Professional Development and International Practice

Faculty Perceptions and Growth

Become passionately curious…. Albert Einstein

Essential question:

How do we determine the effects and effectiveness of activities designed to enhance the professional knowledge and skills of educators so that they might improve the learning of students?

Why is the effectiveness of professional development practices important?

Consider your own professional development experiences•Which do you consider the most effective?

•What made these most meaningful?

•If asked, could you provide evidence of the effects of the experiences? What kind of evidence?

Never before in the history of education has there been greater recognition of the importance of professional

development. Guskey (2000)

The conundrum •Often viewed as…

▫Special events▫Little input into planning the event

▫Graduate credits or seat hours: Endure•The challenge

▫Reinforces the perception of PD as a series of unrelated workshops with little follow up/guidance

▫“How can I get my hours?” ▫“What do I need to do to improve my

practice?”

Knowing-Doing GapPfeffer, J. & Sutton, R. (2000)

•Knowing-Doing Gap▫Why knowledge of what needs to be done

frequently fails to result in action or behavior consistent with that knowledge

▫“Intelligent, hard working people…fail to translate knowledge about [effective] performance into action” (page 6)

▫Diffusion proceeds slowly; superior practices not easily adopted.

•Who is responsible in creating effectiveness and building capacity?

International Study: PD onCulture of Continuous Improvement•Methodology: Survey design based on

three separate one week professional development sessions▫Session I: Five day-long sessions▫Session II: Three day-long sessions▫Session III: Two half day-sessions

•Participants: Purposive sample▫19 participants▫Average 2. 5 years of experience

Conceptual Framework

•For professional development to be successful, it must be adapted to the complex and dynamic characteristics of specific contexts (Guskey, 1995)

▫Purpose-driven professional development▫Initiator specific▫Guidelines for professional development

effectiveness

Research Questions

1. Does professional development alter instructional behaviors?

2. How does the faculty perceive the role of international partners?

3. Do faculty indicate a need for additional support from their international accreditation partners?

4. How do faculty and content experts perceive their ability to impact student learning?

Focus: First Research Question

•Does professional development alter instructional behaviors?

•Findings▫ The PD activities increased my teaching skills based on

research of effective practice. [ lowest score av.=3]▫ The PD activities provided me with the knowledge and

skills to think strategically and fully integrate the program vision in the program course work. [av.= 4]

▫ The PD activities enhanced my professional growth and deepened my reflection and self assessment of exemplary practices. [av.3.95]

Correlations:Impact on Professional Practice

A negative correlation was found between frequency of session attendance and the PD activities provided the knowledge and skills to think strategically and fully integrate the program vision in the [program] course work .(-.428, p= < .05)

The PD activities increased my teaching skills based on research of effective practice had a positive correlation with an increase in skills to analyze and use data in decision making for instruction.(.489, p= < .05)

Participant Satisfaction

Presenter knowledge and performance had a positive correlation with the activities enhanced my professional growth and deepened my reflection and self assessment of exemplary practices.

(.529, p = < .05)

Program Development ExpectationsPercentages•Participants in professional development

activities are involved in determining the topics and content ▫60% of faculty agree or strongly agree

•There is an expectation that PD will cause changes in teachers classroom practices to occur▫95% of faculty agree or strongly agree

•The PD presenters are knowledgeable and have credibility with the participants▫95% of faculty agree or strongly agree

Theme: CollaborationCollaboration needed between content and pedagogy experts

Need to work more cooperatively to share common goals (Part. 1)

Make [learning] community have the same agreement….in achieving the mission and vision. Not just come from the top, but from the bottom to the top. (Part. 6)

Theme: LeadershipLeadership CommitmentWe know PD must be long term, imbedded in order to be effective. This improvement of PD effectiveness will come from a focus/prioritizing [by leadership] of the goals of the program. (Part. 11)Timing, timing, timing - in the overall structure [leadership] simply must implement PLC time and decide where to take that time from other activities --not as an add-on. (Part. 1)

Specific to Culture• Real life examples - what works here?

Suggestions on how to modify according to our context here. (Part. 4)

• Contextual Culture/context needs reinforcement. (Part. 10)

• Make it more concrete and appropriate for courses. (Part. 16)

• I really expect that there is a time for asking and answering or even discussing about our on- going rubric that [we] have been using here. (Part 12)

Statement of Findings•School culture/context needs reinforcement

and specificity; Why the Focus?

•Make it more concrete and appropriate [opposed to theoretical], Make the “So What” clear

•Leadership must continue practices and

provide TIME to reflect and process

Unintended Findings

•Administrative driven; Purpose unclear

•Isolation within practice: Time needed

•Learning climate and credibility of presenters positively correlate

•Staff want to be ‘included’ and supported; Entire community strives to provide accountability

Stages of ConcernHall, G. E. & Hord, S. M. (2006)

• The Concerns-based Adoption Model (CBAM) is a well-researched model which describes how people develop as they adopt an innovation.▫Awareness: I am not concerned about it.▫ Informational: I would like to know more about it.▫Personal: How will using it affect me?▫Management: High maintenance ▫Consequence: How is my use [PD] affecting

learners? How can I refine it to have more impact?

▫Collaboration: How can I relate what I am doing to what others are doing?

▫Renewal: I have some ideas about something that would work even better.

Model of Teacher ChangeGuskey (2000)

Final Reflections: Closing the Gap•What is relevant?•Guidelines:

▫Recognize Change as Both an Individual and Organizational Process

▫Think Big, but Start Small (gradual/incremental)▫Work in Teams to Maintain Support (shared

voice)▫Include Procedures for Feedback on Results

…to be sustained and [if] changes are to endure, the individuals involved need to receive regular feedback on the effects of their efforts (Guskey, 2005; Pfeffer & Sutton, 2000)

Janine AllenDean of Education and CounselingCorban UniversityJallen@corban.edu503.589.8158