Week 1 How to Build High Quality Professional Development

1. Week 1How to Build High Quality Professional Development Targeting Your Learner: Principles of Adult Learning, Learning Styles, and Professional Development Strategies Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education 2005

2. I. Target Your Learner:Principles of Adult Learning • Online Learning has become a viable option for professional development for teachers as adult learners. Remember some of the advantages we identified last week… • Anywhere/anytime • Just-in-time • Active & independent learning with reflection • Ease of access to experts • Time for reflection (can return to discussions and build on comments/postings later) • According to the research study, Identifying Student Attitudes and Learning Styles in Distance Education, • “The last ten years have seen the widespread development of digital processing and communication coupled to networked computing. This has opened up a broad set of teaching and learning opportunities, allowing a new emphasis on interaction and concept exploration.” Source:http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/jaln/v5n2/pdf/v5n2_valenta.pdf Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education 2005

3. I. Target Your Learner:Principles of Adult Learning According to the study, the positive aspects of online education that learners identified were: • Flexibility and Convenience (time-shifting and associated advantages of time management) • Access/Interaction with Instructor • Better Performance of learners/Teachers/Materials • Collaborative Learning Environment • Positive Learning Experience Source:http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/jaln/v5n2/pdf/v5n2_valenta.pdf Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education 2005

4. I. Target Your Learner:Principles of Adult Learning According to the study, the negative aspects that learners identified of online education were: • Limitations on Interactivity (text-based communications, asynchronous timelag vs. synchronous) • Technological Problems • Increased Workload • Lack of Logistical Support (administrative and technical) • Costs (equipment, online phone charges, etc.) As we develop our professional development modules, we need to keep these negatives in mind! Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education 2005

5. I. Target Your Learner:Principles of Adult Learning Teaching Teachers as Adult Learners – from NCREL: • "Adults will commit to learning when the goals and objectives are considered realistic and important to them. Application in the 'real world' is important and relevant to the adult learner's personal and professional needs. • Adults want to be the origin of their own learning and will resist learning activities they believe are an attack on their competence. Thus, professional development needs to give participants some control over the what, who, how, why, when, and where of their learning. • Adult learners need to see that the professional development learning and their day-to-day activities are related and relevant. • Adult learners need direct, concrete experiences in which they apply the learning in real work. • Adult learning has ego involved. Professional development must be structured to provide support from peers and to reduce the fear of judgment during learning. Source:http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/ Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education 2005

6. I. Target Your Learner:Principles of Adult Learning Teaching Teachers as Adult Learners – from NCREL: • Adults need to receive feedback on how they are doing and the results of their efforts. Opportunities must be built into professional development activities that allow the learner to practice the learning and receive structured, timely, helpful feedback. • Adults need to participate in small-group activities during the learning to move them beyond understanding to application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Small-group activities provide an opportunity to share, reflect, and generalize their learning experiences. • Adult learners come to learning with a wide range of previous experiences, knowledge, self-direction, interests, and competencies. This diversity must be accommodated and respected in the professional development planning. • Transfer of learning for adults is not automatic and must be facilitated. Coaching and other kinds of follow-up support are needed to help adult learners transfer learning into daily practice so that it is sustained. Source:http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/ Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education 2005

7. II. Target Your Learner:Adult Learning and Learning Styles Adults typically, have different motivations for learning than children such as those pointed out by Cantor (1992, 37-38): What motivates Adult Learners? • Maintain social relationships • Meet external expectations--the boss says you have to upgrade skill X to keep your job • Learn to better serve others -- managers often learn basic First Aid to protect their employees • Professional advancement • Escape or stimulation • Pure interest Instructors should be aware of the possible motivations behind their students' enrollment. Then they can better shape the instructional materials. Source:http://www.cyg.net/~jblackmo/diglib/styl-a.html#What%20motivates%20adult%20learners? Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education 2005

8. II. Target Your Learner:Adult Learning and Learning Styles Cantor also points out the adults have different barriers than children on their way to learning. (1992, 39) What Are the Barriers to Adult Learning? • Other responsibilities such as: families, careers, social commitments • Lack of time • Lack of money • Lack of child care • Scheduling problems • Transportation problems • Insufficient confidence • Having to learn, if told by boss, county, state, but not interested or ready Instructors should be aware of the possible barries. Then they can better shape the instructional materials. Source:http://www.cyg.net/~jblackmo/diglib/styl-a.html#What%20motivates%20adult%20learners? Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education 2005

