Characteristics of Effective Professional Development Concerning Technology Infusion

H. Johnson – KSU Deaf Ed Teacher Prep Pro – 10/5/05

Need for & Characteristics of Effective Professional Development Concerning Technology Infusion:

Adsit, J. N. (2004).

p. 6 - …numerous calls for the reform of teacher prof. dev. …

p. 6 - …need for providing teachers with ongoing, high quality prof. dev. opt that offer teachers evidence based resources/strategies for improving teaching, learning and stu. outcomes

P. 6 – “Unfortunately, the research shows that the vast majority of prof. dev. programs are still rooted in one-shot workshop models that are divorced from the reality of classroom practice (ref.),”

p. 7 - …most prof. dev. opt. are:

top down
deficit model
lecture based
with no opt for teachers to…
collaborate
share experiences
build new knowledge bases

p. 7 - …instead, what is needed are “social collaborations” that provide “robust” peer-support networks

p. 7 - …research…new models of prof. dev….based on the potential/power of Internet based technologies/resources/networks….designed to:

reduce teacher isolation
provide access to a broad range of resources for improving teaching and learning
foster collaboration and prof. growth

p. 10 - …ref…”found that video technology…can be a powerful tool for fostering reflection.”

Jacobsen, D.M., Clifford, P., Frisen, S. (2002).

technologies are best learned “just in time” vs. “just in case”
planning, designing, implementing and evaluating are best done in collaboration with others
learning must be sustained in authentic, challenging and multidisciplinary tasks
a culture of learning must be established, one that supports risk taking and knowledge generation

teachers need intentional and meaningful opt. to reflect on prof. dev. and growth.

Garry, A., & Graham, P. (2004).

p. 1 – common elements of effective professional development

focus on higher-order teaching strategies
use of teacher study groups/networks vs. isolated workshops
inclusion of opt. for active learning
direct connection between teacher’s goals and the focus of the prof. dev.
grouping teachers from the same subject area, grade level or school.

p. 1 – within the study group model, teachers learn from one another and receive collegial support

p. 1 – professional dev. activities must have relevance to the teacher’s classroom

p. 4 – what it takes to make prof. dev. successful:

specific directions and expectations
high quality resources
flexible structure and clear accountability

collegial discussions and feedback

Cradler, J., & Cradler, R. (2002-2003)

p. 47 – most important aspects of staff development…opportunity to:

explore
reflect
collaborate with peers
work on authentic learning tasks
engage in hands-on, active learning

p. 47 – “In essence, the principles for creating successful learning environments for children apply to teachers as well (ref.).”

p. 47 – “A study by Becker and Reil (2000) showed that teachers who engaged in collaborative planning and sharing of instructional strategies with other teachers most frequently demonstrated effective uses of computers in classrooms.”

p. 47 – importance of linking instruction, technology use and local/state standards

p. 48 – use of action research projects…as a central activity for prof. dev…”resulted in participants applying new knowledge and skills in the use and integration of technology into instruction with greater consistency and effectiveness.”

p. 48 – necessary conditions that must be meet before attempting to develop/implement a classroom tech. integration plan:

teachers must have access to information re. technology uses
teachers tech applications must apply to their classroom setting
teachers must become aware of the standards/guidelines for technology integration into instruction

p. 48-49 – suggestions for implementing staff dev. re. tech. integration into instruction:

use stu. performance data to plan integration
establish a long term plan that is tied to a specific application
provide sufficient time for professionals to dev. needed knowledge and skills
insure that school admin. support the effort
tie the tech. integration to the curriculum
encourage teachers to inquire and reflect
provide opt. for collaborative and indi. learning
apply the principles of effective teaching
estab. community and organizational support
incorporate evaluation activiteis

Hasselbring, T.S., Smith., L., Rakestraw, J., & Campbell, M. (2000).

p. 5 – tech training can be effective IF if is:

aligned with curriculum
aligned with what teachers do in their classrooms

p. 14 – for technologies to be truly effective in K-12 schools, it must be “…seen as changing relationships between students and teachers and between learners and knowledge.”

Donovan, M.S., Bransford, J.D., & Pellegrino, J.W. (Eds.) (1999). [Chapter 3]

p. 1 – agreement re. the importance of information provided in How people learn. + the fact that most teaching does not reflect such information

p. 2 – need for research that helps educators and policy makers to understand how to apply and measure the concepts presented within How people learn text

p. 2 – providing new curriculums is not enough…teachers need to see and practice…over an extended period of time how the ideas presented within How people learn can be both implemented and the impact of that implementation effectively determined

p. 3 – teachers must also be a collaborative partner in the redesign of education…as outlined within How people learn …their knowledge and insights must be incorporated into the redesign

p. 3 – teachers need time to learn, to reflect, to practice, to implement and to evaluate the new models of teaching presented within How people learn + they need to be recognized and rewarded for their efforts

p. 3 – “…widespread consensus among educators that time limitations are an enormous barrier to bridging research and practice.”

p. 3 - “For teachers to change their practice, they need prof. dev. opt that are in-depth and sustained.” …such prof. dev. must provide actual models/teachers who are using the proposed concepts/strategies + …must incorporate ongoing opt. for collaboration between those “…who teach the professional development courses and those who participate.”

