Let’s be clear: quality professional development is one of
the greatest demands and a high priority for people in the teaching profession.
However, finding
meaningful PD is one of our profession’s biggest challenges, leading to
plenty of frustration. I’ll be honest. Like many teachers I shamelessly attend education
conferences looking to “steal stuff.” Educators are always on the prowl for new
and innovative ways to engage students and craft quality learning experiences.
But is one lesson or learning experience worth a conference worth of time? Not
always. But now, with the increased presence of professional learning
communities (PLCs) in schools, many teachers are realizing that quality professional
growth can be just down the hall.
Professional development – an idea that should intrigue,
excite, and inspire educators – often elicits groans and eye-rolling as simply
another set of hoops to jump through before they can get back to the job of
educating young people. Micro-credentials may just be the
key to help “salvage teacher PD.” In the Kettle Moraine School District in
Wisconsin, teachers are coming together to create their own PD that is timely
and specifically relevant to the actual kids sitting in their classrooms. For
example, one group of teachers formed a book study on a necessary skill like
close reading. They exchanged ideas, collaborated on lessons, implemented
strategies, and documented the results on student learning. Then after
submitting their work for review, they were able to earn a college-backed
micro-credential, which can be tied to evaluations and salary, and even
licensing. The goal is to make professional development more accessible and
practical.
The key for success in the Kettle Moraine district is that teachers were able to access professional development specifically relevant and tailored to the kids in their classrooms, and they were able to tailor their own growth, lesson planning, and instruction to the diverse learning styles of their students. As an educator and administrator who works closely with varied student populations, an attention to differentiation and unique learning styles is of primary importance to me. As a Gifted & Talented Coordinator (and GT parent), I am attentive to the unique needs of advanced learners, including when those needs include challenges with skills such as executive functioning. To organize lessons and instruction without knowledge of specific students' strengths, challenges, and interests is to be dismissive of the entire learning process. Yet, the challenge of differentiating for varied learners can be daunting. PD opportunities that support teachers' efforts to personalize learning are a long overdue development in education. As I work with students developing advanced learning plans, I can tailor discussions of affective programming by acknowledging the emotional intelligence and mindfulness that is often a far greater indicator of potential than simple standardized grades.
I am also a coordinator for professional development around the goals of equity and pedagogy, and in that regard I know that one of the most valuable components of inclusive excellence and culturally responsive instruction is a teacher's commitment to building relationships and a positive classroom culture. As a colleague recently noted, we simply can't keep doing what we've always done and expect students to adjust. The goal of the educator is engagement in meaningful instruction, and anyone with knowledge of rhetoric knows that effective speakers pay careful attention to their audience, adjusting for who is sitting in front of them. By paying attention to specific qualities and needs of students such as I see so many opportunities in the micro-credential world that are specifically relevant to the work I am doing. From the important challenge of cultivating digital citizenship to the value of honoring unique student potential through the growthmindset, I see much potential in this new model of PD.
The key for success in the Kettle Moraine district is that teachers were able to access professional development specifically relevant and tailored to the kids in their classrooms, and they were able to tailor their own growth, lesson planning, and instruction to the diverse learning styles of their students. As an educator and administrator who works closely with varied student populations, an attention to differentiation and unique learning styles is of primary importance to me. As a Gifted & Talented Coordinator (and GT parent), I am attentive to the unique needs of advanced learners, including when those needs include challenges with skills such as executive functioning. To organize lessons and instruction without knowledge of specific students' strengths, challenges, and interests is to be dismissive of the entire learning process. Yet, the challenge of differentiating for varied learners can be daunting. PD opportunities that support teachers' efforts to personalize learning are a long overdue development in education. As I work with students developing advanced learning plans, I can tailor discussions of affective programming by acknowledging the emotional intelligence and mindfulness that is often a far greater indicator of potential than simple standardized grades.