9. II. Target Your Learner:Adult Learning and Learning Styles • Learning styles research has given educators new directions for making changes in their classrooms. The single most widespread change has been to open classrooms to more than one approach to intellectual work. Different social groupings, alternative activities, more complex projects have all been introduced as efforts to create opportunities for students to use their various strengths in dealing with course material. • Despite the wide range of models, the concept of learning styles has gained growing attention from educators because it provides a stable-enough characterization to plan pedagogical strategies. These strategies appear more responsive to students needs. They seem to provide better learning opportunities. They give fresh direction to alternative teaching. And, especially, the describe middle-level models for progressive educators engaged in student-centered, experiential philosophical positions. Below are listed some general conclusions for teachers that seem to cut across the various models: • Students will learn better when using preferences in which they're successful • Students will be better learners when they can expand their preferences • When teaching accommodates various preferences, more students will be successful. • Teachers can construct activities that include specific (& multiple) learning preferences • This can be done by adding alternatives or, completing learning cycles that incorporate all styles or, by utilizing holistic, complex tasks. Source:http://www-isu.indstate.edu/ctl/styles/learning.html#LSTEACH Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education 2005

10. III. Target Your Learner:Adult Learning and Professional Development Strategies • The Maryland Teacher Professional Development Standards are derived from the National Staff Development Council’s (NSDC) Standards for Staff Development. Click on the following links to reach each of the two organization’s websites. The following slides will give you more information about Maryland’s standards. • Like the NSDC standards, the Maryland Teacher Professional Development Standards rest on several fundamental assumptions about contextual factors that are critical to ensuring that professional development is effective. • The NSDC standards were developed in 1995 and revised in 2001. The Maryland Teacher Professional Development Standards are derived from the 2001 version of the NSDC standards. Source:http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/instruction/prof_standards.htm Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education 2005

11. III. Target Your Learner:Adult Learning and Professional Development Strategies • From Maryland Teacher Professional Development Standards Frequently Asked Questions: • Why do we need standards for teacher professional development? Standards can serve a variety of important functions. First, they provide a clear vision and definition of high-quality professional development. Second, these standards and the related indicators can guide design, planning, implementation, and evaluation of professional development. These standards can also inform decisions about allocating resources for professional development, and they can support quality control and accountability systems. • Who articulated these professional development standards? These standards were developed by the Maryland Teacher Professional Development Advisory Council, a 26-member group of distinguished K-16 educators, community leaders, and representatives from the business community. The State Superintendent of Schools convened the Council in January 2003 and charged the group with recommending a practical, policy-relevant definition of high-quality professional development. Following an extensive review of research on professional development, as well as numerous sets of standards set by other state departments of education, districts, local and regional reform initiatives, and professional associations, the Council articulated these standards for Maryland. Source:http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/instruction/prof_standards.htm Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education 2005

12. III. Target Your Learner:Adult Learning and Professional Development Strategies Context for High-Quality Teacher Professional Development in Maryland: • Professional development is most effective when it takes place in vibrant professional learning communities. • These learning communities take various forms, but they all value ongoing learning by teachers and students. They encourage individual and collaborative experimentation, practice, and reflection. They foster collegiality and problem solving, and they emphasize continuous improvement in classrooms and schools. • Think about: How will your PD module help to establish a learning community of adult learners? How will it encourage collaboration? Reflection? Problem solving? Continuous improvement? Source:http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/instruction/prof_standards.htm Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education 2005

13. III. Target Your Learner:Adult Learning and Professional Development Strategies Context for High-Quality Teacher Professional Development in Maryland: • Professional development is most effective when there are strong leaders. • These leaders recognize the value of high-quality professional development, encourage and facilitate teacher participation, and communicate about the benefits of professional development to key stakeholders (e.g., parents, school boards, county commissioners). Ideally, leadership for professional development is distributed among teachers, principals and other administrators, district staff, MSDE, and institutions of higher education, and various cultural organizations. At the same time, no single formula defines the appropriate distribution of leadership. • Think about: How will your PD module encourage participation? How can you ensure that your PD experience is viewed as beneficial not only by the teachers but also by the stakeholders? Source:http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/instruction/prof_standards.htm Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education 2005

