Desiree López
Planning The Alternative PL Assignment
Planning The Alternative PL Assignment
Professional Learning Plan
A few months ago, I developed an INNOVATION PLAN to implement a blended learning environment in my classroom to enhance student engagement, comprehension, and performance. The successful outcomes of this plan have led me to create a comprehensive professional learning (PL) strategy designed to support all language teachers within my school district's new Dual Language program. This PL plan is intended to benefit the language teachers in our district and extend to other educators in the language field, ultimately fostering improved skills and practices. By sharing these advancements, we aim to ensure that all students can reap the benefits of an enriched blended learning experience in their classrooms.
"Learning experiences can be compared to journeys."
Julie Dirksen.
Last school year, our school provided Chromebooks to students, opening up new opportunities while presenting challenges in technology access. To support this transition, we continue to offer targeted professional learning experiences for our Dual Language Program teachers. This ensures that we effectively utilize all available resources to create an optimal learning environment for our students.
Thankfully, the era of preparing students for an industrial-age education is ending. As educators develop new teaching methods and learning environments tailored to today’s needs, it’s equally important to rethink our approach to professional learning. Standardized, one-size-fits-all training no longer meets the needs of our students or teachers. I encourage you to explore my work in the CALL TO ACTION to see how we can better align our professional development with contemporary educational demands.
Why does our educational system need to establish and develop meaningful learning environments?
My team and I have been synchronizing outcomes, evaluations, and activities to develop a new teaching strategy for innovative alternative Professional Learning sessions.
We intend to conduct professional development sessions by structuring the learning activities according to the five Principles of Professional Development: Duration, Support, Engagement, Modeling, and Content Specific. Learning activities serve as the means through which educators will accomplish their learning objectives; therefore, it is crucial to offer support and adhere to a well-structured timeline through effective modeling.
In the pursuit of establishing effective professional development within my grade level, I would like to provide our educators with a learner-centered active learning method known as COVA. This method gives students “Choice, Ownership, and Voice through Authentic Learning” opportunities (Harapnuik, 2018).
The design of a professional learning course focused on the integration of significant learning environments(CSLE) through the implementation of Blended Learning ( a pedagogical approach that integrates in-person and digital learning activities to provide a cohesive and unified educational experience) into the curriculum is intended to empower teachers to foster a meaningful learning environment for their students. This approach is comprehensive, addressing skill development holistically. It equips educators with the necessary knowledge and abilities to transform the educational methodology into a more dynamic model that allows students to become co-creators of their projects, engaging actively in research activities.
Plan for Professional Learning
The professional apprenticeship project outlined in this plan will span one year and be divided into two six-month phases. This structure allows for ongoing adjustments based on feedback and emerging needs. During these phases, teachers can acquire new technology skills and design blended learning stations, individually and collaboratively.
This professional learning plan for Dual Language teachers incorporates the 4DX (Four Disciplines of Execution) framework to ensure accountability. Additionally, the plan emphasizes the Influence Strategy to provide teachers with the necessary support for implementing effective blended learning practices in their classrooms.
Why is there a need to implement and create significant learning environments in our school system?
Effective classroom initiatives are required since there are insufficient resources to support multilingual and Spanish-speaking instruction for kindergarteners.
In addition, Professional learning creates opportunities for career growth, such as promotions, while helping teachers refine existing skills and acquire new ones. By improving instruction, educators can offer students more effective learning experiences.
Engaging in professional development allows teachers to draw from current instructional practices, enabling them to introduce innovative, modern solutions that meet their students' evolving needs. When teachers participate in various high-quality, sustained learning experiences, they are more likely to inspire their students and deliver high-impact teaching. This leads to better learning outcomes and helps students reach their full potential.
In her work Teaching Teachers: Effective Professional Development in an Age of High-Stakes Accountability, Allison Gulamhussein outlines five key principles for effective professional learning:
1. Duration: Professional development should be ongoing to ensure teachers gain deep, sustained learning and successfully implement new strategies. Our professional learning experience will extend over one year. It will begin with a full-day session at the Tech Academy in early June, where teachers will explore their "Whys," research the effectiveness of blended learning environments, and develop technology skills with hands-on training. Teachers will also have time to integrate these skills into their lesson plans. This will be followed by weekly PLC (Professional Learning Community) meetings starting in September and continuing throughout the school year, allowing for continuous collaboration and growth.
2. Support: The process of changing classroom practices requires consistent support. Starting with the June Tech Academy session, teachers will be guided by early adopters of blended learning stations. These early adopters, having successfully implemented blended learning themselves, will provide mentorship, share their experiences, and offer support throughout the school year. They will serve as coaches, helping colleagues navigate challenges and refine their approaches.
