Role of Staff Development

Staff development must be:

  • "Just-in-Time":   Can this new knowledge and skills be immediately put to use in the classroom?  Do the teachers have access to the appropriate technology in their work areas?

    Pre scheduled inservice days conflicting with equipment allocations

    • Mentor / Coaches / Facilitators - "each-one-teach-one"
    • Web-based facilitator packages & 6 Phase Lessons
    • Flexible Modules in notebooks for learner-centered instruction
    • Multiple offerings each staff development inservice opportunity
    • Differentiated Instruction
  • "Content" Appropriate:  Does this staff development address knowledge and skills growth in relation to accepted standards?   Will there be accountability in the classroom? Will it assist Student-Centered Learning?
    • Content VS Skills -- i.e. developing global interactive projects vs teaching basic email skills
    • Learning Approaches

      "BIRD HOUSE" Approach

      "SKILLS-BUILDING" Approach

      Eclectic Approach

      Innovator

      Primary Adoptor

      "Wanna Be" / Intender

      Laggard / "Some Day --Need to"

      Change Resister / "Don’t See the Need"

      Rock

       

    • Problem solving & real world applications to take back to the classroom
    • Immediate implementation of content relevant products
    • TEKS ANALYSIS WORKSHOP
  • "Process" Appropriate: Does the staff development address the multiple modes and strategies to engage the participant in the content?  Do opportunities include flexible groups and collaboration (Study Groups, Team Planning, Teacher Networks.)  Does it include clarification and participant expectations?  Does it include evaluation of the delivery process?  Will there be follow-up?
    • Use of: centers, interest groups, independent study, group investigation, small-group instruction, quests, journaling
    • Model what you want to see in the classroom
    • Nurture what you want to reap
    • Tiered lessons, tiered centers, tiered products.

Tiered Activities for "Differentiated" Learning Needs.

All students focus on essential understanding & skills but at different levels of complexity, abstractness, & open-endedness.  Sot that (1) each student comes away with pivotal skills & understanding (2) each student is appropriately challenged.

Create the activity:

Chart the complexity of the activity.   Clone the activity along the mastery continuum, increasing the mastery in terms of application.

Use problem-based learning, group investigation, independent study, portfolios, and 7 intellegences for multi-modal learners (4MAT)

  • "Context" Appropriate: Does the staff development address the context in which the participant will implement the new learning? Is there linkage between old & new knowledge? Will this new knowledge and skills impact student achievement?  Will this learning improve integration of technology as an effective tool for individualizing student-centered curriculum in the classroom?
    • Is your staff development "Lab-based" and will the teacher be classroom-based?  How can you simulate the classroom in a lab setting?  (hint: collaborative projects)
    • Does your staff development incorporate tools that are found in the classroom? Available to the student and teacher?
    • Are the skills & knowledge acquired relevant to to "my" classroom?
    • Can it be implemented?
  • "Learner-Centered " : Does the staff development address the commitment or "buy in" of the participant?  Does the participant take responsibility for his/her own learning?  Are there resources and support for this type of commitment?   Does the staff development reflect the level of expertise appropriate for the participant?
    • Entry Level -- Basic Skills
    • Adoption Level -- Supplemental Skills
    • Adaption Level -- Integration
    • Appropriation Level -- Competency
    • Invention Level -- Innovation

Learner-centered staff development, as learner-centered classrooms, demand powerful management skills from the facilitator.   The facilitators responsibilities will be among the following:

  • Thoughtful Directions
  • Explicit Expectations
  • Established Routines
  • Staying Organized
  • Including Opportunities for Extended Learning
  • Establishing START-UP and WRAP-UP Procedures
  • Teaching learners to work for Quality
  • Develop Support Systems
  • Mentor / Coach
  • Make the Administration Partners of the Process
  • Bringing Students & Community Onboard
  • "Self Evaluated": Does the staff development address the learners concept of personal growth and benefit?  Is the teacher actively involved in setting his or her personal agenda for professional development?
  • Use Authentic Assessment (rubrics, interviews, portfolios) to judge internal satisfaction and compare skills against established standards.

RESOURCES: