This document discusses research on effective models for blended teacher professional development (PD). It proposes a model that provides: 1) Online access to digital content to enhance face-to-face PD experiences. 2) Extending face-to-face summer experiences online through discussions with colleagues about practices and strategies. 3) Interacting online in real-time with experts from organizations like NASA, NOAA, and NSF to discuss research and classroom applications. 4) Helping teachers develop long-term growth plans tailored to their needs and connecting them to resources and others with similar goals online, with opportunities for recognition.

1. AL BYERS, PH.D.
ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
Blending Online and Onsite
Personalized Professional Learning:
Applying What the Research Says
for Effective and Sustainable
Learning Communities
1

2. Description of
Blended PD Research
2
SELECTED RESEARCH, THEORY AND
STANDARDS THAT DRIVE OUR MODEL

3. I think the best model for blended Teacher PD might be:
Providing access to an online repository of digital content to
enhance onsite PD experiences
Extending face-to-face summer experiences online via
discussion with other colleagues on promising practices and
strategies for pedagogy
Interacting in real time online throughout the year with
leading scientists, engineers, and education experts from
institutions such as US Department of Education, NASA,
NOAA, and NSF discussing research with examples of
applications for the classroom
Helping teachers diagnose and create long term growth
plans that cater to their unique learning needs and connect
them with resources and access to others with similar
learning goals online whereby they might receive
recognition and attribution as they collaborate
3

4. 4

5. Blended Professional Learning
 Integration
between
Onsite and
Online
Learning
55
 Involves the mix of pedagogical methods in
combination with various learning strategies
that involve technology-mediated solutions to
maximize desired learning outcomes
(Kim, Bonk & Oh, 2008; Smith & Kurthen, 2007; Tang & Bryne, 2007; Vaughan, 2007; Verkroost,
Meijerink, Lintsen, & Veen, 2008; Yoon & Lim, 2007)

6. Blended PL: Models for Delivery
Examples from IBM, Shell, Cisco,
and others:
 Anchor Blend: Begins with f2f
and continues online
 Bookend Blend: Meet online
for pre-work before initial f2f,
follow-up online for continued discussion
 Field Blend: Most self-directed, where learners
control the pace and time for learning, gaining
access to resources and support online when and
where they need them.
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(Kim, Bonk & Oh, 2008)

7. 7
Study PD Program
Model
Target Audience/
Content Area
Research
Findings
Berger et al.
(2008)
Blended online
and face-to-face
High School
Physics
(n=16)
Strong online participation
linked to student work,
discussion tools/techniques
Hot Polls, Hot Reports,
Smashing Sentences
Krall et al.
(2009)
Self-paced, on-
demand, hands-
on kits, mentor
Elementary and
Middle Science
and Inquiry
(n = 43)
Significant gains in subject
knowledge. Hands-on most
valued. Low mentor rating via
email -- too critical
(competency-based model)
Owston et al.
(2008)
Blended online
and face-to-face
Middle School
Science & Math
(n = 33)
Significant gains in teacher
perception of inquiry. Weak
online participation. Challenges
in online component even when
provide release time. Reading
articles and commenting.
Research in Online and Blended PD

8. 8
Study PD Program
Model
Audience &
Content
Research
Findings
del Valle
et al.
(2009)
Self-paced, 12
week module,
instructor help
K-12 in-
service
teachers
(n=59)
Mastery-sig. time over longer period,
Task-focused-less time in shorter
period, not prefer cohort learning.
Procrastinator-little time, longer period
to complete, prefers cohort learning.
Lowes et
al. (2007)
4-week course,
async discourse,
readings, group
project at end. 6
schools, 3 states
Middle &
High (grades
6-10),
school-wide
reform
Online discourse analysis. Cheerleader-
affirming + new information increases
online participation. Vary over course to
more questioning/challenging at end.
Whitaker
(2007)
On-demand: 3
levels of support.
A) web access B)
reflection tools,
resources, C) 1-
on-1 video chat
and teaching clip.
pre-K
teachers
(n=235)
Level of service significantly affects
teacher participation. Group C log on
more, Group A log on for longer periods
of time, but significantly less frequently.
Personalized feedback strongly valued.
Better to respond quickly with brief
message that delayed with longer posts
Research in Online and Blended PD

9. Anderson’s Equivalency of Interaction
11
Anderson, T. (2003) Getting the mix right
again: An updated and theoretical rationale
for interaction. International Review of
Research in Open and Distance Learning, 4
While learner-learner,
learner-content, and learner-
instructor interaction is
preferred, if one of the three
interactions is designed well,
the other two may be
offered in a diminished
capacity and still provide an
equitable learning
experience.
This address scalability
issues where diminished
support may be available.

