“Clearly the one-time workshop is an insufficient professional development approach to building the capacity of teachers to foster student knowledge and higher order skills.” (Allison 2013)
In a brief recap from my previous discussion (Call to Action) on the subject of professional learning. We identified that there needs to be a shift in our Professional Learning Modal. The current “stand-and-lecture” format is an injustice to educators across the globe.
The goal of my Innovation Plan is for learners to go through the process of developing a mobile application using the iOS Swift development platform. Through this process, all learners will have a chance to create an mobile application that aligns with their core values, beliefs, and personal interests. Faculty, staff, and students are all learners in this journey. In this journey, we will create a significant learning environment (CSLE) through shared interests in which learners will have choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning opportunities (COVA). Under the umbrella of application development, learners will get to experience the full project based learning model where this will be the guiding focus of their app development design an learning throughout the school year.
The 5 Key Principles of Effective Professional Development
According to the Center for Public Education (Gulamhussein, 2013), The 5 Key Principles of Effective Professional Learning include duration, support, active learning, modeling, and specificity. Professional learning has been more engaging in recent years as it has been tailored to a specific audience and includes active learning. The duration, continuous support, and modeling, however, are still missing from even the most inventive sessions. We can boost the likelihood that teachers will genuinely integrate the new material or methodology into their classrooms while including these features, thereby improving campus culture and learning environments.
Duration:
The duration of professional learning must be significant and ongoing to allow time for teachers to learn a new strategy and grapple with the implementation problem.
Ongoing Support:
There must be support for a teacher during the implementation stage that addresses the specific challenges of changing classroom practice.
Exposure:
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:
Modeling has been found to be highly effective in helping teachers understand a new practice.
Content Area (Specialty):
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).
Professional Learning Outline
References
Gulamhussein, A. (2013, September). Teaching the teachers: Effective professional development in an era of high stakes accountability. Center for Public Education. Retrieved from: http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/system/files/2013-176_ProfessionalDevelopment.pdf
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