The Case for Professional Learning

Purpose:
To engage in meaningful discussions that lead to new actions and behaviors.
Topics Available :
Reasons That In-service Is Out and Professional Learning Is In!
KSDE Task Force Professional Learning Recommendations
Teacher Leader Standards
Daniel Pink’s “Drive”
Promising Practices
Student v. Learner

Purpose Continued:
To engage in meaningful discussions that lead to new actions and behaviors.
Topics Available :
21 st Century Learner Profile
Project Based Learning
The 21 st Century Kid
A Brave New World Wide Web

Top 8 Reasons “Inservice” Is Out and “Professional Learning” Is In!!
L
A
E
R
N
I
N
G
– Learning - Engaged - Accountability – Relevance – Needs – Impact – Numbers Talk! – Growing

Learning is for everyone! Students AND adults!
Accountability – we’re all in this together! We have a collective responsibility to make it happen and it saves time to work together!
Engaged in professional col labor ation about student achievement!
Relevance – Professional LEARNING isn’t a one-time event – it’s a way of life – and ongoing un- event!

Needs – of adult learners – timely, choices, collaboration, dialog, opportunities to practice, implement, & discuss after implementation!
Impact - Professional LEARNING needs to be evidence based to tie it directly to student achievement and how I might use it!
Numbers Talk! The conversation and actions are driven by data!
Growing – Professional LEARNING means that the staff is growing – it either changes your behavior or your practice!

Table Talk/Self Reflection
How is this different from the experiences you’ve had?
What would be the impact if your professional learning experiences included these eight?
What is needed in your professional setting to move to this level?
Is anything missing from the list?
In an ideal world, what does a learning school look like?

Early Attempts at Collaboration
Collaboration Video Link
5 minute video

Current Concepts: KSDE Task Force Recommendations
Definition of Professional Learning
Accountability for High-Quality Professional Learning
Career-Long Professional Learning
Professional Educator Standards on High-Quality Professional Learning
Time for Job-Embedded Professional Learning

1. Definition of Professional Learning
Using the National Staff Development Standards, specify the essential attributes of professional learning in Kansas. In an accompanying policy document, include the requirement that general fund budgets must include PreK-20 educator professional learning.

2. Accountability for High-Quality Professional Learning
Establish a system of accountability for high-quality professional learning with specific checks at multiple points within its design, implementation, support and evaluation. Professional learning should reach beyond developing educator knowledge to application and impact on student learning.

3. Career-Long Professional Learning
Ensure that all individuals involved in the education process participate in career-long learning . Require educators to develop a professional learning plan during his/her initial preparation based on his/her strengths and areas for improvement that is continuously revised to follow the educator throughout his/her career and strengthen his or her practice and impact.

4. Professional Educator Standards on High-Quality Professional Learning
Ensure that state standards for teachers and school and district leaders, currently under revision, align with and include concepts and practices of high-quality professional learning , including active participation in and facilitation of both job-embedded and externally provided professional learning.
Empowering the 21 st Century Learner

5. Time for Job-Embedded Professional Learning
Ensure that local districts provide 40-80 hours of student achievement-focused professional learning for licensed educators and support staff directly involved in student learning each year as part of the student contact hours as established in KSA 72-1106. Because the majority of professional learning is job-embedded , there will not be the need for additional special days within school calendars devoted to professional learning as time away from the classroom. Professional learning can occur in classrooms and school during student contact time or within educators’ workday. Time for professional learning during the school day includes teacher collaboration time driven by specific goals for educator learning that are based on an analysis of student achievement data.
Learning Community

Table Talk
Discuss what impact each of these might have on our practices at school.
Current Concepts: KSDE Task Force Recommendations

KSDE Teacher Leadership Standards
The teacher leader is able to apply strategies of adult learning across teacher leadership activities.
The teacher leader is able to advance the professional skills of colleagues by demonstrating and applying expertise in observational skills and in providing quality feedback in order to support reflective practice focused on improving curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
Link to T/L Standards

The teacher leader is able to improve the quality of colleagues’ collaboration and interaction with families and other stakeholders.
The teacher leader is able to initiate and facilitate colleagues’ design and implementation of action research and analysis of data for individual and group decision making.

The teacher leader is able to develop and support collaborative teams and promote collegial interactions that improve the effectiveness of practice.
The teacher leader is able to identify and assess opportunities for educational improvement , and advocate effectively for them within and beyond the school community .

The teacher leader is able to inform and facilitate colleagues’ selection or design, use, and interpretation of multiple assessments , along with other available data, to make informed decisions that improve the quality of instruction and student learning.
The teacher leader is able to inform and facilitate the design and implementation of coherent, integrated and differentiated professional development based on assessed student and teacher needs.

Table Talk
Discuss what needs to happen to move people from teachers to teacher leaders.

