Planning the Professional Development
All too often, teachers are subjected to sit’n’get learning that is frowned upon in the classroom. According to David Phillips (2014), people learn more when engaged and when stimulation is purposeful, meaningful, and direct. Yet, teachers are subjected to walls of text and excessive amounts of clever imagery to try to make a point in our PD. This detracts from the message and, rather than capture the minds of professionals, causes disengagement instead (Phillips, 2014). As we walk through the benefits of this program it is important to keep in mind the way you feel about learning.
When implementing professional development 5 key elements must be present for successful change:
Collaboration is a crucial part of any plan!
No instructor can do it all alone, and receiving assistance from other instructors that is compelled, reluctant, or unenthusiastic does little to alleviate that issue. Successful instructors must instead seek collaboration, that is willing and enthusiastic communication and cooperation from fellow instructors, but such a thing does not appear out of sheer want. Collaboration must be fostered and nurtured. Instructors are unlikely to change plans, alter habits, or communicate differently without some motivation or reason to do so. Convincing other instructors that they are critical stakeholders in their own success and that these new plans will actually address their concerns, wants, and needs is crucial to inspire feedback and communication.
Who will lead?
The best way to lead a grassroots program to initiate change is to find in the organization the “Positive Deviants” that are currently already initiating these practices. According to Huling (2012), Positive Deviants are the individuals in the organization that are already initiating the practices that you have found to be the lead measure of change. By finding these individuals early and incorporating their talent into the program the success of change is greatly increased. These types of individuals will not speak to theory as they describe how the process works, but will instead speak to changes they have seen in their own classrooms. These experiences will be more powerful influencer than a mere possibility of change provided by an instructor that has no firsthand knowledge of how the change manifests in a classroom.
Timeline for Implementation of Professional Development.
3/20/2023
The Pitch
Pitch the blended learning classroom concept to administration.
7/20/2023
Implement PL
(8 hours)
During the summer academy workshop, I will spend time uncovering the aspects of blended learning, incorporating this UdB.
Morning Session: (4 hours)
1. Join learning management software LMS to function as a content/collaboration device during the implementation of the program.
2. Scenario of classrooms with sit and get model or teach to the bell.
3. Teachers will discover the purpose of blended learning (BL) using guided questions. In the LMS the following choices to learn about BL: peer review journals, articles, and videos to answer the questions.
4. Using a comparison chart teachers will go over the advantages and disadvantages of the types of blended learning.
5. Discussing with their small group they will work on finding solutions to their perceived disadvantages in implementing the BL in their classroom.
6. Using a brainstorming activity the teacher will list some lessons that could benefit from the rotation BL models.
4. Teachers will create an infographic/flyer over what they have learned about blended learning and post this work on the LMS discussion post. They will be responsible for posting meaningful input to two peer’s work before the end of the day.
Afternoon Session: (3 hours)
Teachers will work with a team to create a lesson using one of the four rotation methods you learned today: station rotation, lab rotation, flipped classroom, or individual rotation. The last hour of the class your group will present how your method was incorporated into your created lesson.
7/21/2023 – 8/2/2023
Flipped Classroom
I will be available to assist teachers in understanding BL and how to incorporate this into their lessons.
(1 hour prior to PL demonstrating the Flipped Classroom)
Flipped classroom discussion post regarding edTech. Before the teachers meet on Aug 3 they will log into the digital classroom and watch a video over edTech and complete a discussion post.
8/3/2023
Group Pulse Check
(1 hour in PL)
During this one hour session, I will highlight a few edtech apps that could be used to integrate BL into the lessons and discuss the key requirements for implementing BL.
(1 hour prior to PL demonstrating the Flipped Classroom)
I will facilitate an open discussion regarding concerns regarding implementing BL. They will be responsible for making a discussion post regarding how this teaching methodologies fundamental knowledge of learning should change their classroom structure. They will be responsible for making a meaningful response post to two of their peers with the intention of collaborating with their fellow professionals to compare ways to implement choice, ownership and voice in their authentic learning using BL.
8/4/2023-9/11/2023
Flipped Classroom
I will look for positive deviants during the first month to have them speak at the next meeting. I will be available to answer any questions, assist in the classroom, or coach.
