Professional Learning recognizes that teachers are learning and growing just like their students. While the term “development” indicates a process that has an end point, “learning”recognizes that professional growth is a never-ending, lifelong process. Teachers that are curious, inquisitive, and ready to learn will always benefit more from Professional Learning.
How might we create a culture of inquiry for educators? We can start with a simple shift in rhetoric. As teachers, are we not in fact professional learners? Professional growth is a never-ending, a lifelong process in which educators or others are constantly improving through a constructivist perspective that involves application and reflection.
According to John Hattie’s extensive research, “The biggest effect in our business is the expertise of teachers. It’s teachers who work together, collectively, collaboratively, to understand their impact.” We believe we can improve the effectiveness of teachers and create a culture of inquiry with improved professional learning.
This year in my classroom I will be implementing student use of ePortfolios. In addition, my campus has a committee of teachers who will be learning about this implementation with me. I propose that the work this committee does in implementing their own ePortfolios count as Professional Development hours. Working collaboratively all year with teachers on choosing their own content for ePortfolios, with my help and demonstrations meets the requirements for effective Professional Learning.
For more information on Professional Learning, click links:
Standards for PL
Standards for PL Quick Guide
Why Are So Many of Our Teachers and Schools So Successful?
Empowering the Teacher Technophobe
In collaboration with:
Allison Palmer: https://www.allison-palmer.org/
Brianna Rodriguez: https://www.rodriguezb.com/
Pedro Beltran: https://pedrobeltran.org/
References:
Goodwin, B. (2015). Research says/does teacher collaboration promote teacher growth? Educational Leadership, 73(4), 82–83. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/dec15/vol73/num04/Does-Teacher-Collaboration-Promote-Teacher-Growth%C2%A2.aspx
Gulamhussein, A. (2013). Teaching the teachers effective professional development in an era of high stakes accountability. Center for Public Education. Retrieved from http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Staffingstudents/Teaching-the-Teachers-Effective-Professional-Development-in-an-Era-of-High-Stakes-Accountability/Teaching-the-Teachers-Full-Report.pdf
TNTP. (2015). The Mirage: Confronting the hard truth about our quest for teacher development. Retrieved from http://tntp.org/publications/view/evaluation-and-development/the-mirage-confronting-the-truth-about-our-quest-for-teacher-development