The Value of Professional Learning

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The Value of Professional Learning Dean
MannAssistant Regional Director Eastern
Metropolitan Region
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EMR Primary Secondary Professional Growth 2004
- 2006
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It is one of lifes great ironies schools
are in the business of teaching learning, yet
they are terrible at learning from each other.
If they ever discover how to do this, there
future is assured.
(Fullan)

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Professional Learning An
Individual or Collaborative activity?

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• PromotingProfessional Learning
• Provide staff with opportunities to
  build their confidence as professional
  learners
• Model professional dialogue
• Encourage self reflection
• Build expectations

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Teacher Facilitated School Based Professional
Learning is most likely to improve classroom
teaching, but opportunities of this kind are
rarely experienced
(Owen 2003)
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• Teacher Study in 2003
• Of Professional Development activities
• 3-4 involved classroom demonstration
• 2 4 involved in peer observation and
  feedback

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Harvard
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• Harvard Institute for School
  LeadershipThere were four main goals for the
  program
• Improving Instructional Practice
• Building Internal Capacity
• Using Assessments More Effectively
• Enhancing Student Outcomes

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Meeting Dr. Richard Elmore
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The Murphy SchoolWOW!
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• The core of school improvement is Teacher
  Development
• A vital component of professional
  development is to share professional
  practice
• The most effective way of sharing
  professional practice is through classroom
  observation

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Theory of Action If we develop a process which
will support the implementation of classroom
observation as a valid source of feedback, then
teachers will develop their knowledge and skills
and improve their classroom practice, resulting
in improved student outcomes.

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• ACTION STEPS
• August December, 2006
• Share theory of action plan with
  Regional Director and EMR Leadership Team
• Present Theory of Action to Principals at
  RD Forum
• Project team formed to develop
  implementation plan
• Identify schools
• Training of School Development Officers

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• Training
• Principles of Peer Coaching
• Shared understanding of good classroom
  practice
• Based on student learning data/evidence
• Goals focus on student learning and
  teaching strategies
• Collaborative approach to teacher
  learning

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• Training
• Peer Coaching Training
• Characteristics of effective peer coaches
• The peer coaching cycle
• Protocols for successful peer coaching
• Defining a professional inquiry area and
  goal setting
• Crafting pre-observation questions
• Identifying good practice in classroom
  observation
• Crafting post-observation questions
• Characteristics of useful feedback

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• ACTION STEPS (continued)
• January December, 2007
• School Teams attend professional learning
  activity
• School Development Officers work with
• School teams to implement plan
• Senior Education Officer to monitor
• progress through the Annual
  Improvement Plans and Principal
• Performance and Development Plans
• Evaluation process in November, 2007

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• EMR Collaborative Teacher Learning Project 2007
  
• Defining and identifying teacher
  practice to assist teachers as
• collaborative learners
• Assisting school teams to develop a
  program for teachers that involves giving
  and receiving feedback on classroom practice
  based on the schools understanding of best
  practice.

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GOAL To develop a strong Collaborative
Learning Culture

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