RSA#2 - Professional Development

When it comes to professional development, there is reluctance among teachers (social studies in particular) of engaging in it.  Part of it is that we tend to get contradictory instruction but also that we feel that it is a waste of time.  So what would work better?  

In order for professional development to be more effective, it is imperative that the training to be content-focused and coherent in instruction (“Teaching Teachers”, 2005).  Let’s start with content-specific.  The issue social studies teachers face is that their content is not tested, and therefore it is not relevant at all in the eyes of my school district.  Therefore, there isn’t much direction in content development and we are on our own.  It would be useful to have some leadership and direction.

So, what are we supposed to focus on instead?  Common Core seems like a good place to go. While it is a lighting rod issue, it isn't really all that different from what we are trying to get students to learn. The social studies department has been told to focus on the reading aspect of the test, which involves reading multiple documents on topics within the field.  But since the content could be virtually anything, it is important for students to acquire the skills. 

But since this is new, we should receive instruction in it, right?  Well, it turns out that most teachers have not received professional development in Common Core (Gerwitz, 2013).  Like in any new test or teaching strategy, there will obviously be some issues if it is not addressed.  But, even if professional development is given, it needs to be coherent (“Teaching Teachers”, 2005).  I have received one day of Common Core instruction and I am still confused as to what we are supposed to focus on.  We need more training in exactly how to teach students to read at a higher level, no matter what the test or teaching strategy is.

Gerwitz, C. (2013). Study: Many Teachers Need Common-Core Professional Development.  Retrieved from http://blogs.edweek.org.cucproxy.cuchicago.edu/edweek/curriculum/2013/08/many_teachers_need_common_core_professional_development.html?qs=professional+development

Teaching Teachers: Professional Development to Improve Student Achievement (2005). Research Points: Essential Information for Education Policy.  3(1), 1-4. Retrieved from http://blackboard.cuchicago.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-1043267-dt-content-rid-4447018_2/courses/9058.201430/5801_ImportedContent_20130823075615/AERA_Teaching_Teachers.pdf

RSA#1 – Peer Coaching as Collaboration

One of the core concepts behind a PLC (Dufour, 2004) is the idea that teachers need to collaborate.  Dufour (2011) brings up a great point in that many other professions and jobs require employees to work together to achieve goals and that teachers shouldn’t be an exception to that.  Teachers should be doing everything they can to help their students learn, and getting ideas from other teachers seems to make sense in order to achieve this goal at challenging schools in particular. 

I was curious about how to do this beyond discussion, and looked for specific strategies on what exactly teachers can do in order to improve their instruction to increase student teaching.  Discussion and sharing is great, but sometimes merely discussing ideas isn’t enough; through experience I have learned that we learn by doing.  As I was researching, I found an article that suggested teachers need to observe and help each other out (Jewett, 2012). 

In this article, Jewett (2012) addresses the hesitancy of teachers to be coached by each other because they felt like evaluations.  In order to overcome this, Jewett expressed that as teachers resisted an expert/student approach and looked at things more as co-learners, the process went smoother.  They were able to help each other rather than one teacher pouring into another.

Quite frankly, I disagreed with this approach. While I do feel that teachers can learn from each other, a better set-up would be for a mentor-mentee approach, especially between seasoned and novice teachers.  I would rather learn from an experienced teacher I respect than someone who is in a similar place as me.  While those conversations could be beneficial, I feel I could learn quicker from a veteran.

Dufour, R. (2004). What is a “Professional Learning Community”?. Educational Leadership, 61(8). 6-11.  http://staffdev.mpls.k12.mn.us/sites/6db2e00f-8a2d-4f0b-9e70-e35b529cde55/uploads/What_is_a_PLC._DuFour_Article_2.pdf

Dufour, R. (2011). Work Together But Only if You Want To. Kappan Magazine, 92(5), 57-61. http://www.kappanmagazine.org/site/misc/Kappan92_MustReads1.pdf

Jewett, P. (2012). Adding Collaborative Peer Coaching to Our Teaching Identities. Reading Teacher, 66(2), 105-110.  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/TRTR.01089/abstract