(1 hour prior to PL demonstrating the Flipped Classroom)
Flipped classroom discussion post regarding implementing a blended learning environment. Before the teachers meet on Sept. 12th they will log into the digital classroom and watch a video over Blended Learning: Making it Work in Your Classroom and complete a discussion post.
9/12/2023
Human Dimension/Caring: Pulse Check
(1 hour in PL/ 1 hour after)
During this one hour session, I will have teachers talk about how implementing BL is beneficial and concerns regarding implementation. Using crowdsourcing, we will discuss how to solve problems that teachers are facing. On their own, the teachers will create a discussion post on how to modify learning/apply BL to capture all the students in the classroom. They will respond to at least two of their peers with a meaningful response to assist in creating a learning environment that captures all students.
9/13/2023 – 10/12/2023
Flipped Classroom
I will continue looking for positive deviants during this time to have them speak at the next meeting. I will be available to answer any questions, assist in the classroom, or coach.
(1 hour prior to PL demonstrating the Flipped Classroom)
Flipped classroom discussion post regarding self assessing their implementation of blended learning environment. Before the teachers meet on Oct. 13th they will log into the digital classroom and watch a video over Self Assessment and complete a discussion post.
10/13/2023
Group Pulse Check: Support
During this one hour session, teachers will self assess their learning styles and discuss the differences with a small group. Using research, we will review various materials that describe the self paced learning environment and learning styles to create a student driven learning environment.
Teachers create a comparison discussion post of the benefits and drawbacks of self paced learning with analysts on how to overcome the drawbacks. The teachers will respond to at least two of their peers with a meaningful response to assist in creating solutions to the drawbacks they are facing.
10/14/2023 – 11/16/2023
Flipped Classroom
Flipped Classroom
I will continue looking for positive deviants during this time to have them speak at the next meeting. I will be available to answer any questions, assist in the classroom, or coach.
(1 hour prior to PL demonstrating the Flipped Classroom)
Flipped classroom discussion post regarding success and failures while implementing the blended learning environment. Before the teachers meet on Nov. 17th they will log into the digital classroom and watch a video over developing out comes and actions and complete a discussion post.
11/17/2023
Group Pulse Check: Review
(1 hour in PL)
Teachers discuss what is working and what needs work. As we implement the plan, we should find that tweaking the program should be required. Here we will reflect on the semester to ensure, we have the details needed to make the necessary changes.
Needs of the Learners
We often consider the needs of the learners that sit at the desk in our classrooms. However, all to often are the needs of the teachers overlooked in the classroom. What shortcomings do they possess? How can we fill these gaps? Do facilitators consider these issues as they implement a one-size-fits-most professional development? Do teachers even care as they have sat in these course learning nothing for years? This professional development will be different as it will address the needs of the learners (teachers) and how to fill in their learning gaps. We will look into 4 different concepts to achieve the overall objective of giving students an environment that fosters learning.
- Which teachers are unaware of they require assistance
- Which teachers just need their own time and support from afar.
- Which teachers are actively asking for assistance.
- Which teachers are ready to implement the program.
Instructional Design: BHAG & 3 Column Table
To inspire/empower teachers school-wide to become self-directed teachers giving their students confidence in problem solving to tackle real-world challenges.
Resources Required
For teachers to implement a classroom that involves a constructivist learning environment, they will need support on how to use the technology. This will require training on how to properly implement a website, use the LMS, and maintain tech support that is aware of the needs for implementing blending learning. The technology staff should come to the professional development training day so they are aware of the program and its requirements. They should also be tasked with the coaching of the teachers to ensure they have all their technology needs addressed.
References
Huling, J. (2012). 4 Disciplines of execution – achieving your wildly important goals. Simon & Schuster.
Nietzsche, F. W. (2014). Beyond good and evil. Millennium Publications.
TedTalk. (2014). How to avoid death By PowerPoint. YouTube. Retrieved February 7, 2023, from https://youtu.be/Iwpi1Lm6dFo.
Thalmann, M., Souza, A. S., & Oberauer, K. (2019). How does chunking help working memory? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 45(1), 37–55. https://doi.org/10.1037/xlm0000578
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