Call to Action
The 5 key principles of effective PL (Gulamhussein, 2013):
- “The duration of professional development must be significant and ongoing to allow time for teachers to learn a new strategy and grapple with the implementation problem.
- There must be ongoing support for a teacher during the implementation stage that addresses the specific challenges of changing classroom practice.
- Teachers’ initial exposure to a concept should not be passive, but rather should engage teachers through varied approaches so they can participate actively in making sense of a new practice.
- Modeling has been found to be highly effective in helping teachers understand a new practice.
- The content presented to teachers shouldn’t be generic, but instead specific to the discipline (for middle school and high school teachers) or grade level (for elementary school teachers).”
About This Course
This course combines five blended learning sessions plus ongoing coaching throughout the year. Learners will work in groups cross-departmentally to analyze workflows and systems. They will also engage in discussions in each of the blended learning sessions. On top of that, they will use chat spaces when not in an active learning session to ask questions and touch base with one another. Next, learners create their own authentic learning projects by setting goals specific to their environmental needs. Finally, learners engage in active learning through discussion, blended learning environments, and 1-on-1 coaching provided by my team.
Backward Planning
BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) – Overarching Course Goal
I will cultivate independent learners who demonstrate confidence in troubleshooting, who are willing to seek out new information and solutions, and who lean on peers in a professional collective.
Three Column Table
| Learning Goals | Learning Activities | Assessment Activities |
| Foundational Learners will analyze their current values around troubleshooting and application use. Learners will analyze resources to determine “the where” of information around technology use and troubleshooting. | Resource Evaluation & Job Reflection Discussion | Review the resources within and outside of the district used to provide technical support to you within your job. Which do you already use? Which do you think are useful? What gaps do you see? What does technical support mean to you? What do you do when you encounter a technical problem? |
| Application Learners will analyze and evaluate current digital workflows and systems and storage solutions. | Current Digital Workflow Analysis & Reflection Discussion | Analyze current systems and workflows that you use in the workplace. • What problems do you notice? • How might you solve these problems? • What technology supports these systems? • How could technology better support the systems? • How might you incorporate automation? • How might you replace paper practices? |
| Integration Stage 1 Learners will develop a professional goal in their specific district role to address a digital workflow, system, or storage solution. | Professional Goal Creation | Create a professional goal to address digital workflow issues and storage solutions specific to your district role. |
| Integration Stage 2 Learners will develop a plan and action steps to support their goal to address a digital workflow, system, or storage solution. | Professional Implementation Plan | Create an action plan to implement your goal to address digital workflow issues and storage solutions specific to your district role. |
| Human Dimensions/Caring Learners will analyze how a growth mindset can support them as they implement their professional workflow, system, or storage goal. | Growth Mindset: 1) Growth mindset pre-assessment 2) Active learning activities 3) Growth mindset post-activity reflection | Readings and videos: 1) The Power of belief — mindset and success 2) Moving from the Fear Zone to the Growth Zone 3) Four Stages of Learning Learners will use active learning activities such as KWL charts and concept maps to demonstrate their understanding. |
| Learning How to Learn Learners will evaluate their growth in their specific role due to the implementation of their professional implementation plan. | Learner’s Mindset Reflection | Use a Google form for professional reflection and to provide course feedback. |
UbD Template
Three Column Tables v. the Backward Design Template
Both Fink’s (2003)Three Column Table and the Understanding by Design (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005) Backward Design Template were extremely supportive as I designed meaningful learning environments for my professional learning course. Both are comprehensive planning tools used to demonstrate and apply backward design principles. However, the Three Column Table created a more general plan. It helped create a single course goal called the Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) and more focused goals to support it (Fink, 2003). These goals included foundational goals, application goals, integration goals, human dimensions, and metacognition (Fink, 2003). On the other hand, the Backward Design Template was a lot more specific. For example, it guided me to break down the standards I wanted to use to create understandings, questions, and knowledge and skills before I detailed performance tasks (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). Adding the “WHERETO” helped me design a detailed, organized course.
Effective Professional Learning
Audience
This course is composed of adult learners from middle and upper-middle-class backgrounds. They are usually family-oriented. Administrative assistants have often professionally peaked and are content with their jobs. In contrast, a few administrative assistants are new to the field and want to move up. Administrators, while at a high level in their career also, are often looking to move into new positions inside or outside of the district. Regardless of their role, all learners desire mastery, autonomy, and purpose in their careers.
They have mixed feelings about technology. Most of the discomfort around technology stems from troubleshooting and constant change. There is also a range of prior knowledge. While most people come in with some knowledge of the applications they will use, the range varies. While people either love technology or tolerate it, I believe all people want to be able to do their jobs successfully and with confidence. Therefore, they have personal learning goals and expectations that we should meet.
Course Outline
Session 1 Outline
Resources
Slideshow
Playlists and Templates
FAQs
How will you foster collaboration and effective modeling?
To foster modeling, I will employ the use of:
- Growth mindset questioning and thinking.
- Proven templates to organize thinking.
- Use of authentic projects to create a significant learning environment.
To foster collaboration, I will employ the use of:
- Peardeck encourages everyone to share in whole group environments.
- Group settings centered around creating meaningful norms and workflows within and between departments.
All of the work is authentic to the individual needs of the departments as well as interdepartmental working.
How will you foster self-directed learning?
This first session is quite group-heavy. As the course continues, individuals will create authentic goals, plans, and action steps to enact their plan to improve departmental workflows. Within this first session, I will employ the use of individual work by:
- providing time for individuals to learn about the growth mindset.
- allowing individuals time to answer guided questions before sharing out in the small group and whole-group settings.
Who will lead what sections?
My team will lead the whole group sections. Department heads will lead the small group work, although it’s truly important for them to work collaboratively and not rely heavily on the input of one person.
References
Fink, L. D. (2003). A Self-Directed Guide to Designing Courses for Significant Learning. Dee Fink and Associates. Retrieved April 30, 2022, from https://www.bu.edu/sph/files/2014/03/www.deefinkandassociates.com_GuidetoCourseDesignAug05.pdf
Gulamhussein, A. (n.d.). Effective Professional Development in an Era of High Stakes Accountability. Teaching the Teachers. Retrieved May 7, 2022, from http://conference.ohioschoolboards.org/2017/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2016/07/1pm111317A114Job-embedPD.pdf
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.