What do you need for your learning? Think about a time outside of education where you learned to do something successfully….

What did you learn to do? What were the conditions that existed for your learning to occur? Prioritize the top five conditions that were present for your learning.

NOW Think about professional development opportunities you have had in your educational career. What professional development opportunities have not led to changes in your instructional practices? Why not?

Now compare…. What professional development opportunities have led to changes in your instructional practices? Why?

Professional Development in Your Career Effective StrategiesNot Effective What do you notice?

What does research say about professional development?* Effective professional development involves teachers both as learners and as teachers and allows them to struggle with the uncertainties that accompany each role. It has a number of characteristics: It must engage teachers in concrete tasks of teaching, assessment, observation, and reflection that illuminate the processes of learning and development. It must be grounded in inquiry, reflection, and experimentation that are participant-driven. It must be collaborative, involving a sharing of knowledge among educators and a focus on teachers’ communities of practice rather than on individual teachers. It must be connected to and derived from teachers’ work with their students. It must be sustained, ongoing, intensive, and supported by modeling, coaching, and the collective solving of specific problems of practice. It must be connected to other aspects of school change. * Darling-Hammond, Linda and Milbrey W. McLaughlin, “Policies that Support Professional Development in an Era of Reform.” Phi Delta Kappan 76 (8):

NSCD’s Standards for Staff Development Context Standards Organizes adults into learning communities who goals are aligned with those of the school and district. (Learning Communities) Requires skillful school and district leaders who guide continuous Instructional improvement. (Leadership) Requires resources to support adult learning and collaboration(Resources) Process Standards Uses disaggregated student data to determine adult learning priorities, monitor progress, and help sustain continuous improvement.(Data-Driven) Uses multiple sources of information to guide improvement and demonstrate its impact.(Evaluation) Prepares educators to apply research to decision making.(Research-Based) Uses learning strategies appropriate to the intended goal.(Design) Applies knowledge about human learning and change.(Learning) Provides educators with the knowledge and skills to collaborate. (Collaboration)

NSDC’s Standards for Staff Development Content Standards Prepares educators to understand and appreciate all students, create safe, orderly and supportive learning environments, and hold high expectations for their academic achievement.(Equity) Deepens educators' content knowledge, provides them with research- based instructional strategies to assist students in meeting rigorous academic standards,and prepares them to use various types of classroom assessments appropriately.(Quality Teaching) Provides educators with knowledge and skills to involve families and other stakeholders appropriately. (Family involvement)

What are the common elements as presented in research and the NSCD’s Standards for staff development?

How can Coaching support professional development of teachers? Demonstrate lessons Demonstrate lessons over time Teach alongside of teachers Analyze resulting student work and plan next steps Engage in content area work together and determine implications for teaching Engage in professional text study with teachers and provide support in applying the ideas to the classroom Analyze student data with teachers to evaluate curriculum decisions and revise curriculum materials. Design and implement professional development sessions based on teacher and student strengths and areas of need Observe teacher practice and provide clear and specific feedback on how to increase student learning.

Based upon the information provided what do you think about Coaching? Has your thinking changed? Would coaching work in your school? Why or why not? What questions do you still have? Explore and research the available resources in this section of the website to find out more information about Coaching