p. 3 – parents and administrators must understand and support teachers in their efforts to bridge research and practice

p. 3 – new teaching methods will require new assessment protocols

[notes on how to present information to policy makers/legislators to that they can understand and support the effort]

Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., & Cocking, R.R. (Eds.) (1999). [Chapter 8]

p. 2 – how do teachers continue to learn about teaching?…

from their own practice
through interactions with other teachers
formal degree programs
other

p. 4 – most schools spend between 1-2% of their operating budget on prof. dev

p. 4 – many prof. dev. opt. for teachers are not designed to build on the teacher’s interest or knowledge base

p. 5 – the need/importance of providing teachers with an array of roles/responsibilities they can take as they become expert teachers…such is not now available

p. 6 – importance of and use of technology to facilitate teachers forming interest groups

p. 6 – deficiencies of most prof. dev. opt. for teachers…

not centered on the teacher’s interest or knowledge
few opt. to focus upon content specific knowledge, concepts or instructional strategies
presented information is not supported by research concerning learning
focus upon generic instructional strategies

p. 7 – current teacher characteristics concerning learning…

“Learning involves making oneself vulnerable and taking risks and this is not how teachers often see their role.”
“…lack confidence…worry about admitting that they don’t know or understand for fear of colleagues and administrators reaction.”
“When they encourage students to actively explore issues and generate questions…they will encounter questions that they can not answer – and this can be threatening.”
teachers need assistance in becoming comfortable in the role of learners

p. 8-9 – teachers need formative feedback concerning their teaching…this is not usually available to them

p. 9 – “An important approach to enhancing teacher learning is to develop communities of practice, an approach that involves collaborative peer relationships and teachers’ participation in research and practice.”

p. 11- teachers need the opt. to collaborate on the topic of student learning, to share experiences and discuss ideas…this can be done around the collaborative activity of “Action Research”…provides the opt. to examine beliefs re. student learning…teachers are hampered in being involved in such collaborative work because of the lack of time and resources.

p. 17 – re. prof. dev…..”The typical workshops tend to occur once, deal with decontextualized in information and often do not resonate with teacher’s perceived needs.”

p. 17-18 – re. prof. dev…”…the most successful teacher professional development activities are those that are extended over time and encourage the development of teachers’ learning communities.”

p. 18 – “Beginning teachers are especially influenced by the nature of the schools in which they began their teaching.”

Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., & Cocking, R.R. (Eds.) (1999). [Chapter 9]

p. 1 – potential of new/emerging technologies…enhance ed by creating new learning environments and communities

p. 2 – key features of effective technology applications within education:

interactivity
visualizations of difficulty to understand concepts
access to information and individuals and learning opt. outside of the classroom

p. 2 – key uses of technology to enhance teaching and learning…

bringing exciting curricula that is based on real world problems into the classroom
providing scaffolds and tools to support and enhance learning
giving teachers and students more opt. for feedback, reflection and revisions
building local and global communities that include all of education’s stakeholders
expanding opt. for teacher learning

examples of the “new curricula”/learning environments that teachers need to provide and that technologies can facilitate…

p. 2-3 - …use of tech to create environments in which students not only solve problems, but also identify the problems that are to be solved – this is in contrast to “…the typical school classroom, in which students spend most of their time learning facts from a lecture or text and doing the problems at the end of the text.”

p. 3 - …use of video based technologies to link classrooms with the world…to scientist (p. 4)

p. 4 - …the interactive nature of some technologies make it much easier for students to revisit, explore, receive feedback concerning a particular aspect of a problem that they are working on….thus the interactivity provides the feedback that is so necessary to the learning process

p. 4-5 – “Since the ultimate goal of education is to prepare students to become competent adults and life long learners, there is a strong argument for electronically linking students not just with peers, but also with practicing professionals.”

p. 9 – the use of technologies to present complex ideas/information/concepts in a visual manner….consistent with the way we learn…thus a needed technological application for both learning and demonstrating what has been learned

Connecting Classrooms to Community:

p. 15 – “Bringing students and teachers in contact with the broader community can enhance their learning.” – students can learn more effectively via such community based interactions (p. 16)

p. 16 – three factors associated with successful network based communities of practice:

emphasis upon group, vs. one-on-one communications
well articulated goals/tasks
explicit efforts to facilitate group interactions and establish new social norms

Teacher Learning

p. 17 – students learning new technologies in the classroom…serves to model learning for their students + to provide them more opt. to observe, understand and reflect upon student’s learning as they learn to use/apply the technologies

p. 17 – support/assistance needed by teachers to learn/use technologies in their classrooms…

teachers must be partners in the technological innovations…not just the receivers of the technology…they must also be part of the decision factors of what is introduced and how it is used and how the results are evaluated
teachers need time to learn, to reflect, to absorb, to adapt practice
teachers need collegial advisors vs. supervisors

p. 17 – “Internet-based communities of teachers are becoming increasingly important for overcoming teacher’s sense of isolation.”

p. 18 – on-line communities of teachers need the opt. for…

planned interactions
tolls for “joint review”
annotation of educational resources
opt. for on-line collaborative design activities