Theories and Tenets That Are Vital in Implementing a Professional Development Plan at School

Article published in The EduLEADER

July 2019

Implementing a professional development plan at a school requires careful planning and basing practices on grounded theories and tenets in the field. Often, the personnel involved in professional development find that what applies to teacher education intersects with what applies to student learning. Here, I choose several practices and theories that have worked well when I worked with groups of teachers.

Experiential learning and the practice cycle

Kolb’s model of learning (Kolb & Kolb, 2005) aims at transforming schools through reflective observation and experimentation in a four stage-cycle of:

·         concrete experience when lesson observation takes place to collect evidence to be used in the   feedback session

·         reflective observation which is based on the evidence collected, and feedbacking occurs here to assist the teacher to reflect on practice

·         abstract conceptualization which includes encouraging teachers to discuss the deep structures of teaching to establish theoretical principles that undergo the observed behaviors

·        active experimentation in which the discussion of principles is derived from the lesson to decide how to apply them in a new situation.

This cycle goes parallel to Randall and Thornton’s (2005) practice cycle which they perceive also as a helping cycle including the phases: exploration, understanding (combines the abstract conceptualization and active experimentation phases in Kolb’s model) and action.  

The underlying concepts and the practices for experiential learning and the practice cycle are evident in many other models such as Korthagen’s ALACT model (action, looking back on the action, awareness of essential aspects, creating alternative methods of action and trial), Cogan’s eight-stage clinical supervision, and Wallace’s six-phase HORACE pattern (Hear, observe, record, analyze, consider, evaluate) (Farhat, 2011).

Collaboration and interaction

Collaboration is empowering for teachers if it allows them to increase their knowledge and to be actively involved in shaping the school culture (Glazer & Hannafin, 2006). Collaboration allows teachers to pool their resources toward the attainment of a common goal if it is done in a context of communication, trust and flexibility and responsiveness to change (Mackenzie, Zakrzewski, Walker, & McCluskey, 2008).

Collaboration allows teachers to consider themselves as leaders, for while collaborating they are participating in leadership (Lambert, 2003). This is empowering for teachers. The power of collaboration is echoed by Michael Fullan (2008) who sees that it should be positive and purposeful to achieve optimal results.

Peer coaching and peer mentoring

In a coach-teacher relationship, the coach facilitates the teacher’s thinking and helps him/her learn on the job (Miller, 2018). Here the coach is in charge of the process of having the teachers achieve a certain goal. This form of peer supervision diminishes bureaucracy from supervision since it allows teachers to work in teams, develop their own plans, share ideas, have face to face feedback, and analyze results (Marshal, 2005). Further, these practices allow teachers to have more choice, to reflect, to network, to break down the silence that teachers live, and to generate their own solutions, all of which are vital to improve practices in education (Potgieter, 2019).

“A variation of peer coaching is peer mentoring where an experienced teacher and a less experienced one form a relationship” (Farhat, 2017, p. 57). However, mentors advise based on their personal experiences. Here, the teacher is the owner of the goals and the process. Both practices, coaching and mentoring, are low cost and are proven to be conducive to professional development of teachers (Farhat, 2017).

Professional learning communities

The concept of professional learning communities has been evolving since 1989 starting with Rosenholtz, and since then several models have emerged to depict what a professional learning community is (Hassan, Ahmad , & Boon, 2018). Whatever model is considered, the professional learning community is a practice that enhances teacher collaboration and reflection which gradually facilitates the creation of a common vision and norms among teachers. All this is for the optimal goal which is student learning (Avalos, 2011). Improved student outcome is observed “in terms of achievement, social skills, emotional aspects, independence and creativity” as a study by Owen revealed through “achievement data, student work samples, teacher observation and self-reports” (Owen, 2015, p. 57).

For the school to be a professional learning community, administrators, teachers and students must be involved in responsibility and its underlying actions (Sergiovanni & Starratt, 2006). Further, the community and parents can take part in this community by providing their ideas and feedback. In this way, the school vision will be embraced by all (Hassan, Ahmad , & Boon, 2018).

A common thread passes among all the above-mentioned practices. They all subsume interaction, collaboration, sharing, scaffolding and support to reach a specific goal. Just as these practices have proven to be successful in classroom practices, they are also vital when adult learning is involved.

References

Avalos, B. (2011). Teacher professional development in teaching and teacher education over ten years. Teachign and Teacher Education(27), 10-20.

Farhat, A. (2011). The Impact of Clinical Supervision on Teachers' Performance in Classroom Managerial Skills. Beirut, Lebanon: Lebanese University.

Farhat, A. (2017). The perceptions of English language teachers and supervisors of supervisory practices. Beirut, Lebanon: Lebanese University.

Fullan, M. (2008). The Six Secrets of Change. San Francisco, California, USA: Jossey-Bass.

Glazer, E., & Hannafin, M. (2006). The collaborative appernticeship model: Situated professionl development with school settings. Teaching and Teacher Education, 22(2), 179-193.

Hassan, R., Ahmad , j., & Boon, Y. (2018). Professional Learning Communities in Malaysia. International Journal of Engineering and Teaching, 7(30), 433-443. doi:10.14419/ijet.v7i3.30.18347

Kolb, A. Y., & Kolb, D. A. (2005). Learning Styles and Learning Spaces: Enhancing Experiential Learning in Higher Education. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 4(2), 193-212.

Lambert, L. (2003). Leadership redefined: an evocative cotnext for teacher leadership. School Leadership and Management, 23(4), 421-430.

Mackenzie, L., Zakrzewski, L., Walker, C., & McCluskey, A. (2008). Meeting the educational needs of fieldwork superivosrs: A collaboarative workhsop developed by New South Wales occupational therapy fieldword coordinators. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 1-10. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1630.2001.00233.x

Marshal, K. (2005, June). It's time to rethink teacher supervision and evaluation. Phi Delta Kappan, 86(10), 727-735. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/003172170508601004

Miller, J. (2018, 8 30). 14 Coaching Principles All Managers Should Practise. Retrieved 7 10, 2019, from Leaderonomics: https://leaderonomics.com/leadership/coaching-principles-managers-should-practise

Owen, S. (2015). Teacher professional learnign communities in innovative contexts: 'ah hah moments', 'passion' and 'making a difference' for student learning. Professional Development in Education, 41(1), 57-74. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2013.869504

Potgieter, E. (2019, 7 10). Transforming Malaysia's Education System. The Bigger Picture . (K. Anissa, Interviewer) Retrieved 7 10, 2019, from https://www.bfm.my/podcast/the-bigger-picture/live-learn/transforming-malaysia-education-system

Randall , M., & Thornton, B. (2005). Advising and Supporting Teachers. (M. Williams, & T. Wright, Eds.) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Sergiovanni, T., & Starratt, R. (2006). Supervision: A Redefinition (8 ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.