What Motivates Us? Daniel Pink Video Link - "Drive" 12 minute video

Table Talk
If reward/punishment thwarts motivation and creativity, what impact does that have on how we work with teachers? With students?
How do we create an environment that includes autonomy, mastery, and purpose for students and teachers?
Daniel Pink “Drive”

Students vs. Learners 90 second video 90 second video 90 second video 1.0 Housewarming Link 2.0 The Quiz Link 3.0 The Teacher Link

Table Talk
What is the difference between a student and a learner?
What professional learning opportunities are needed to prepare learners?
How do we prepare learners?
Students vs. Learners

A Vision of K-12 Students Today 4 minute video K-12 Student Today Video Link

Table Talk
What professional learning opportunities do teachers need to prepare learners for tomorrow?
A Vision of K-12 Students Today

Conversations of a Learning Community 11 minute video Rocklin Academy Video Link

Table Talk
What guiding questions would prompt this conversation?
What obstacles would you need to remove to facilitate this conversation?
Conversations of a Learning Community

Table Talk
Where is the teacher represented?
What aspects already exist in your school?
How would you begin to incorporate other aspects?

Project Based Learning 4 minute video Project Based Learning Video Link

Table Talk
What themes from the 21 st Century Learner Profile might be incorporated using Project Based Learning?
Project Based Learning

Table Talk
Does this accurately represent our vision of the 21 st Century kid?
How or how not?

Using Web Tools to Teach 11 minute video A Brave New World Wide Web Video Link

Table Talk
What professional learning opportunities would be needed to support teachers in this learning environment?
What obstacles would you need to overcome? How?
Using Web Tools to Teach

For the most current set of references, go to: http://groups.diigo.com/group/kansas-learning-first-alliance-klfa
Most of the digital links have a wealth of additional resources with them!
References

Classroom Examples
Websites aligned to the 21 st Century Learner Profile - http://buhlerkeys.wikispaces.com
Tech Snacks by Kay Tibbs - http://web.me.com/techsnacks/Site/TechSnacks.html
Art Snacks by Kevin Honeycutt - http://essdackartsnacks.ning.com/
References

Digital Citizenship
Institute for Excellence and Ethics in the Resources - http://excellenceandethics.com/
Unmasking the Digital Truth - http://unmaskdigitaltruth.pbworks.com
Digital Policy - http://www.scribd.com/doc/19255791/Digital-Project-Policy
Guidelines for Educators Using Social and Educational Networking - http://www.scribd.com/doc/23712519/Guidelines-for-Educators-Using-Social-and-Educational-Networking-Sites
Digital Citizenship & Netiquette - http://www.slideshare.net/stevekatz/digital-citizenship-netiquette
Social Media Policies - http://socialmediatoday.com/index.php?q=SMC/155843
References

Teaching Ideas:
Introductions of complex subjects- http://www.youtube.com/user/leelefever
Brain Rules Book - http://www.youtube.com/user/brainrulesbook
Daggett, Willard (1998). Facilitating Learning
Discovery Education - http://www.youtube.com/user/DiscoveryEducation
Esquith, Rafe (2009). Light Their Fires: Raising Extraordinary Children
Jensen, Eric (1998). Sizzle & Substance: Presenting with the Brain in Mind
References

Teacher Leadership:
ASCD Teachers as Leaders September, 2007, http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept07/vol65/num01/toc.aspx
Blog of Teacher Leaders and their thoughts on current education trends http://future.teacherleaders.org/
Edweek Creating Young Teacher Leaders http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2010/02/24/tln_norton_teacherleadership.html
Katzenmeyer, M. and Moller, G. (2009) Awakening The Sleeping Giant: Helping Teachers Develop as Leaders
Key Issue: Enhancing Teacher Leadership (National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality) http://www2.tqsource.org/strategies/leadership/EnhancingTeacherLeadership.pdf
Mackenzie, Sara (May 2006). Uncovering Teacher Leadership, Educational Leadership .
Searby, L and Shaddix, L. (2008). Growing Teacher Leaders in a Culture of Excellence. Professional Educator , v 32 Spring 2009 www.theprofessionaleducator.org
Teacher Leader Network http://www.teacherleaders.org/
References

Local Annual Conferences
Kansas Staff Development Council - http://www.ksdc.us/
Podstock - http://podstock.ning.com/
iConnect iLearn - http://iconnectilearn.ning.com/
References

Professional Learning
Eaker, Robert (2006). Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work
Gause, C. P. (2009). 201+ Strategies for Successfully Transforming Today’s Schools
Godin, Seth (2010). Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?
Heath, Chip & Heath, Dan (2010). Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard.
Hirsh, Stephanie, and Killion, Joellen (March, 2009). When Educators Learn, Students Learn: Eight Principles of Professional Learning, http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k_v90/k0903hir.htm
Pink, Daniel (2009). Drive: What Motivates Us
Schlechty, Phillip (2002). Working on the Work: An Action Plan for Teachers, Principals, and Superintendents
Waitzkin, Josh (2007). A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence: The Art of Learning
Weiner, Edie & Brown, Arnold (2005). Future Think
References

The Case for Professional Learning

by GingerTPLC

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