I spent my first six years teaching affluent middle school children. I grew a lot during that time as most teachers do. According to The Mirage, “Most teachers in the districts we studied did improve substantially during these early years—a well-established pattern that has been documented by many researchers and reflects a natural learning curve” (TNTP, 2015, p. 14). Around year six, I felt an itch to change. Because of this, I decided to try my hand at teaching elementary students. I also ended up in a school where 75% of the students were on free and reduced lunch. Needless to say, I felt like I was back at square one professionally. Once I felt like I plateaued at that teaching experience, I moved to a mostly ELL, all-girls middle school. I realize now that I kept changing because I didn’t feel like I was growing.
How might my career look if I experienced effective and personalized professional learning in year six?
This image demonstrates the professional development plateau that teachers experience after five years.
Image from The Mirage (TNTP, 2015).
The Five Year Rule
Teaching is like an art or a sport. That is to say, it is very skill-based and tacit. According to A New Culture of Learning, tacit learning is “that which grows from experience and lives in your body” (Thomas & Brown, 2011).
While traditional professional development leaves teachers inspired and full of ideas, teachers do not learn how to correctly apply the skills (Daniels, 2013). Teachers don’t need an instructor in a training session talking “at” them, they need support when they go to apply the information to their classroom (Daniels, 2013). Teachers need support alongside them as they plan lessons, implement new strategies, and analyze data. They need someone who will watch them try, fail, and support them as they try again. What do teachers need?
Teachers need a coach and a professional learning community.
Growing Teachers
According to EDLD 5389, there are five principles of effective professional learning:
- Extend the duration of PL to weeks or months
- Provide ongoing support for teachers during the implementation stage
- Use active application of ideas, methodologies, and strategies
- Use modeling and/or mentoring
- Encourage authentic projects (Harapnuik, 2021).
Teaching the Teachers goes on to differentiate between the two roles of teachers: The Technician vs. The Intellectual (Gulamhussein & National School Board Association, 2013). The Technician refers to the active, tacit, research-based skills that teachers need to learn, apply, and refine with their students (Gulamhussein & National School Board Association, 2013, p. 20). In contrast, the Intellectual refers to teachers as researchers, innovators, and experts in their field (Gulamhussein & National School Board Association, 2013, p 20). With this in mind, coaches, mentors, peers, and administrators can apply the five principles of effective learning through these filters.
This image compares the different roles of teachers as learners.
Image from Teaching the Teachers (Gulamhussein & National School Board Association, 2013).
Promoting Positive Professional Learning
Needless to say, I am in a new role again – I am part of the Digital Learning team. In this role, I work with district adults on best practices with technology use in their current role. My goal is to take advantage of the coaching and PLC models we use in GCISD. Firstly, I will continue to work with administrative assistants. For example, I will use lunch-and-learns, coaching sessions, PLCs, and newsletters to grow their confidence and skill with technology use. Then, As I grow and improve the implementation of the Five Principles of Professional Learning, I hope to use the skills I develop as a model for the rest of the district.
References
Daniels, K. (2013, November 6). Empowering the teacher technophobe: Kristin Daniels at TEDxBurnsvilleED. YouTube. Retrieved March 27, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puiNcIFJTCU
Gulamhussein, A., & National School Board Association. (2013, September). Teaching the Teachers: Effective Professional Development in an Era of High Stakes Accountability. The Center for Public Education. https://www.dropbox.com/s/j13c5mk092kmqv9/Teaching_Effective_Professional_Developmt.pdf?dl=0
Harapnuik, D. (2021, April 17). EDLD 5389 Module 1. YouTube. Retrieved March 27, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ib3pdsTFKM
Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
TNTP. (2015). The Mirage: Confronting the Hard Truth About Our Quest for Teacher Development. https://tntp.org/assets/documents/TNTP-Mirage_2015.pdf