Plan For Effective Professional Learning

Professional learning opportunities in the past all seem to be the same sit-and-get, one-day lecture. Most of them seem to be on a day outside of contract hours or in the afternoon, again outside contract hours. This already creates frustration among the audience, as teachers do enough outside of contract hours, that adding training to our plate is just the cherry on top. We need to change how and when we are delivering these learning opportunities for our teachers to feel valued, supported, and engaged. This will allow them to gain much more knowledge from the learning experience and therefore make a greater impact on our learners. 

​

Our students deserve the best up-to-date practices to increase their skills for the 21st century. The only way to ensure that all learners get these best practices is to create professional learning opportunities where educators are engaged, interested, and valued. Professional learning should also not be a one-size-fits-all process. It should be unique to specific levels so that it is not a waste of time for teachers. 

In my plan below you will find that I have included all of these details and more to ensure that the professional learning opportunity that I am providing will be engaging and useful. In other words, it will connect dots instead of merely collecting dots. 

​

Duration:

• I will meet with teachers for 8 days for the initial training to ensure time for understanding of pedagogy practices, modeling, and planning the new practices.

• I will provide ongoing training throughout the year.

• Continued refresher training each year after 

• After the first year of implementation, mentor teachers will provide new teachers with ongoing training throughout the year. 

• I will provide the 8-day initial training for all new teachers each year to ensure they have time to learn the pedagogy and plan. Mentor teachers will take over the training after the 8-day initial training I provide. 

Support:​

• I will provide planning support to teachers to ensure that they are not overwhelmed in this process. 

• Provide modeling opportunities from mentors for new teachers.

• Provide ongoing coaching to teachers who need clarification of pedagogy practices.

Initial Exposure​:

• Active, hands-on training for teachers

• All teachers will be provided with training on PBL 

Modeling​:

• Modeling will be provided during initial training

• Ongoing modeling will be provided inside classrooms for new teachers to observe mentor teachers.

Context-Specific:

•  Training will be content and level-specific

• Training will provide time for content and grade-level-specific planning.

​​

This plan will continue to be used for the upcoming years. This will ensure that all teachers receive the same training, opportunities, and support.  

​

The learners will be provided with a template based on Fink's 3-column table to plan their backward design after they develop their BHAG.

​