10. What Do Teachers Want
for their Professional Learning?
12
NATIONAL SURVEY INVOLVING:
AASL, ASCD, ACTE, COSN, IRA, ISTE,
NAESP, NASSP, NBPTS, NCTAF, NCTE,
NCTM, NSTA, NWP

11. 13

12. 14
77%
61%
58%
52%
46%
44%
42%

13. 15

14. Learning Center Overview
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PERSONALIZED PROFESSIONAL LEARNING IN
COLLABORATION WITH OTHER COLLEAGUES

15. • Self-Directed Access to 12,000+
resources and opportunities
• Free tools to help teachers
diagnose, organize, personalize,
and document their learning
• Immediate free access to online
advisors and colleagues through
chat and discussion
• Recognitionandrewardssystem
withbadgestiedtopersonalprofiles
http://learningcenter.nsta.org
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16. Growth trend over the last five years
18

17. 1919
Teacher
PD Indexer
Professional Development
Resources and Opportunities
connector
NSTA
Documentation
My
Learning
Plan
My
Profile
My
Library
PD
Indexer
My
Certificates
Search
Engine
Online
PD Catalog
Admin
Dashboards
University
Online Affiliates
e-Books and
online Chapters
F2F Symposia
& PD Institutes
Regional/State
Face-to-Face PD
Interactive SCORM
Learning Objects
Live
Web Seminars
Moderated Online
Short Courses
E-Journal
Articles
Video
Podcasts

18. Resources, and opportunities
suggested
Into Teacher
Digital Portfolio
Teacher selects based
on needs/preferences.
Creates Learning Plan
self directed
study
Teacher indexes PD
needs
Live Online Advisor
“Help desk”
and email Content
Mentors
joins others
Analytical
Research Database
content/knowledge
assessment
discussion group online
Professor for graduate
credit online
takes moderated
course
Byers, A. S., et al. (2011).
"Developing a web-based
mechanism for assessing teacher
science content knowledge."
Journal of Science Teacher
Education 22(3): 273-289.
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19. • Psycho-emotional
Opportunities for Growth
• High Impact,
Compelling Content
• Moderated Social Discourse
Individual
Psycho-
emotional
Content
Social
Building a Vibrant Learning Community
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20. 22
• Provide opportunities to build reputation and contribute to
the community and as part of your own personal growth
Recognizing Teacher Learning and Leadership
• Tens of thousands of badges awarded to teachers
Administrator: One of our teachers sent
the following information after receiving
a note from NSTA that stated:
Congratulations! You have been selected
as the NSTA Learning Center Top
Advocator for the week of May 28 – June
3, 2012.
She was delighted and wrote, "Look at
what I got in my email! …NSTA picked
me!! It's all because of you that I started
this science journey in the first place!
Thank you!!

21. I use the Learning Center to share ideas that I
have and learn more about the ideas of others.
What I’ve found in our practice is that, if you
isolate yourself, it basically stunts your
growth… there’s no follow-up or conversation
with other educators… So the opportunity to
talk “education” in these forums is very
valuable, you get insights from other people
regarding these resources. In that way it has
been very crucial to my growth as an
educator…
Integrating high quality content with moderated
discourse to improve personal practice:
24 A
See: http://learningcenter.nsta.org/impact/testimonials.aspx

22. 25
Early Career/Novice
Increase Knowledge,
Confidence,
and Pedagogy
Mid Career
Hone Practice &
Pedagogical Content
Knowledge
Experienced
Teachers
Contribute
(coach/mentor)
Consume/Engage/Excite
Just-in-time resources from
trusted source and/or colleagues
Consume/Contribute/Extend
• Resources/Strategies
support local student-driven data
• Professional Learning Community
Consume/Mentor/Enlighten
• Elevate stature in community
• Serve in leadership capacity
• Contribute to improvement
and generation of resources
• Refine strategies, support others
Interaction Opportunities
take
share
collaborate
Teachers

23. Badges to encourage community sharing
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http://learningcenter.nsta.org/help/activity_awards.aspx

