Medfield Public SchoolsProfessional Learning

Encourage educators’ intellectual development

Educators are most effective when they use their minds as active learners and problem solvers.

National Staff Development Council

Content and Design of Professional Development

that “foster collective responsibility for improved student performance.”

National Staff Development Council

 Professional Development Defined...

 Staff development improves the learning of all

students.

  The process of providing ongoing

opportunitiesfor teachers to improve their

knowledge and skills.

     

Achievement&

Engagement  

Context Standards

Professional development that improves the learning of all students:

 • Organizes adults into learning communities whose goals are aligned

with those of the school and district.

 • Requires skillful school and district leaders who guide continuous

instructional improvement.

 • Requires resources to support adult learning and collaboration.

How Teachers Work Together

Professional development that improves the learning of all students organizes adults into learning communities whose goals are aligned with those of the school and district.

How Teachers Work Together

• Commitment to the norms  o continuous improvement and experimentation

 • Engage members in improving their daily work

o advances achievement of district and school goals for student learning.

 • Teams vary in size

o meet almost dailyo take collective responsibility for the learning of all

students

How teachers Work Together

• Ongoing • Consistent

 • Scheduled

 

Learning 

 

Planning 

 

Problem  

Solving 

LeadershipProfessional development that improves the learning of all students requires skillful school and district leaders who guide continuous instructional improvement.

Leadership

• Quality teaching in all classrooms necessitates skillful leadership at the district, school, and classroom levels.

 • Leaders recognize quality professional development as the

key strategy for supporting significant improvements. • Leaders articulate the critical link between improved student

learning and the professional development of teachers. • Skillful leaders establish policies and structures that support

ongoing professional learning and continuous improvement.

Resources

Professional development that improves the learning of all students requires resources to support adult learning and collaboration. • Well designed and implemented professional development

is an essential long-term investment in successfully teaching all students to high standards.

 • A variety of resources are needed to serve many different

purposes of professional development.

Process Standards

• Uses disaggregated student data to determine adult learning priorities, monitor progress, and help sustain continuous improvement.

 • Uses multiple sources of information to guide improvement and demonstrate

its impact.  • Prepares educators to apply research to decision making. 

 • Uses learning strategies appropriate to the intended goal. 

 • Applies knowledge about human learning and change. 

 • Provides educators with the knowledge and skills to collaborate.

Professional development that improves the learning of all students:

Data Driven Professional development that improves the learning of all students using disaggregated student data to determine adult learning priorities, monitor progress, and help sustain continuous improvement.

• Analyzing data and developing goals helps to determine the content of the teacher's professional development for instruction, curriculum, or assessment.

 • The use of data in staff development efforts needs to be measureable in

order to see if its effective.

 • In order to sustain momentum, teachers need to see improvement in

student learning as a result of staff development.

 • Carefully examining student work is in itself a means of staff development.

  

Data DrivenProfessional development that uses data from various sources to drive their decisions helps to provide meaningful guidance to both teachers and administrators. 

EvaluationThe purpose of evaluation is to show evidence or judge whether or not professional development has been worthy of the time, effort, and money spent on it. Different groups require different measureable evidence: • Participants need to know if student learning improved due to effective

professional development. • Professional development planners and administrators need evidence

that staff development is making a difference. • School boards and legislators want to know if their investment is paying

off.

   

Research-Based • Staff development that improves

the learning of all students: prepares educators to apply research to decision making.

 • Teachers and administrators are

informed of the latest educational research when selecting content and professional learning processes.

 

Research-BasedDue to the fact it can become confusing for educators to select research-based improvements because of varying opinions among researchers, it is important to have teams of teachers and administrators study the research that supports instructional improvement or whole-school reforms through: 

o Reading research reportso Talking with researchers on the telephone or inviting them to the

schoolo Visiting schools that have adopted this approach

 Designing a pilot study is another form of research to use in determining the effectiveness of a program before the program is fully implemented.

 o In order for the pilot study to effectively assess the program, it must

clearly outline the program's goals, methods, and indicators of success. 

Design Standard

Professional development that improves the learning of all students uses learning strategies appropriate to the intended goal.

