Teach Children Well: Reflection #28: Professional Learning and Growth

Element 4B1 of The Massachusetts Educator Evaluation Rubric focuses on professional learning and growth. There was a time in my professional career when I said I was too busy and too broke for professional development. I was juggling the dual responsibilities of managing a house with small children and running a classroom. What I didn't realize then, and know now is that professional learning and connections are the fuel that makes your work dynamic, enjoyable, and successful. When you're all alone running that classroom (and possibly your own home), the work is tremendous, but with the assistance of an online and off-line PLN (professional learning network) and the motivation of professional study, your work takes off and what once seemed like pressure, now becomes much more doable and enjoyable. Time-on-task with students, professional learning, and your personal life, however, demand balance as no teacher is superman or superwoman. So, with that in mind, the key is to create a balanced menu of professional learning, professional practice, and personal time.

Today's tech age has expanded professional learning access and range considerably. In the past professional learning was limited by geography, financial resources, and time. Now tech allows you to learn anytime and anywhere. Also, many learning venues are free. For example, I recently took the Google Maps online course. The course was free and targeted towards my learning/teaching goals. Plus, I was able to complete the course at snippets of time in the early morning, during planning periods, and late in the evening which was perfect for my busy end-of-the-year teaching/parenting life.

Therefore, there are no excuses with regard to professional learning and growth today--everyone can do it. The key is to choose professional learning options that benefit you and your students the most. I suggest the following professional learning possibilities:

If your system offers pay incentives for professional learning, do that first. You might as well climb the pay scale as high as you can go. Target these efforts towards your professional needs.
Look for free professional learning opportunities. I've listed some on my website, and there are countless more.
Create an online PLN, that's your quickest way to connect to new learning and experts in the field. I would start this by joining Twitter with a professional name and following educators in the field. You can follow me @lookforsun (A name chosen to keep me on the positive, sunny side of debate.)
Exchange conference presentations for free admission to learning conferences. Presenting at a conference spurs professional research, and in turn the free attendance at the conference provides you with learning opportunities.
Organize a Professional Book Club or Book Study. A colleague of mine, Mike O'Connor, has successfully done this for the benefit of many educators at my school. He focused his first studies on the books Teaching Children to Care by Charney, Outliers by Gladwell and Drive by Pink.
Join an online book study. I did this last summer with Hattie's book, Visible Learning for Teachers, as part of the #educoach chat. I learned so much. I had hoped to do this year's book study for Teach like a Pirate, but ran out of time.
Plan to engage in a Twitter chat once or twice a week. Start with the 7pm EST Tuesday night #edchat--a free flow of educational ideas by countless educators.
Sign up for online or real-time conferences, workshops, and courses.
Read on your own--read books, blogs, informational sites.
Learn with students. Try out a new software program or learning idea with students and learn together.
Write a grant to host an expert for teachers and/or students, learn from the expert.
Engage with experts online.
Create a project and work on it independently or better yet, with colleagues.
Start a blog, public or private, and document your learning. Share your blog with others.
Attend an edcamp.
Ask students to teach you and your colleagues a new skill such as Minecraft, SCRATCH of other online/offline expertise.

Guided Reflection

As you reflect on element 4B1, read the standard, indicator, element, criteria, key points, and questions below. Use the grid to reflect make notes related to this element's implications for your own practice. I’ve included an example of my own self analysis for your review if desired.

Standard IV: Professional Culture. The teacher promotes the learning and growth of all students through ethical, culturally proficient, skilled, and collaborative practice.

Indicator IV-B. Professional Growth: Actively pursues professional development and learning opportunities to improve quality of practice or build the expertise and experience to assume different instructional and leadership roles.

Element 4B1: Professional Learning and Growth

Criteria (exemplar)

Consistently seeks out professional development and learning opportunities that improve practice and build expertise of self and other educators in instruction and leadership. Is able to model this element and assume additional roles.

Key Points/Questions:

Professional development and learning opportunities that improve practice and build expertise. What professional learning are you involved in to improve practice and build expertise?
Instruction and leadership. How do you share your professional learning with colleagues near and far?
Model and assume additional roles. How do you model your professional learning, and what other roles have you assumed in this regard?

Element 4B1: Professional Learning and Growth

Key Points	Question	Effective Efforts	Implications for Your Practice	Results
Professional development and learning opportunities that improve practice and build expertise.	What professional learning are you involved in to improve practice and build expertise?	Determine professional learning goals. Access learning via online resources, in-house professional development, coursework, reading, collegial study, conferences, and workshops. Work with system and Union to access funds to support professional learning. Make sure that you have Internet access and a reliable tech device for learning and sharing.
Instruction and leadership.	How do you share your professional learning with colleagues near and far?	Share learning through collegial conversation, individual or shared blogs, newsletters, websites, conference presentations, online presentations, online chats, and PLN development and share.
Model and assume additional roles.	How do you model your professional learning, and what other roles have you assumed in this regard?	Join system-wide, and school committees. Create committees for needs unmet. Propose workshops, conversations, meetings and online share related to learning.