BLEND, LEARN, SUCCEED
Unleash Your Educational Potential
A comprehensive Approach
Amplifying the Learning
As a mathematics instructional coach, I have learned to become comfortable with presenting professional learning to teachers. Most of the time, our district specialists have created the topics for said professional learning and for the past couple of years I have been part of a team of coaches that help to give feedback and revise outlines for planned PL. Through this course, I was able to learn more about the steps to create effective PL sessions that move from the “sit and get” to the “go and show”.
One important factor to consider when planning PL is to ask “What do educators want to learn?” specifically about certain topics. I tried to keep this in mind when thinking about my innovation plan to create lifelong learners out of students. To achieve this goal, I have to reach the teachers who will be implementing blended learning in their classrooms first. Allison Gullamhussein’s research indicates that “a change in a teacher’s practice...leads to increases in student learning” (2013, p.6). Alternative professional learning helps to focus on the learning and provides ongoing support on the subject of focus.
Thinking back on my time as an educator, I have attended professional learning that was a “one and done” topic as there would be no follow-up or no support when trying to implement said strategy or idea. In my role now and through this class I have learned that placing importance on the development of effective and ongoing PL will help the facilitators focus on supporting learners. A professional learning outline helps understand how realistic it is to reach a goal within the time allowed for in a school year.
Creating a shift in professional learning means ensuring that we agree on a school-wide vision for what effective blended learning in mathematics is. With this in mind, I created my PD outline to help support this shift. Additionally, the 3-Column Table helped me outline how to best present and assess the learning. I gained a deeper understanding after working through the Understanding by Design template as it helped me decide how to place importance on the ultimate goal and how to best accomplish it.
Upcoming PL Sessions
Addressing the 5 Key Principles of Effective PL
While I will be leading most of the professional learning sessions, I do plan on receiving support from district specialists as they help emphasize the mathematics curriculum available through the process. Overall, providing space that supports a growth mindset will help educators become more self-directed learners themselves. I anticipate educator collaboration opportunities throughout the PL sessions and implementation process by planning activities that will help learners feel comfortable with sharing and learning from each other as well.
DURATION
My innovation plan is a long-term initiative that requires the implementation of a series of professional learning workshops and the setting of continuous goals. With the ongoing project-based learning program, educators will be able to continue accessing tools and information as they are working through learning about blended learning principles as well as Canvas as their new LMS.
IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT
As educators work through implementation, all of the tools and resources presented in the PL sessions will continue to be available through Canvas. Additionally, I will be providing opportunities for individual and small-group coaching sessions to support educators closely and specifically to their needs.
ENGAGEMENT
The focus of my PL sessions is to engage teachers through application - they will be able to experience the learning while putting it into practice for them to feel more comfortable through the implementation process.
MODELING
I understand that I have to be able to "walk the walk" along with teachers which is why I will model how implementation will be initiated. I will provide a Canvas classroom for the educators so that they have a digital location of all the resources we have worked on together through the PL sessions.
DISCIPLINE-SPECIFIC
My PL sessions are aimed at elementary mathematics teachers beginning with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades then eventually moving down to Kinder and 1st grade where blended learning in mathematics will be slightly different as it will be aimed at younger students.
Session 1: Information & Agenda
The key focus of Session 1 - Alternative PL is to ensure that administrators, instructional coaches, and district specialists come to the agreement that it is necessary to create a shift in how we present PL on our campus. It is important to highlight the 5 key principles of effective PL as that will create an understanding of what future PL sessions will continue to look like moving forward. Reflections and discussions will be an important part of the entire process because feedback is important in being able to continue planning effective PL.
References:
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