24. Badges to document learning
Notice
relative
weighting of
activities.
Those that
take more
effort earn
more points
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25. Last six months: 200,000+ hours
of engagement as teachers complete
the following:
• SciPack web modules
• Virtual conferences
• Web seminars
Community Sharing is strong:
• 80,000 personal resources uploaded
• 14,000 publicly shared user collections
• 60,000 posts across 5,800 topics in forums
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26. 29
Participation in
Community Linked to
Personal Profile where
Badges are Showcased
You Have Ability to:
• Private Message Users
• See All Badges Earned
• See All Posts Contributed
• See All Reviews Provided
• See All Collections
Shared
• See Most Viewed and
Most Emailed Collections

27. Forums and
Community Provide
Opportunity for
Recognition
You Have Ability to:
• Find Users with
Similar Interests
• Follow Individual Users
• See Most Active Users
• See Most Recent Posts
• See Most Popular Topics
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28. 31

29. Phase II: Teacher Learning Journeys (TLJ)
• Consume and Create Learning Paths for particular thematic
areas and grade bands across resources and events
• Edit/Augment/Rate Journeys Created by Others
• Connect with Others on Similar Teacher Learning Journeys
• Sets up opportunity for micro-credentialing & validation
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30. Phase II:
Learner
Dashboards
• Present data visually
• Users compare their
participation to
others in community
• Users connect to
others learners on
similar journey
• Suggest Action for
next step based on
comparative data
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35

31. Just-in-Time, Just-Enough
Just-for-Me Learning
34
SELF DIRECTED, ON-DEMAND
PERSONALIZED LEARNING MODEL

32. Learning Center
Selected Resources

33. 36
8-10 hour learning experience
Assessment
Quiz 1
5E:
”Evaluate”
Key
Idea 1
5 E Learning
Cycle
Formative
No Grade
Cycle
Repeats
Posttest
graded
Assessment
for
entire
Science
Object
Graded
Revisits
Phenomenon
PI
Pedagogical
Implications
Intro
• Teacher self-directed web modules/e-books
• Smaller chunks on science and pedagogy
• Addresses disciplinary core ideas in NGSS

34. 3-5 Free Science Objects
Content Mentor
Email Support
Pedagogical
Implications
Assessment
and Certificate
10-Hour,
self-directed,
inquiry-based
learning experience
NSTA SciPacks

35. 38

36. 260 Simulations and Animations

37. 40
Physical Science Life Science Earth and Space Science
• Atomic Structure • Cell Structure and Function • Earth, Sun, and Moon
• Explaining Matter with
Elements, Atoms, &
Molecules
• Cell Division and
Differentiation
• The Solar System
• Electric and Magnetic Forces • Cell Division and Chemical
Reactions
• Universe
• Nature of Light • Flow of Matter and Energy in
Ecosystems
• Ocean Effects on Weather &
Climate
• Energy • Interdependence of Life • Plate Tectonics
• Force and Motion • Heredity and Variation • Rocks
• Gravity & Orbits • Resources and Human
Impact
• Earth’s Changing Surface
• Chemical Reactions • Coral Reef Ecosystems
• Nutrition
• Science of Food Safety
SciPack enhanced e-book Titles

38. District Pre/Postassessment Results

39. Research and Evaluation: SciPacks
• Quasi-experimental Design Study: Across 3 districts finding significant gains
in teacher content knowledge using single SciPack. (2008). n=45, teachers in
grades 5-8
• Experimental Design Study: Pretest-posttest delayed-treatment/control
group design with random assignment finds significant gains in teacher content
knowledge, teacher self-efficacy, and students’ gain scores for grades 5-8 in
treatment group across two SciPacks. (2009-2010), n = 56
• Descriptive Study: Dissertation research finds significant gains in teacher
learning for pre-posttest and pretest-final assessment. (2010).
n = 85, teachers grades 3-6 from 11 different states across multiple SciPacks.
• NASA Blended PD Evaluation Study. Incorporated SciPacks, Online
Communities, Badges, Leader Boards, and Online Courses across 13 districts.
Significant gains in teacher learning and self-efficacy (2010-2012) n = 300.
http://learningcenter.nsta.org/impact
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40. It’s about getting the mix right…
 Badges and local leader boards help
integrate online and onsite as single
effort for your PLC’s.
 Mix various interaction strategies:
 Case Study/Debate
 Presentations/Products
 Role Playing Scenarios
 Problem-based Projects/Inquiries
 Panel Discussions/Hot Polls
 Smashing Sentences
 Data Analysis/Visualizations

41. How to develop successful online
social learning communities
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42. AL BYERS
TWITTER: @ALSBYERS
EMAIL: ABYERS@NSTA.ORG
LINKEDIN: HTTP://WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/ALBYERS
Blending Online and Onsite
Professional Personalized Learning
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Thank You