Design Standard

It is essential that staff development leaders select learning strategies based on the intended outcomes and their diagnosis of participants' prior knowledge and experience.

Learning• Professional development that improves the learning of all

students applies knowledge about human learning and change.

 • Human learning is based on a common set of principles.

o Learning methods used in professional development should mirror the methods we use to teach our students.

  

Learning• Educators must go beyond understanding new ideas for

their "face value", but instead strive for a more complete understanding of its purpose, critical attributes, meaning, and connections to other approaches.

 • Professional development should provide various learning

styles, such as seeing, hearing, doing, or electronic resources that meet the needs of all staff members.

 • Educational leaders need to be understanding of the

anxiety and fear staff may feel when going through a change and harbor a respectful and trusting environment where these feelings can be communicated.

Collaboration Skills

• Professional development that improves the learning of all students:  provides educators with the knowledge and skills to collaborate.

 • Organized groups provide social interaction that often

deepens learning and the interpersonal support and synergy necessary for creatively solving the complex problems of teaching and learning.

 • While face-to-face professional learning is a preferred

method in collaboration, exploring electronic forms of collaborating with teachers from around the world can also be a vital method.  

  

Collaboration Skills

Content Standards

Professional development that improves the learning of all students:

• Prepares educators to understand and appreciate all students, create safe, orderly, and supportive learning environments, and hold high expectations for their academic achievement.

 • Deepens educators' content knowledge, provides them with research-

based instructional strategies to assist students in meeting rigorous academic standards, and prepares them to use various types of classroom assessments appropriately.

 • Provides educators with knowledge and skills to involve families and

other stakeholders appropriately.

 

Equity Standard

Effective educators:

• Know and demonstrate appreciation for all students

 • Establish classroom learning environments that are emotionally

and physically safe • Communicate high expectations for academic achievement and

quality interpersonal relationships

Equity Standard“Teachers' knowledge of their students is an essential ingredient

 of successful teaching.” 

Professional development helps teachers: • Understand social/emotional characteristics of students

• Provide strategies for tapping the unique learning strengths of each student

• Use knowledge of their students' interests and backgrounds to assist them in planning meaningful, relevant lessons

Quality Teaching

Instructional leaders and administrators must make teacher content knowledge and skills related to curriculum, instruction, and assessment high priorities.

• Ongoing professional learning and collaboration

• Provide teachers with data to assist with formative classroom assessment

• Create a culture of innovation and continuous improvement by regular classroom visits to observe instruction 

• Engaging in frequent conversations with teachers individually and collectively about instruction and student learning

Quality Teaching.

Deep understanding

of subjectsthey teach

Participate in rigorous

professional learning

Apply variousClassroom Assessment

strategies

Useappropriateinstructional

methods

Quality Teachers

Student Success

Student Success

Student Success

Student Success

Family Involvement

Effective partnerships require leadership, a compelling purpose for their work, and a set of mutually agreed-upon goals.         Educators must be knowledgeable about various ways in which families and community members can be involved meaningfully in the affairs of the school for the benefit of students.

Provides teachers and administrators with important tools for family involvement

Establish partnerships with the families or caregivers of their students

See consensus building with the broader school community

• Strengthen connections with families and the community by posting school news and homework assignments on school web sites

• Eases communication with teachers by providing e-mail or voice mail access to families

• Increases the availability of computers to all students by working with community organizations such as libraries and churches.

• Understand backgrounds and challenges of their students and their families

• Communicate clearly and respectfully with family

• Demonstrate genuine interest in the welfare of the child and family

• Conduct meetings that create a sense of teamwork between  home and school

• Delineate ways for providing support for a student's learning at home

• Demonstrate ways caregivers may be involved in schools  volunteers or committee members

• Communicate in clear, direct language (both orally and in writing)

• Conduct meetings that balance task achievement and relationships

• Clear about their own values and beliefs and respectful of the values and beliefs of others

• Convey authentic interest in the perspectives of others

• Listen deeply and honor others' points of view

• Identify areas of common interest

TechnologyTeachersAdministrators

Family Involvement