Inquiry Blog Post 3 - Providing Professional Development

    In my previous blog post, I discussed how I am going to continue to build my PLN on Twitter so that I can continue my own self-guided professional development. This learning will positively impact the students in my classroom in my current role and will also be beneficial for sharing with my colleagues in a future teacher librarian role. 

    One of the challenges of providing professional development to a large staff, such as the staff of 33 classroom teachers I currently work on, is that each teacher has their own unique strengths and challenges, so no one PD topic will meet their needs. Trust, Carpenter & Krutka (2018) discuss the need for building PLNs rather than focusing on a more traditional PD model stating that “traditional top-down professional development (PD) models have historically sought to mold educators to institutional aims through synchronous, face-to-face activities . . . Such PD can be engaging, interactive, and effective, but its overall track record is troubling, as it often struggles to address educators’ diverse needs” (p. 137 – 138). With this in mind, I would like to encourage Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to become the format in which I share my knowledge with my colleagues.

    I recommend watching the video below, The Power of Professional Learning Communities – Best Teaching Practices to learn more about the benefits of a PLC including that “you gain both accountability and support. When you measure your students’ growth with that of your PLC members, you get a better idea of where you need to grow as a teacher to support your students” (2020, 1:28). As teachers meet with their PLCs, and get a better idea of what areas of their practice they would like to improve, I can meet with them and offer resources and support. By joining in PLC meetings, I can be a digital mentor like Stacia Wagers, as discussed by Miller and Bass (2019), who “checks in with her teachers to learn about their curricular plans for the week. By intentionally connecting with all her teachers, she has positioned herself as a supporting member of their grade-level teams. She mentors them by identifying digital tools and practices that will engage their students in meaningful usage of technology” (p. 22). I think this will be the most effective way to share my learning and be provide professional learning to my colleagues. If a team identifies they are looking for a way to have students share a project through a screen recording, for example, I could provide a professional development opportunity for their team on Flipgrid. In a more traditional PD model, this wouldn’t be as effective if half of the staff are already familiar with Flipgrid and don’t require a session on it. By meeting with teachers, having them identify their needs through PLCS, and modeling tools and providing resources to help them, I can best support my staff in their professional learning. 

Resources:

Miller, S., & Bass, W. (2019). Leading from the Library: Help your School Community Thrive in the Digital Age. International Society for Technology in Education.

The Power of Professional Learning Communities - Best Teaching Practices. (2020, October 21). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUUVahqkIj4 

Trust, T., Carpenter, J. P., & Krutka, D. G. (2018). Leading by learning: Exploring the professional learning networks of instructional leaders. Educational Media International, 55(2), 137-152. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523987.2018.1484041