Alternative Professional Learning Speaker Notes

 

Slide 1

Hello everyone and welcome to today's presentation on  Alternative Professional Learning moving beyond tradition for better outcomes! I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to share my thoughts and insights with you all today. Let's get started!

 

Slide 2

I want you to think of some of the professional development courses you have been a part of. Now, let's take a look at this clip and see if you can relate. 

 

Slide 3

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Slide 4

I'm sure most , if not all of you can relate to what he is saying.  

So I ask the question.

Why professional development?

Well professional development, is a continuous process aimed at improving the knowledge, skills, and practice of educators in order to enhance student learning. It is very important that we transform our professional learning for our teachers, so that they have the necessary training to help increase student growth.  

 

Slide 5

Let's take a look at the current traditional delivery method of professional learning versus an alternative, more effective approach that will produce better benefits.

 

Slide 6

Traditional professional development usually is boring and is only a one-time event. It provides limited support for teachers in the classrooms and is often irrelevant to the teacher's subject area. 

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Slide 7

 On the other hand, Alternative Professional learning is fun and engaging. The teachers have ongoing support, and the information is relevant. 

Now that you know that alternative professional learning is more beneficial.

Let't take a look at the key principles for the learning.

 

Slide 8

The five key principles of effective professional learning are essential to developing more meaningful professional learning.  They include: 

1. duration

2. support   

3. engagement

4. modeling

5. discipline specific

Now let's explore each principle in detail.

 

Slide 9

The first principle is duration.  The duration of professional learning must be significant and ongoing.

Teachers need time to learn a new strategy and grapple with the implementation problem.

This means that professional development opportunities should not be limited to one-time workshops or trainings, but should instead be an ongoing process.

 

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The second principle is Support. There must be support for teachers during the implementation stage.

This support should address the specific challenges of changing classroom practices.

For example, this could include coaching, mentoring, or regular check-ins to monitor progress and offer guidance.

 

Slide 11

That brings us to principle number 3 ,engagement. Teachers' initial exposure to a new concept should not be passive, but rather they should be actively engaged.

This means that professional development should not just be a lecture, but should involve hands-on activities, discussions, and collaboration.

Teachers should be given the opportunity to participate in making sense of a new practice.

 

Slide 12

The fourth principle is modeling. Modeling has been found to be highly effective in helping teachers understand a new practice.

This means that professional learning should include demonstrations of the new teaching strategy in action.

Teachers can see how the strategy is used in a real-life classroom setting, and learn from the modeling.

 

Slide 13

The final principle is having discipline specific content.  The content presented to teachers should be targeted to their discipline or grade level.

Generic information or strategies may not be applicable to their teaching practice or relevant to their subject area or students.

Professional development should provide targeted and specific content that meets the needs of each teacher and their classroom.

 

Slide 14

Now that we know the necessary changes to make, let's embrace the change, and implement effective professional learning. 

Think of all the great benefits it will have on our learning environment. Teachers can collaborate with peers, develop a positive culture, and increase overall growth. 
 

Slide 15

This change will equip educators with the tools to create significant learning environments for students so that they can learn to their maximum potential!

Thank you for your time and patience!

I will close with a quote from Allison Gulamhussein

-read the quote on screen

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