3. Engage: Teachers’ initial exposure to new concepts should be interactive, not passive. The blended learning PL program will launch at the Tech Academy session, and teachers will actively participate in their learning stations. Teachers will gain hands-on experience with different tools and methods as they rotate between stations, and peer feedback will facilitate collaborative learning. This engagement will help teachers develop practical solutions for implementing blended learning.
4. Model: Observing real-world examples is crucial to understanding new teaching practices. From late October to December, new adopters will have the opportunity to observe Two-Way Dual Language teachers already using blended learning environments. These classroom observations will be followed by Q&A sessions where new adopters can ask for clarification and practical advice, further reinforcing their understanding of blended learning implementation.
5. Practice: Professional development is most effective when tailored to the specific needs of teachers’ disciplines. In this professional learning plan, the resources and strategies provided will be customized for Two-Way Dual Language teachers, ensuring the content is highly relevant to their specific teaching contexts. This approach addresses one of the most common frustrations in professional learning, where, too often, the content is overly generic or not directly applicable to teachers' unique classroom environments.
Foster Collaboration
Engaging and inspiring the administrative staff ensures a successful shift to a digital ecosystem. Administrators can effectively champion the initiative when they are passionate about the change and see its positive impact. This enthusiasm will help foster a collaborative environment when introducing the shift to teachers. Administrators and teachers can collaborate to develop solutions that benefit educators and students by promoting experimentation and co-creating digital ecosystems.
Collaboration will come through ongoing support and modeling of the new ecosystem, as well as the exchange of ideas and practices among teachers.
Who leads what components
Principals and Assistant Principals oversee data monitoring and ensure that goals are being met. Instructional Coaches play a crucial role in supporting teachers by modeling effective strategies and providing ongoing guidance for project planning and implementation. Meanwhile, teachers are responsible for lesson planning, engaging in self-directed learning, conducting self-assessments, and implementing classroom strategies.
For the implementation of our professional learning, regarding creating learning environments through blended learning, our team will carry out a structured approach to dividing tasks in the following order:
Learning facilitator in charge of presentations: Each one of us is at our own grade level.
2nd grade: Doyna Johnston
kindergarten: Desiree Lopez and Angelica Padron
Learning activities facilitator: instructional coaches of the grade level
assessment facilitator: all team members and instructional coaches.
Audience
Principals and Assistant Principals must understand how a digital environment can enhance school performance and help achieve institutional goals. They should be provided with information on digital environments, how they function, and their potential impact on the school community.
Instructional coaches should have digital tools, effective teaching strategies, and leadership skills. They should also have access to support materials and activities tailored to different grade levels and assignments.
The initial professional learning plan will primarily target elementary school dual language teachers. The long-term goal is to expand blended learning across all academic programs within the school district, allowing other bilingual teachers to witness and adopt this successful transformation of the traditional professional learning experience.
To enhance teaching practices and boost student learning, implement blended learning, foster student-centered environments, and cultivate a growth mindset in teachers and students.
THREE COLUMN TABLE BHAG
PL OUTLINE
*The dates listed in the Outline are subject to change based on institution or school district events.
Reference
Fink, L. (2003). A Self-Directed Guide to Designing Courses for Significant Learning Designing Courses for Significant Learning. https://www.bu.edu/sph/files/2014/03/www.deefinkandassociates.com_GuidetoCourseDesignAug05.pdf
Gulamhussein, A. (2013, September). Teaching the teachers: Effective professional development an era of high stakes accountability. Retrieved from The Center for Public Education website: https://www.dropbox.com/s/j13c5mk092kmqv9/Teaching_Effective_Professional_Developmt.pdf?dl=0
Harapnuik, D. (2016, June 13). Why you need a BHAG to design learning environments. Harapnuik.org. https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=6414
Harapnuik, D. (2021, February 26). Aligning Outcomes, Activities & Assessments. Harapnuik.org. https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=8732
McGraw-Hill PreK-12. (2016, April 19). Catlin Tucker talks about blended
learning with station rotation [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbkFxUzFMMTZfNWtMOXFFOUZTRE5MMzI4bGlkZ3xBQ3Jtc0tra3JyMXVjN0Jad2xTN2N5MnNFaU1CTnR5VUhmSjdKaF9rQUZpRG91OGpUcDhuLVNmME9tVl9yRkRpU2NPS2hzNEMwTjRiTTBhZ0VTbnVPMUtOYmlyQVl5Rk1wVEhQRlFsNGVDakRMRV93S3FKNWpfYw&q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mheonline.com%2FBlendedLearningwithCatlin&v=J80MQd60UZc
McGraw-Hill PreK-12. (2016, April 5). How and why to integrate station rotation
in your classroom [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=oY5iXxqe_WU
National Education Association (2024) Teacher Professional Growth
https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/professional-learning/teachers