Initially,
my assumptions about this course were quite different than the learning that
took place throughout the course and the understandings I have now. When thinking of communication and
collaboration, I knew it encompassed almost all aspects of working in the field
of education; however, I didn’t realize the importance that adult learning
theories had in engaging others in their own professional learning. I started realizing a lot of the research behind
the professional learning strategies that take place in my district and within
my building, and I also have identified some areas of possible growth for my
building and district based on my new understandings.
Looking
at our course objectives, we were to understand and apply adult learning
theories for professional learning, demonstrate our knowledge about effective
professional practices, analyze the context and needs of a school, and plan actions
for appropriate collaboration within a school setting. Initially, I knew what I preferred when being
engaged in professional learning: the assumption that I was a competent educator,
opportunities for creativity and space for individuality, and time for
reflection. It wasn’t until this course
that many of what I look for in professional learning are consistent with the
pillars of andragogy. While I was extremely
familiar with considering pedagogy in almost all aspects of my teaching, I really
hadn’t taken the time to consider aspects of adult learning in the same
way. I now have the language and research
to use when planning for adult professional learning, which will be key in
ensuring that the learning is appropriate for all teachers.
The
five assumptions of an adult learner is something that I will now use to gauge
professional practices within my building and district. Especially when considering one’s own
independent self-concept, it is imperative that administration allows for
individuality and assumes self-motivation in their educators. It is also extremely important that the
practical nature of the professional learning shines through and applications
for immediate use are offered (Merriam, 2001).
Using
this information and considering the need in my building, I was able to construct
a professional learning plan for my building that will both help with our
school improvement plan but will also engage teachers in collaboration and new
learning. My plan, linked here, uses the
strategies mentioned above and research from Zepeda to construct a year long
professional learning series focusing on increasing teacher use of technology
to reach parents in the area of reading.
Considering that the professional learning needed to be centered around
data and research (Zepeda, 2008), it consisted of many pre and post surveys as
well as research around reading at home and engaging families through
technology. It also significantly focused
on teacher leadership, using other teachers to engage the building in the
learning process through modeling and allowing other teachers to observe. I now feel that having a component of teacher
leadership is vital to all professional learning, as it allows the planner to
consider the state of continuum each teacher is in (Zepeda, 2008) and it draws
out the best efforts in teachers.
When
interviewing my principal, it was clear that there will always be challenges
and issues raised with professional learning within a building. It was enlightening to see, though, that many
of the issues addressed can be reduced when considering each adult as an
individual learner and providing a variety of opportunities for teachers to
feel like their needs are individually met. I appreciate the new understanding
that planning a professional learning series has given me, as I didn’t fully
realize the work that goes into planning a building series previously. I am excited to continue with the work that I
started in this course, as my principal has asked that we work components of my
professional learning plan into our current building professional development
series. I am excited to see where this learning takes me next as we work with
our building on this.
Resources:
Graham, S. (n.d.).
A Simple, Easy To Understand Guide To Andragogy. Retrieved from https://www.cornerstone.edu/blogs/lifelong-learning-matters/post/a-simple-easy-to-understand-guide-to-andragogy
Merriam,
S. B. (2001). Andragogy and Self-Directed Learning: Pillars of Adult Learning
Theory. New Directions for Adult
and Continuing Education,2001(89), 3. doi:10.1002/ace.3
Zepeda,
S. J. (2008). Professional development:
What works. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.
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