School-based PD

Teacher Research Is Key To Making Adequate Yearly Progress

2008-10-05T02:08:00Z

As a Teacher Action Researcher and Teacher Research Coach, I always find it invaluable to work with like-minded individuals on relevant goals. Teacher Research gives you confidence in your pedagogy and the immediate feedback you receive from your colleagues is invaluable. In a 2008 study highlighted by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory , a school district has found that building a community of Teacher Researchers has had an unexpected outcome. . . all K-12 schools made Adequate Yearly...(read more)

Building A Community With Teacher Researchers

2008-10-03T00:28:00Z

“You didn’t think we could do this, did you?” said Marta. She was standing there looking up at me as a video of her research project on cooperative grouping was playing in the background. Marta is a special education teacher with a lot of experience. “We worked 15 minutes a day, every day, putting this together,” she continued, obviously proud. “It was a lot of work!” “No,” I said, “I knew you could do it.” We both had a good laugh. I was surprised at Marta’s remark, though. Because never once did...(read more)

The Perfect Shell

2008-09-29T22:16:00Z

Clearwater Beach is a wonderful piece of paradise tucked away on the West coast of Florida. Once you pass the tree line, the beach is literally covered in sea shells. We went on a road trip to Clearwater a few weeks ago. The beach was my daughter Danielle’s “discovery.” She grabbed her bucket and scooped up as many shells as she could. Once we got to the surf, the real gems were to be had. Shells, perfectly shaped, glistened in the water. Tons of books and articles have been written about professional...(read more)

Glam God

2008-09-26T11:06:00Z

Vivica A. Fox hosts the reality show, Glam God on VH1. I never knew how creative a stylist had to be in order to keep famous and nearly famous off of the “worst dressed” list. Key to a stylist’s success on the show is the ability to quickly assess the client’s wants and needs and tailor them to the particular challenge. There are several parallels between the show and what your “Glam Squad” needs to do in order to tailor professional development to your faculty’s learning needs: Episode 1: Who’s...(read more)

Picture This

2008-09-24T18:31:00Z

Picture a school where the environment sets the stage for professional learning. A place where the faculty has considered data addressing student as well as teacher needs. This school is not perfect, yet can legitimately be called a professional learning community. Picture a school where the administration shares the results of the state assessment and for the purposes of this example, Reading is the focus of this year’s professional development. The faculty has a variety of professional development...(read more)

Shake It Up

2008-09-21T17:43:00Z

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8416a242f40fb7d7f338 This video is showcased on Teacher Tube. What are the implications for how we teach? What are the implications for teaching in silos? How can this be applied to your professional development for this year?...(read more)

Do You Smell Bacon?

2008-09-19T13:04:00Z

When I was little, my sister and I would spend summers at my grandparents' small farm in North Carolina. I helped tend the livestock before sunrise, and Nana would have chores that took up the rest of the morning. The one thing that was constant was Nana's biscuits, cheese eggs, grits, and bacon waiting for us when we finished the early morning tasks. It's funny how you remember things. How as children you remember the rewards for doing what you were supposed to do. I don't even think Nana was aware...(read more)

Lipstick on a Pig

2008-09-16T02:05:00Z

The buzz for the last 15 years has been that professional learning communities will increase teacher effectiveness in the classroom. Are professional learning communities just “sharing ignorance”? What do teachers share in these types of communities? How is this type of group different than other groups within a school?...(read more)

Work In Transition: Ending Teacher Cliques

2008-09-10T15:31:00Z

In the previous post, we introduced how teacher cliques can be deeply entrenched in schools. What are some things that you can do to get buy-in from the majority of your staff for implementing your professional development plan? First, acknowledge that what your pd team is proposing means an ending to the past patterns. This year will be a transition period for your faculty, and allow them time to grieve. According to Robert Garmston , co-founder of the Institute for Intelligent Behavior, your next...(read more)

Ending Teacher Cliques

2008-09-09T20:55:00Z

Oh, the tension we create when we function in cliques. Usually teacher cliques separate themselves by age and subject matter, and sometimes the entire faculty acts as a clique. Admit it, teacher cliques are an adult’s version of a safety blanket. You gravitate to people you trust, and to whom you can relate. What happens when we work in teacher cliques with like-minded individuals? We get more of the same and, like it or not, sometimes more of the same is the precise reason why students struggle....(read more)

Change Your Mind, Change Your Workplace

2008-07-04T18:06:00Z

What's happiness got to do with teacher retention and loyalty? Everything. According to Martin Seligman, founder of Positive Psychology, positive feelings enable employees to be open to new ideas and tackle challenging problems. Moreover, in a business setting, happy employees are more likely to create happy, loyal, and referral generating clients. So, what's the secret? Seligman has eight steps each of us can take in order to make our classrooms, faculties, departments, and districts a happier place...(read more)

Webinar Series - What's Next, Following Up?

2008-04-14T22:22:00Z

What's Next, Following Up? explores what happens after the training is over. Join us as we discuss strategies that support transfer of knowledge to student practice. Share your successes and challenges. Let your voices be heard! Login on Monday, April 21st at 2:30 pm EST. E mail droberts@browardschools.com today for the link to this webinar discussion....(read more)

Webinar Series - If Not A Workshop, Then What?

2008-04-10T14:02:00Z

Our district is moving away from isolated, "sit and get" workshops to more meaningful forms of professional learning. Join our panel of professional developers, teachers, curriculum specialists, instructional technologists, and library media specialists as we discuss alternatives to traditional inservice workshops on Friday, April 11, 2008, from 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm Eastern Standard Time. We use Elluminate Live! for our webinar discussions. This session was recorded. To view the recording, please click...(read more)

Capturing Time: Directed purpose from Flanagan HS PD Plan

2008-03-14T20:01:00Z

Another instrument from the 2007-2008 Planning and Implementing School-based Professional Development comes from Flanagan High School's PD Team. Randy O'Dowd, Kathleen Cappy, Sheila Lablanc, Judy Muth, and Principal Sharon Shaulis, revised their plan to include a clearly defined purpose for the role faculty members play in professional development training at their school. I've included a snapshot of one of the roles as an attachment to this post. How would using an instrument similar to this support...(read more)

Capturing Time: A View from the Cypress Bay PD Plan

2008-03-14T19:34:00Z

As a result of working together during 2007-2008 Planning and Implementing School-based Professional Development training, the PD Team at Cypress Bay High School (Marianela Estripeaut, Kelly Grady, Tammie Gonzalez, and Assistant Principal Priscilla Ribiero) streamlined their professional development calendar. I've attached a picture of the first page of the document that was distributed to all faculty at the school. In what ways is this document different from what your school uses? How would using...(read more)