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Redefining Professional Development: Schools Can Become True Learning Communities for Teachers
Nearly two decades of research has taught some powerful lessons about
how to design and implement meaningful and effective professional
development for teachers. This month’s newsletter examines the
characteristics of high-quality professional development and offers
some suggestions for improving its impact and effectiveness.
Characteristics of Effective Professional Development
The research on effective professional development is consistent across
many studies. Researchers Willis Hawley and Linda Valli (Westchester
Institute for Human Services Research, n.d.) in their synthesis of the
professional development literature, find that high-quality teacher
development is:
If district officials, principals, and school leadership teams keep all
of these characteristics in mind when designing professional
development with and for teachers, they are likely to create productive
and satisfying growth opportunities that make good use of professional
development dollars. Additional considerations—ranging from basic to
more complex—can further these experiences. Professional development
can move beyond its traditional focus on a series of activities to
become an integral part of a thriving community of learners.
Focus, Focus, Focus
For professional development to be effective, it needs to become a
focus of attention for policymakers and educators. This focus requires
reflection about exactly what kind of professional development is
necessary and who should receive it in order to effect meaningful
reform. As Harvey Daniels of National-Louis University (The Missing
Link in School Reform: Professional Development, n.d.) observes, it is
not sufficient for educational leaders to assume after having made
structural, political, and logistical changes in state or district
policies that these changes will somehow trickle down to the classroom
level and automatically change teacher practice. Instead, he asserts,
“teachers must be helped—not just commanded—to teach in new, different,
better ways. The way to make this happen… is through sophisticated
professional training—the final step in delivering the promise of
reform.”
District and school administrators are the primary movers behind
ensuring that professional development is an ongoing and integral part
of a teacher’s professional life. First, it is the district’s
responsibility to ensure that principals are trained to be
instructional leaders who recognize that teacher professional
development is a critical component of a healthy, flourishing school.
With this training, principals then will be able to model ongoing
learning by actively participating in professional development both for
themselves and with teachers. They will understand the importance of
consulting with teachers to collaboratively determine the kinds of
professional development needed—and they will work to ensure that the
necessary funds and resources are allocated to support effective
implementation.
Even when this groundwork has been established, though, designers of
district and school professional development need to remember the
importance of focus in professional development, specifically a focus
on curricular issues as they relate to increased student achievement.
As Daniels (The Missing Link in School Reform: Professional
Development, n.d.) asserts, “Too many professional development programs
are generic, promising to raise achievement by addressing diffuse
issues such as thinking skills or classroom management. However, the
most effective programs put content at the center, focusing
professional development squarely in the curriculum: on math, or
science, or writing, social studies, or reading. Broader concerns such
as student thinking skills or classroom management then are quite
naturally covered in the context of content learning, not vice versa.”
Vary the Format
Once district and school staff members have thought through their
professional development needs, it is important that they determine the
appropriate format of the proposed activities. The desired outcome
should dictate the format, which can range from large-group faculty
meetings to team meetings to opportunities teachers can take advantage
of on an individual basis.
Full faculty meetings are especially well suited to initiating and
sustaining professional development that supports buildingwide change
as these formats provide opportunities for all staff to hear the same
message at the same time, decreasing the likelihood of confusion or
misunderstanding. Thus, if a school is about to begin comprehensive
school reform—which emphasizes a change not only in instruction and
assessment but also in school climate, community and parental
involvement, and teacher professional development—it makes sense to set
aside time for all faculty members to become familiar with the aspects
of reform in a large-group setting. The district or school staff
responsible for initiating the reform should provide an overview
followed by smaller group settings such as grade-level or team
meetings.
These team meetings provide teachers with the opportunity to learn more
about the proposed reform and its impact on them. They can ask
questions and gain greater understanding of the kinds of instructional
changes the reform requires. A small-group setting, for example, is
conducive to learning how to examine student work by walking through
the process step by step or for practicing reading conferences with
students. And perhaps most importantly, teachers can take turns leading
the meetings so that institutionally the leadership capacity of the
school is increased.
