Mod 4 Sophie

1.      What are your thoughts about effective professional development strategies? Describe a professional development opportunity that led to your adoption of new teaching or leadership practices.          

I have been to many one-stop-shop kinds of trainings. Some leave a little bit of a lasting impression, but many are long forgotten. I think that if a PD is not going to have a follow through, then it shouldn’t be taught. The follow through doesn’t even have to be by the presenter, it could just be the principal or teams discussing it in small groups.

I was at a training, one of those where they put you in a room and you listen the whole day and never see you again. I don’t remember the majority of the training or what the training was even about, but I do remember one thing. The presenter told us to stop answering questions. I thought he was crazy, but then he explained. (I’m not even sure that the presenter was male.)

It is easy for a student to come up and ask you a question. It is also easy just to give them the answer. However, this doesn’t lead to deeper thinking. Instead, when they ask you a question, answer it with another question. Not just any questions, a guiding question that will lead the student down the path to figure out the answer for him/herself. This strategy leads to deeper thinking and problem solving.

It is hard to implement this strategy, oh so hard. But in my experience, it is so worth it! Not only do students start thinking about what they are asking you, but they start thinking deeper all the time and they learn that questions are not scare, bad things.

2.      What made this professional development opportunity effective from your perspective?

The PD opportunity that I mentioned before, as a whole, was not an effective one. The one piece of information that I gleaned from it was the question strategy. That strategy intrigued and challenged me. I think because it was challenging for me, and I saw some results right away, I kept it up. Because that one strategy had certain characteristics for me: interesting, intriguing, challenging…I have kept it and continued to use it for four years now.

I did participate in another PD that had multiple gatherings and the presenter came to us at the school between meetings. She would always present us with something new and answer any questions at our meetings and when she came to us, she would help us implement the new stuff she had recently presented and answer questions. This PD was for a new math textbook. I loved the new book and I used what they said and applied it in my classroom. This kind of textbook called for student collaboration and student-centered learning. The kids loved it and I did too. I was successful because I tried it long enough to see that it really did make a difference. Other teachers didn’t try it long enough, got frustrated, and quit. It showed in their students’ achievements. However, they didn’t quit because they didn’t know how to implement it. We all had plenty of training on how to implement and we all had plenty of assistance when needed. It either worked or failed based on the teachers’ preferences.

3.      What is the PD strategy or strategies you plan to use in your Technology Integration Initiative? How will this strategy or strategies help you achieve the outcomes for your TI Initiative?  What will  you need to do to provide leadership to successful professional development (here you might think back on the results and your analysis of your Leadership Assessment and/or the  resources/challenges present in the context for delivering professional development)?

I think I would like to do the same kind of training that I received for my old math textbook. I would like to have multiple meetings over a period of time that would present new ideas and strategies and ways to use the tech and then I would like to coach them during the weeks/months between the meetings to help ensure understanding and smooth transitions. I would also encourage the ones that are quick to jump on the wagon to assist others and make a little presentation at our meetings.

Meetings over a span of time will allow me to give short bursts of information at each meeting. This will not overload the teachers with a ton of information at once; which can cause intimidation before they even start. Then the little visits from me between the meetings will be about the information I just presented at the most recent meeting. I will give assistance to those who need it and encourage first adopters to explore the rest and maybe present at our next meeting. Then the cycle will continue.

I will need to work on my confidence. I think if I understand the tech 100% and do research on it before I present each piece, I will have more confidence. I think if I bring in experts on the matter and learn all I can from them, then I will have more confidence.

4.      Please also share any literature or resources you are using to refine your focus and develop your plan.

Croft, A., Coggshall, J., Dolan, M., Powers, E., & Killion, J. (2010). Job-Embedded Professional Development: What it is, who is responsible, and how to get it done well. Issue Brief.

Implementation Support. (2015). Retrieved March 18, 2015, from https://www.carnegielearning.com/learning-solutions/professional-development/implementation-support/

Chapter 7  Branding

What is "Brand-ed" School Leadership?  

I think “Brand-ed” School Leadership is like advertising your school like a business does. It is where you try to put a positive image in someone’s head when they think about your school. When you think about Starbucks, for example, the little green and white girl with long hair and a crown pops into your head. This image is positive, interesting, bright, and smiley. It makes me think of goodies. I think every school should have a positive vibe like this and developing and implementing a brand can help. I also think that it gives the students and the staff at the school a since of comradery.

Chapter 8 Professional Growth and Development

After reading Chapter 8, what experience do you have with PLN – Personal Learning Networks?  Do you think using PLN would be an option in your workplace setting to promote professional growth and development?

I am currently a member of Fairmont State University Mathematics Facebook group. There I can post questions, give suggestions, receive information classroom strategies/lesson ideas and the most important part is that I am giving information about math conferences. I have been asked to present and attend many conferences (I have declined because of the timing). This, sadly, and my graduate classes are the only PLNs I have been active in.

At the school I am at now, the vibe that seems to be going through the school is that technology is not a priority. The county makes a point to tell all the staff that we should not be friends with any parents or students on social networks because it is inappropriate. Teachers are afraid to use the calendar that is linked to our new emails because they think it isn’t right to put personal information on a professional tool like that. I disagree with all of this. I think if you conduct yourself in a professional way, then there shouldn’t be a problem with either of these. I hope that at my new school, I will not only be able to communicate with other teachers in the same field as me in the building, but I also hope to get more involved in Twitter and teaching conferences. I would like to build the confidence up to actually take part in presentations and I would like to be a go to person when it comes to implanting engaging mathematics teachings.

I do know that our superintendent is thinking about starting a Twitter account to increase communication from the county board. Hopefully, this will cause a spark and social networking will stop being seen as an evil tool and instead be seen as a useful tool.