EDTL 506 – FINAL PROJECT

Jamie Cologne

Model of Professional Development

Most effective models for DHS1. Site Based Model

2. Cascade Model

Model used: Site Based : Hands-On Instructor Organized Training

Rationale:This is the method we have used in the past. Many faculty members at DHS have been teaching for a while and are somewhat reluctant to change, so I wanted to make them comfortable during my first training.

ResearchGuskey, T. (1996, December). Jointly Planning Staff Training. School

Administrator, 33.Retrieved April 7, 2011, from General OneFile via Gale: http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/printdoc.do?

The magazine article states, “Site-based approaches hold the promise of greater relevance because their content and procedures are determined by the individuals affected most directly: building-level educators.”

Advantages of Site Based PD:- Goals, content, format, and evaluation are relevant because

they are determined at the school level.- Sharing resources: This gives the faculty an opportunity to

interact with one another and share ideas.- Collaboration: This gives teachers a better understanding of

their role in students’ educational development.

Research

National Middle School Association. (2004). Research summary: Professional Development for teachers. Retrieved April 7, 2011, from

http://72.41.27.99/Reaserch/ResearchSummaries/Summary22/tabid/249/Default.aspx

The results of the study indicate that professional development that is focused on subject matter, provides teachers with opportunities for “hands-on” work, and is integrated into the daily life of the school is more likely to produce enhanced knowledge and skills that positively impact student achievement.

Research

Both the sources agree that schools should offer a wide variety of professional development opportunities to teachers. The “one-size-fits-all” approach to professional development is not effective.

• An effective design for implementing professional development is one that integrates district-wide and site-based experiences.

Adult Learning Theories Adult learners need to see that the

professional development learning and their day-to-day activities are related and relevant. I used the first 5 minutes of the training to explain to

teachers how they could effectively implement A+ software into their lesson plans.

• A+ can be used as an introduction to a unit. The software is designed with a “study” section that explains a topic or concept.• A + is correlated with GLEs• A+ can be used to review a concept. (Great to use with substitute teachers)• A+ can be used as differentiated instruction (Our school puts a great deal of emphasizes on this)

Adult Learning Theories

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, helpful feedback.

I used the traditional teaching method for this theory.

1. Guided Practice as group2. Independent Practice with the aid of a

handout3. Feedback was given during independent

practice

Adult Learning Theories

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.

I have provided or will provide the following:•handout•Jing video•PPT•Follow up Email

Needs Assessment Results

Needs Assessment Results

Needs Assessment Justification

My needs assessment consists of 14 multiple choice questions and 1 open-ended question. The first four questions represent the demographics section of my assessment. Question 7 asks about specific equipment that teachers have in their classrooms at all times. On question 9, I asked teachers to rate their level of expertise on certain computer application skills. Questions 10 and 11 ask about the hardware and software used on a weekly basis during instruction. On question 12, I asked teachers which technology tools they would be interested in learning more about.  I chose 10 topics and allowed teachers to select up to 3 choices. Questions 13 and 14 ask about how and when teachers would like to receive professional development. The open-ended question, # 15, asked about the challenges we face at DHS when it comes to implementing technology into lessons.

Needs Assessment Justification

WebQuest: The students tend to enjoy doing WebQuests and some teachers only use the WebQuests they find on the Internet. I thought teachers might want to learn how to create their own.

Microsoft Word, Excel, or PPT: Most teachers can do basic functions in Microsoft Office, but I wanted to teach more advanced skills (especially in Excel).

Google Docs: This tool could benefit students and teachers. Inspiration: Many teachers still use this tool to create graphic

organizer. I thought it might be interesting for new teachers who have not been trained on the program.

Prezi: This would be a great tool for senior projects. Blogs: One of our school goals this year is to focus on literacy. This

is a great tool to use when having students communicate without speaking.

Wikis: Some teachers are beginning to use them in their classrooms.

Podcasts: Some teachers are beginning to use them in their classrooms.

I chose the following topics:

Technology Plan Reference

School goal in the technology plan: Support student achievement through technology rich environments.

The reason I chose these specific topics is because everyone could participate in PD on any of the topics. I did not include Promethean Boards because I would only be targeting a small group of teachers.

Learning Tools

Synchronous PD: In my training I used this method. I chose this method for my first training because the members of the faculty and myself are comfortable with face to face professional development. I also chose a synchronous style because I like the fact that I can immediately answer questions and give feedback.

Asynchronous PD: According to my Needs Assessment, 86.5% of people surveyed said they would be interested in videos, podcasts, or PPTs for professional development opportunities. I plan to use one of these options to review the important details about A+ software and to cover information that we did not have enough time to discuss.

Follow up

I plan to send out an email the week before spring break to follow up and see if anyone has questions or comments. I will create a Jing video to answer questions and discuss the topics that we did not have enough time to review.

Delivery

Outline of Delivery Explanation of how to effectively implement

A+ into lesson plans (5 min) Preview A+ activities and chose 5 relevant to

subject area (15 min) Guided Practice: Create a new lesson (10 min) Assign settings for lesson Assign new lesson to students in class Independent Practice: Teachers create a small

lesson with the 5 activities chosen previously and assign it to students in their class (15 min)

Copy of Sign in Sheet

Delivery

Date/time/details Date:  April 5, 2011 Time: 45 minutes Details: I will conduct a total of 4 training sessions (one

each class period).  All teachers with less than 3 years teaching experience are required by the administration to attend the training.  I will have a small group of teachers (3-5) each class period.  We will meet in my small computer lab so every teacher will have access to a computer.  First, I plan to introduce A+ software and the benefits of using it in the classroom.  I have made all teachers a copy of step by step directions.  After the introduction, I plan to allow teachers to preview the different lessons by subject.  Then I will have a guided practice on how to create a lesson and assign it users and finally they will construct a small lesson.

Reflection

The in service went well. I had three small groups.

Group 1: 1 English teacher, 1 Social Studies teacher, and 1 LibrarianGroup 2: 2 Math teachers and 1 English teacher Group 3: 1 English teacher

I liked the fact that I was able to work with small groups because it gave me an opportunity to give feedback to everyone and answer all questions. I preferred my groups over my one-on-one training because I felt that the groups learned from each other.

A. How did it go?

Reflection

I would definitely like to conduct more trainings. I plan on asking the staff development coordinator to allow me to hold a Prezi training the first week of school next year. Prezi was my original topic choice but my SD coordinator wanted me to do an A+ training instead. I don’t think I will be able to host anymore trainings this year because the teachers are focused on state testing and covering enough material for finals.

B. Plans for another one?

Reflection

C. What would I change if I did it again?

There are a few things that I would change.1. I would like to have at least an hour for the

training because I only had 45 minutes, so I felt a bit rushed.

2. I think the training could have been more effective if the teachers were grouped by subject area.

3. I’m not sure if my handouts were beneficial

during the training. I think the handouts will be useful if a teacher decides to use A+, but no one referred to the handouts during the training.