Although large- and small-group settings often are appropriate for
conducting professional development activities, principals and
leadership teams also should remember the value of individual
professional development through which teachers attend conferences,
meetings, or classes related to their areas of expertise and interest.
After attending one of these events, teachers should be encouraged or
even expected to share what they have learned with their colleagues at
a faculty or team meeting.
Actively Engage Teachers
Having established the focus of and a variety of formats for
professional development, district and school staff must think about
the best ways to engage teachers. Professional development is likely to
be more successful if certain principles about how adults learn are
kept in mind. Malcolm Knowles, a pioneer in the field of adult
learning, outlines the principles found in an effective professional
development program (Lieb, 1991). They include recognizing that adults
need to be free to direct themselves and appreciate being active
participants in the learning process. The knowledge adults acquire
should be connected to their life experiences as well as be relevant
and practical. Further, adults appreciate a goal-oriented program that
is well organized, and they, like all students, want to be shown
respect. This means the learning environment needs to allow for their
voices to be heard and their opinions to be expressed.
Another strategy for engaging teachers is involving them directly in
identifying areas of particular interest. This involvement is likely to
increase their commitment to learning new techniques and paying
attention to research. Reluctant educators should be provided with data
that link high-quality professional development with a focus on
academic content. Teachers should be encouraged to speak up and share
their concerns and ideas. They should be provided with hands-on
experiences when possible. For instance, if they are learning how to
teach students to edit their work, the professional development session
should provide time for participants to practice editing. When watching
videos about exemplary instructional practices, teachers should not
only observe but also discuss what they are viewing. They should not be
the unmoved recipients of yet another lecture.
Expand the Definition of Professional Development
Meetings, conferences, presentations, workshops—these make up the
typical “professional development calendar.” However, it is critical to
note that long-lasting professional development goes beyond a schedule
of activities and events. Taking professional development to the “next
level” is about establishing a mindset that focuses on ongoing learning
and encourages continuous self-reflection. Teachers who internalize
this expanded definition of professional development are eager to learn
from one another all the time. They share their expertise readily with
colleagues outside the confines of meetings or workshops, offering to
model instructional strategies and assist colleagues who need help.
These teachers continuously look for ways to improve their own
instruction through books, videos, or conference workshops. They
observe colleagues in their classrooms and follow up with discussions
about what they saw or heard. In buildings where these approaches to
professional development have been established, a tone of respectful
learning is evident. In this way, teachers move beyond a traditional
definition of professional development and begin to establish a true
learning community.
Conclusion
For reform efforts centered on improving student achievement to be
successful, teachers need to have the necessary skills, tools, and
support. Simply trusting that structural and logistical changes will
translate into significant improved learning is wishful thinking.
Teachers need concrete, continuous professional development to hone
their current skills and learn new ones. And they need to be
respectfully treated as adult learners who bring skills and experiences
to meet the challenge of increasing student achievement.
References
Lieb, S. (1991, fall). Principles of adult learning. Retrieved February
27, 2006, from
http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/adults-2.htm
The missing link in school reform: Professional development.
Presentation before the U.S. Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee
Subcommittee on Education, Arts and Humanities (n.d.) (testimony of
Harvey A. Daniels).
Westchester Institute for Human Services Research. (n.d.). The balanced
view: Professional development. New York: Author. Retrieved February
27, 2006, from
http://www.sharingsuccess.org/code/bv/pd.html
Resources
Holland, H. (2005, summer). Teaching teachers: Professional development
to improve student achievement. Research Points, 3(1). Washington, DC:
American Educational Research Association. Retrieved February 27, 2006,
from
http://www.aera.net/uploadedFiles/Journals_and_Publications/Research_Points/RPSummer05.pdf
This review focuses on learning opportunities for
teachers that are explicitly aimed at increasing student
achievement.
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. (n.d.) Professional
development.
This website contains professional development resources, tools, and links to additional websites.
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