I am also a coordinator for professional development around the goals of equity and pedagogy, and in that regard I know that one of the most valuable components of inclusive excellence and culturally responsive instruction is a teacher's commitment to building relationships and a positive classroom culture. As a colleague recently noted, we simply can't keep doing what we've always done and expect students to adjust. The goal of the educator is engagement in meaningful instruction, and anyone with knowledge of rhetoric knows that effective speakers pay careful attention to their audience, adjusting for who is sitting in front of them. By paying attention to specific qualities and needs of students such as I see so many opportunities in the micro-credential world that are specifically relevant to the work I am doing. From the important challenge of cultivating digital citizenship to the value of honoring unique student potential through the growthmindset, I see much potential in this new model of PD.
Education truly is an institution in flux, and an intriguing
development of professional development is the emergence of micro-credentials as a new, refined, and
effective way of providing professional development on a small and focused
scale of personalized instruction and competency-based learning. Organizations like Digital Promise are
now offering an extensive platform of PD opportunities in the form of micro-credentials.
Digital Promise is a non-profit “authorized by Congress to spur innovation in education and
improve the opportunity to learn for all through technology and research.” To
earn a micro-credential, educators simply “select
a specific skill or area in which they want to develop
and demonstrate competency, or an area or skill they already possess
competence in. Collect the required evidence as articulated in the
micro-credential (e.g. videos, audio, writing samples, samples of student work,
reflections from students and/or teachers etc.) Submit their evidence through
the online platform. Assessors then
review the evidence against the scoring guide and rubric. If educators
successfully demonstrate competence, they receive the micro-credential in the
form of a digital badge. Helping to establish the platform and make the
opportunities accessible and established is the BloomBoard organization, providing structure
to an emerging field.
When a teacher considers how he can “remain current” in his
field – an expectation for many professional evaluation rubrics – he’s often
faced with the tired and mundane list of professional development offerings
that may not fit what he’s actually doing in the classroom. In the spirit of
the online credentialing movement, educators now have increased opportunities
for micro-credentials which are
relevant to and reflect what they are actually doing in the classroom. The
greatest benefit of micro-credential is that it honors and relies on the
content-area expertise of the classroom teacher, as opposed to relying on an ambiguous,
top-down mandate that may come from people far removed from the classroom. Some
have explained how the concept of micro-credentials
works a bit “like merit badges” in scouting.
So-called “micro-credentials” work a
lot like scouting badges. Teachers complete a specific activity to develop a
critical competency for their role, and earn a micro-credential based on
showing mastery of the skill. They can collect micro-credentials to document
growing expertise and share their accomplishments in the classroom. Proponents
of teacher micro-credentials … aim to shift teacher PD to a competency-based
system with personalized development opportunities that match teachers’ and
schools’ specific needs. Such a system could allow teachers to drive their own
development, signal their true areas of expertise to school and district
administrators, and advance in their careers according to their skills. If it
gains traction, micro-credentialing could help transform how K–12 teachers are
prepared, hired, developed, and assigned teaching responsibilities.
As the education world continues to innovate, moving away
from a one-size-fits-all system, one of the best things schools can do is to
provide opportunities for professional growth that are individualized and
competency-based. Relying on the ability of teachers to be content experts and
also advocates for the specific learning needs of their students is an effective
way of improving instruction and best meeting the needs of all students. Teachers
and their students are hungry for quality meaningful instruction that improves
outcomes for all kids. The concept of micro-credentials and the establishment
of groups like Digital Promise and BloomBoard are innovations that can provide
this opportunity.
Ultimately, as I've grown as an educator, I've grown to understand the value of "teaching them where they are, as opposed to where I expect them to be." The value of personalized learning and individualized instruction cannot be understated, and PD that allows, encourages, and supports teachers efforts in this area is professional development worth pursuing.
#Love2Learn
Ultimately, as I've grown as an educator, I've grown to understand the value of "teaching them where they are, as opposed to where I expect them to be." The value of personalized learning and individualized instruction cannot be understated, and PD that allows, encourages, and supports teachers efforts in this area is professional development worth pursuing.
#Love2Learn
*sponsored post
No comments:
Post a Comment