14. III. Target Your Learner:Adult Learning and Professional Development Strategies Context for High-Quality Teacher Professional Development in Maryland: • Professional development is most effective when there are adequate resources. • Resources include money, people, and time. Just as leadership should be distributed, resources (people and money) can come from a variety of sources, with no single organization or stakeholder group expected to shoulder the whole burden. Careful analysis of how time is used in school schedules, district calendars, negotiated agreements and other policy documents can lead to more time for teacher learning. All of these resources will be used most effectively when allocations are coordinated and when there is careful assessment of the returns on investments in professional development. As with leadership, no single formula defines the adequacy of resources. Instead, resources are adequate when they ensure that all teachers can study, practice, and implement the knowledge and skills necessary to be effective with their students. • Think about: How will you make adequate use of resources when developing your PD module (teacher’s time, district money)? Source:http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/instruction/prof_standards.htm Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education 2005

15. III. Target Your Learner:Adult Learning and Professional Development Strategies Context for High-Quality Teacher Professional Development in Maryland: • Professional development is most effective when there is consensus around clear expectations for what teachers should know and be able to do to help all students learn. • These expectations are shared among all stakeholders and district and school leaders work to build understanding and consensus around them. The expectations are reflected in negotiated agreements, job descriptions and assignments, performance appraisal systems, systems of rewards and incentives for teachers, and in the design and content of teacher professional development. • Think about: What expectations will you set for your PD module? Who will you consult with to ensure that expectations reflect a consensus? Source:http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/instruction/prof_standards.htm Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education 2005

16. III. Target Your Learner:Adult Learning and Professional Development Strategies • The Maryland Teacher Professional Development Standards are made up of Standards and Indicators Define High-Quality Professional Development • 6 Content Standards: The first six standards define the content of professional development. Specifically, the standards address (1) mastery of academic content aligned with Maryland standards and quality instruction, (2) using research to inform practice, (3) professional collaboration to improve instruction, (4) mastery of knowledge and skills to meet diverse learning needs, (5) teachers’ skills in providing safe, secure and supportive learning environments for all students, and (6) mastery of skills necessary to communicate effectively with parents as partners in their children’s learning. • 3 Process Standards: The next three standards concentrate on the processes of planning, organizing and designing professional development. These standards call for (1) examining disaggregated student data to determine the content, (2) using rigorous, ongoing evaluation to assess results for teachers and for students, and (3) incorporating best practices in adult learning into the design. Source:http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/instruction/prof_standards.htm Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education 2005

17. III. Target Your Learner:Adult Learning and Professional Development Strategies Maryland Teacher Professional Development Content Standards • I.Content knowledge and quality teaching - Effective professional development deepens all teachers’ content knowledge and the knowledge and skills necessary to provide effective instruction and assess student progress. • II.Research-based - Effective professional development ensures that all teachers have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to apply research to decision making. • III. Collaboration - Effective professional development ensures that teachers have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to collaborate with others to improve instruction. • IV. Diverse learning needs - Effective professional development ensures that all teachers have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to meet the diverse learning needs of all of their students. • V. Student learning environments - Effective professional development ensures that all teachers are able to create safe, secure, and supportive learning environments for all students. • VI. Family involvement - Effective professional development ensures that all teachers have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to involve families and other community members as active partners in their children’s education. Source:http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/instruction/prof_standards.htm Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education 2005

18. III. Target Your Learner:Adult Learning and Professional Development Strategies Maryland Teacher Professional Development Process Standards • I. Data-driven - Effective teacher professional development relies on rigorous analysis of data. • II. Evaluation - Rigorous evaluations assess the impact of professional development on teaching and student learning. • III. Design and teacher learning - Effective professional development content and process reflect best practices in workplace learning and in-depth understanding of how and why adults learn. Source:http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/instruction/prof_standards.htm Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education 2005

19. III. Target Your Learner:Adult Learning and Professional Development Strategies As you work though your Action Plan to develop your PD Module, remember you need to TARGET THE LEARNER! Maintain a clear vision of your learner. Keep in mind…. Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education 2005

20. Resources • North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/ • “Identifying Student Attitudes and Learning Styles In Distance Education” http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/jaln/v5n2/pdf/v5n2_valenta.pdf • Maryland State Department of Education http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/instruction/prof_standards.htm • Indiana State University, Center for Teaching and Learninghttp://www-isu.indstate.edu/ctl/styles/learning.html#LSTEACH • Telecommunications for Remote Work and Learninghttp://www.cyg.net/~jblackmo/diglib/styl-a.html#What%20motivates%20adult%20learners Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education 2005