Achieving Vision

  T.L.C. - Teachers Learning Continuously

It is our goal to create opportunities for positive, meaningful  professional development that is ongoing and customized to teachers' needs.

Our vision is to embed professional development into the daily lives of our learning community. This model will allow for teacher input into the decision making process in order to customize professional development to meet the needs of individual teachers.  This will enable teachers to take ownership and pride in their professional growth.  It will encourage teachers to work together to build relationships that encourage collaboration of ideas, strategies, methods and techniques that will enhance teaching. Newly acquired pedagogy will be carefully planned, integrated and implemented into the learning community. 

• This model will afford for teacher input into the decision making process to accommodate indivdual teachers' needs.
• This model will create opportunities for useful, relevant learning experiences.
• This model will enable teachers to bring new pedagogy into their classrooms.
• This model will foster a desire in teachers to continue to seek new learning opportunities.
• This model will foster supportive relationships among teachers by providing opportunities for collaboration.
• This model will enable teachers to learn different teaching techniques by observing one another.
• This model will allow time for reflective discussion among colleagues.
• This model will provide the necessary time allocation for positive, meaningful teacher development.
• This model will be carefully planned and implemented over a specific period of time.

Driving Force

• What input was given this year by teachers?
• What feedback was given by teachers regarding the relevance of professional development activities?
• Is there an increase in teachers' participation in additional course work or workshops? 
• In what ways have teachers utilized new techniques in their classrooms?
• Is there evidence that teachers are working collaboratively more consistently? Was sufficient time provided?
• Was sufficient time provided for the scaffolding of professional development goals?
• Are teachers collaborating in addition to scheduled meeting times?

Available Information

• Teacher needs assessment survey
• Professional development activity evaluations
• Focused discussion groups
• Teacher reflective journals on professional growth
• Documentation of collaborative meetings
• Documentation of collaborative projects
• Questionnaire regarding time allotment
• Evidence of implementation in classroom
  (i.e. lesson plans, portfolios, student projects)
• Teacher self assessment
• Student evaluation of new classroom strategies
• Evidence of successful professional development models

Data Story

This data will provide us the necessary information to determine whether we have offered opportunities for positive, meaningful, ongoing professional development that meets individual teachers' needs. Analyzing this data will determine the strengths and weaknesses of the implemented plan.

Community Report

We will provide a report in a school news letter that will be mailed and posted  on the district web site that will include:

• Results in graph format
• Explanation of the process from needs assessment to professional development plan implementation
• Strengths and weaknesses of the plan
• Plan to address weaknesses

Forward Action

• After implementation of this professional development model expectations are that:
  
• Utilize teacher input to plan professional development activities.
  
• Allow for personal choice to accommodate individual developmental levels of professional staff.
  
• Provide ample time for collaboration among colleagues.
  
• Provide sufficient time for personal reflection
  
• Survey teachers' annually to ensure the model is meeting teachers' individual needs.
  
• Teachers will take a more active role in learning continuously.
  
• Modifications will be made to curricula to include new pedagogy.
• Annually review and modify professional development model.  

Engines of Change

1.  Seamless Curriculum-Interdisciplinary

2.  Real Life-Authentic Curriculum

3.  Meaningful Evaluation-Authentic Assessment

4.  Building Citizenship-Discipline

5.  Teacher Teamwork-Collaboration

6.  Achieving Vision-Professional Development

Vision of Change

• To create a meaningful and relevent plan for professional development
• To have teacher input
• Embed into teachers' daily lives
• Have groups of "expert" teachers to jigsaw topics and serve as a resource for other teachers
• Have a district commitment for a long term plan (financially and logistically)

Supporting Thinkers/Literature

Professional Learning Communities: Communities of Continuous Inquiry and Improvement by Dr. Shirley M. Hord

Essential Questions

Can we motivate teachers to become life long learners through continuous professional development?

If teachers are involved on a more consistent basis in professional development will:

• student learning increase?
• teacher knowledge increase?
• teacher morale improve?
• collegiality increase?

Reflective Data Process

• written surveys of teachers and administrators
• investigate successful models of professional development utilized in other districts
• interviews
• informal discussions among professional staff
• Research relevant published articles on professional development

Evidence of Growth

Engine for Change Notes from Class June 8, 2004
Jen, Johnna and Carolyn

Activating Community Learning

District commitment
Develop community of learners/improve student performance
Embedded into teacher's daily lives

Question
Often professional development has not been long term, what suggestions do you have that could embed professional development into the daily lives of teachers?

Professional Development

Survey teachers on their reflections of professional development experiences.

What do positive models of professional development look like?

What have they been like?

What was positive and what was negative?

What types of professional development would teachers like to engage in?

Move away from the "one-shot" doses of new concepts and provide the appropriate time and resources in order to implement meaningful useful professional development.

Should be meaningfull well planned and thought out.

Should be useful to many, not just a select few.

Adjust schedules to provide on going training and collaboration among staff?

Is working with other staff members important to them?

How do we move towards a different model?