Call to Action
President Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act, the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, on December 10, 2015.
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"Learning Forward's focus in this new law is its improved definition of professional learning," said Learning Forward's Stephanie Hirsh. "We've long advocated for a definition of professional development in federal policy that aligns with our Standards for Professional Learning. We concentrated our advocacy energy on this element of the legislation because that definition applies to the references to professional development that appear throughout the law."
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Professional development can no longer just be about exposing teachers to a concept or providing basic knowledge about a teaching methodology. Instead,professional development in an era of accountability requires a change in a teacher's practice that leads to increases in student learning.
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What?
Effective principles of learning are necessary guidelines for how teachers and students should learn most effectively. The more these principles are reflected in the training, the more effective the training will be for both.
A professional learning (PL) involves much more than a staff meeting or group of teachers getting together to discuss a book they’ve read. Instead, a PL represents the institutionalization of a focus on continuous improvement in staff performance as well as student learning. Called “the most powerful professional development and change strategy available,” PL, when done well, leads to reliable growth in student learning.
Why?
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It has the potential to open opportunities for career advancement, such as promotions.
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It can assist you in honing existing skills and in learning new ones.
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Improved instruction provides students the opportunity to learn more effectively.
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Teachers learn from current instructional experiences to offer modern and innovative educational solutions that address their students' learning needs.
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When a wide range of high-quality, sustained professional learning experiences are undertaken, teachers are more likely to inspire pupils and provide high-quality teaching and learning experiences, enabling learners to achieve their best.
how?
​Professional Learning gives creativity; creativity leads to thinking; thinking provides knowledge; knowledge makes you great.
The learning process is not rigid, and it is continuously happening. It shapes our behavior and perspective of the world.
Therefore, please let us not limit learning just to a subject. If we can see it with a wide range of thinking, then the whole world looks very small. The benefits of professional learning apply to both teachers and students, as improved instruction provides students the opportunity to learn more effectively. Professional learning is a constant process that encourages the professional growth of teachers, which can translate into improved lesson plan development for optimized student learning.
There are five principles of effective professional learning: Duration, support, active/engaging, modeling, and content specific. (Gulamhussein 2018)
Duration Professional Development should be held in multiple sessions over a period time. The extended amount of time allows more opportunities for practice and is more likely to be carried out in the classroom.
Support Professional Development should offer follow-up and support. When implementing new classroom practices or new content, support is a critical piece of the puzzle. Coaching and being available to offer feedback is essential during the first stages.
Engage Professional Development needs to be actively engaging for participants when introducing new topics. Just like students, adults need hands on, out of their seat experiences.
Model - Professional Development sessions should model how to implement the strategies in the classroom. Modeling allows the teacher to act as the student and view the information from a student’s perspective.
Specific - Professional Development should be content or grade level specific. Higher order questions are best practices for teaching students, but apply differently to content areas of mathematics and Language Arts, therefore, a generic professional development on higher order questioning or checks for understanding would not benefit teachers when offered to K-12 teachers at one time. Specifically targeting grade levels and subjects while allowing time for collaboration with peers would have the most impact in the classroom.
References
https://learningforward.org/about/professional-learning-definition/
https://www.dropbox.com/s/j13c5mk092kmqv9/Teaching_Effective_Professional_Developmt.pdf?dl=0
Gulamhussein, A. (2013). Teaching the Teachers Effective Professional Development in an Era of High Stakes Accountability. Center for Public Education. Retrieved from