Learning Teams: New Phenomenon?

Effective support mechanisms provide a framework for encouraging and sustaining collaborative learning among teachers. Concepts that stem from this model are centered around the concept of shared leadership or teacher leadership, which is authentic and ingrained into the teachers’ work day (Engstrom & Danielson, 2006). These constructs are essential in the utilization of a collaborative learning process; understanding teachers’ needs and identifying factors necessary in employing effective instructional practices in the classroom.

Learning teams have become an intrical part of professional development. The opportunity for teacher collaboration and sharing of best practices are significant in the development of sound instructional practices. The National Staff Development Council (2001) stated that communities, or small groups or teams of teachers with similar goals and interests result in positive professional development experiences and higher levels of learning involved. Encouraging feedback is a key component in building rapport, confidence and staff cohesion; therefore, the likelihood of teacher buy-in and acceptance of responsibility for continued professional improvement increases (Lester, 2003).

References

Engstrom, M. & Danielson, L. (2006). Teachers’ Perceptions of an On-site Staff Development Model. The Clearing House, 79(4), 170-174.

Lester, J. (2003). Planning Effective Secondary Professional Development Programs. American Secondary Education, 32(1), 49-61.

National Staff Development Council. (2001). NSDC Standards for Staff Development. Retrieved May 25, 2006 from https://www.nsdc.org/library/standards.

The National Staff Development Council's Definition of Effective Professional Development

Effective professional development represents a culmination of techniques, pedagogy and structured activities designed to empower teachers and provide a deeper understanding of the content in which educators teach. As professional development practices begin to serve as a precursor to educational reform (Fullan, 2002), it is important to understand what effective professional development should look like.

According to the National Staff Development Council (2001), effective professional development is defined by the following standards: a) directly focused in helping to achieve student learning goals and supporting student learning needs; b) a collaborative endeavor – teachers and administrators work together in planning and implementation; c) school-based and job-embedded; d) a long-term commitment; e) differentiated; and f) tied to district goals.

References

Fullan, M.G. (2002). The change leader. Educational Leadership, 59(8), 16-20.

National Staff Development Council. (2001). NSDC Standards for Staff Development. Retrieved May 25, 2006 from https://www.nsdc.org/library/standards.

Professional Development Day

Once a month, teachers within our county participate in what is known as Professional Development Day (at the elementary and middle schools); at the high school level, this day is known as Learning Team Meetings Day. The purpose of this day is to engage teachers in discussion of strategies and techniques that will help to enhance their instruction, as well as generate discussions on behalf of the teachers regarding curriculum alignment, sharing best practices and most important, data analysis.

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to open our session with a presentation entitled, "The Purpose of Professional Development." Our Professional Development Team felt that overall, teachers were losing their focus on why we have these designated days and therefore, seemed to not take the importance of these days as meaningful time to learn and hone their knowledge base and skill set. Therefore, I was left with the task of bringing the teachers back to the "middle ground" or understanding of why this element of education was important.

One thing I have found to be valid and almost like a truth serum is when you are discussing issues involving teachers, students and education, is to always include the teachers in your discussion. "Put it back on them" is what I call it. So, I first began my presentation by asking the teachers to provide their own definition of "professional development." At first, the audience was silent, then teachers began to participate, providing answers such as "self-improvement" and "professional growth." Then, I asked them to verbally illustrate what professional development "looks like." I was amazed at some of their responses - collaborating, team discussions, sharing best practices; all tools that research states is important to creating effective professional development programs.

Nevertheless, the teachers were grouped by department and left with the task of analyzing student data from recent district diagnostic assessments. There were a series of questions that each department had to complete regarding their assigned activities; most important, each department had to present a brief synopsis of their study during our wrap-up session, in which all teachers had to report back to our general session location; administrators also participated in the training as well.

This training session really spoke a lot to me. It affirmed the importance of being involved in professional development at all levels - if you are only giving "lip service" to the issue at hand, your teachers will know it and not take the matter seriously. Second, I learned a lot from the small group discussions which helped me to gain a broader understanding of teachers' perceptions regarding data and their utilization of this information in instructional practices.

This session was enlightening and helped me to gain a better understanding of teachers' needs and how we can not only ascertain these needs, but align trainings that are conductive to fostering teacher growth and efficacy.

Its Purpose

Effective professional development is relevant, meaningful and can be integrated into any academic discipline. What has been lacking from many professional development programs is the ability to "make the connection." Granted, not all material covered will relate to one academic area, however, teachers need to be able to "pull" something from the information shared and apply to instructional practices, procedures or even for teacher-student relations.

Before any of the above can take place, teachers must understand its purpose. There has been somewhat of a misconception when it comes to the purpose of professional development. Comments made have noted that it (professional development) is something in which teachers must "go through the motions" to appease administration or to "justify someone's job." However, in the wake of NCLB and its stringent guidelines, we have found that the aforementioned issues are irrelevant - federal mandates are here to stay. Therefore, it is important that teachers are given the opportunity to see "the big picture" and how what they do as educators does affect the whole.

Why Professional Development Must Be Ongoing

Professional development must be an ongoing process. Its functionality is vital to the longevity and resiliency of the educational system. The days of the one room schoolhouse with students grades K-8 are long gone. As a technologically advance society, whose global economy is centered around capitalism and the drive to remain "number one," an educated, productive society is the quintessential element that will determine whether a society will continue to advance itself or regress.

The effects of this construct can enhance or become a detriment to a school. Professional development must be interactive, providing educators with the opportunity for implementation, collaboration and most importantly, follow-up. Research studies show that these aforementioned characteristics are the key elements to effective professional development. Its most notable characteristic is relevancy. One of the downfalls to school-based professional development programs is that trainings lack relevancy - teachers feel disconnected and detached from the material being discussed. For professional development to be valid, teachers must be able to take the information learned and apply it to current practices.

Educational reform has brought increased prominence to the way society views public education. America’s schools are an extension of its culture; a culture whose face has changed and whose needs are different than its predecessors of the past. This paradigm shift in the country’s educational structure has brought about the evolution of accountability. Districts across the nation are facing mandated state assessments that have become the determining factor in a school’s success.

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 requires that states ensure the availability of high quality professional development for all teachers. As a result, districts are pooling a myriad of resources into staff development initiatives. Throughout the United States, assessments have become the underlying determinant of the success of schools’ professional development programs, thereby serving as the driving force for future school funding received from federal and state governments.

With that being said, professional development is being viewed as the key ingredient in improving schools in this country (Sykes & Darling-Hammond, 1999). Meeting the goals of mandates such as NCLB will require a great deal of learning on the part of practicing teachers, the vast majority of whom were taught and learned to teach under a different paradigm of instruction and learning (Thompson & Zeuli, 1999).

Structured professional development programs that facilitate teachers as they make the connection between their knowledge and skills they gain as teacher-learners is critical in building upon teachers’ self-efficacy and individual beliefs about their competence, as well as their resulting classroom practices.