a professional development plan that will put you on track for continuous improvement.
Finally, we will look at the process of reflection. Yes, reflection is always listed last, but doesn't always mean it's last thing you do. In fact, as you will see in this unit, reflection should be built into your practice and done continually. Many of the templates and forms you will be exposed to that relate to professional development plans will have this important piece embedded right in them.
By conducting a self-reflection, or in the case of collaborative planning, group reflection, teams are able to identify practices that work and those that do not. You will learn that it is important to have as much information as possible before making any decisions. And that is where the use of data comes into play. Through the reflection process, including the use of rubrics and checklists, you as an adult learner will have all the information you need to determine if your plan is sustainable, or if changes need to be made.
To summarize, in this unit we will focus on you, the adult learner, and the collaborative professional development you participate in. The main learning objectives will center around learning theories, coaching, evaluation, planning, and reflection.
I'll end each lesson with something I like to call food for thought. It's an opportunity to pause and take what you've learned and apply it or think about it more deeply. For example, think back to an adult learning experience you recently had. Did you experience it alone or with others?
I'm so glad you'll be joining me as we learned how to work collaboratively on setting up and completing a professional development plan. Good luck.
(00:00-00:29) Intro
(00:30-01:31) Homerun Derby
(01:32-02:07) Learning Objectives
(02:08-03:48) Learning Theories
(03:49-04:54) Coaching and Evaluation
(04:55-05:59) Competency Based PD
(06:00-06:52) Reflection
(06:53-07:35) Summary/Food For Thought