Postings in this category relate to the this part of the Opening Statement for Seminar 1:
Professional learning opportunities support the individuals and/or groups to be successful in reaching their goals.
KDP-MRU Online Seminars
Innovation and Leadership in Education
I agree that Professional Learning (PL) opportunities support individuals in reaching their goals.
The following short video clip shows how reaching goals can be as simple as taking one step at a time. https://goo.gl/k2Jb05 (Cut and paste link in browser). Sometimes reaching goals it’s not that simple. You make take a few steps back to admire the view before moving forward again to reach your goal.
What is success? In the video, I like how success is summarized by the facial expression of the main character. “Success can be as simple as achieving happiness captured in a smile”.
In the Calgary Catholic School District, we try to embed meaningful videos in our Professional Learning opportunities. We know the importance of differentiating learning experiences for learners. Dr. Andra McGinn, In her seminar 1 video, touched upon many meaningful ways she has experienced PL. A short video could fall in her category informal experiences.
Looking forward to the rest of the seminar.
I would like to respond to Dr. Andra McGinn’s comments on the importance of Professional Learning (PL) opportunities that support individuals in reaching their goals. In particular, Dr. McGinn shared the importance of online learning. With a population of over 5000 staff at Calgary Catholic, online learning is a crucial means in allowing people to learn and share new and important educational pedagogy. Online learning allows individuals the ability to learn anytime anywhere. As a member of the Calgary Catholic Professional Development Committee more and more teachers due to their busy schedules are asking for their learning to be ubiquitous, flexible and personal. Our role as leaders is to give them the time and tools to carry this out.
I concur with my colleagues who posted before me. Professional development is crucial to the well being of educators — to their ability to increase career satisfaction through life long learning endeavors great or small. Online learning has progressed to the point where it is far more adaptable and personal than in years past. Providing teaching professionals with high caliber learning experiences that fit into their busy life styles is paramount for successful continuing education in the 21st century.
I think most of us will agree to say that professional development is the keystone to educational development of any context in the world and we need to know its effectiveness and effects on every case or every stakeholder. In the case of teachers, for example, professional development has been affected by countless factors such as school culture, school administration, job satisfaction, etc.
So not only providing professional development opportunities but also the quality of them are important.
I agree there must be discernment of the quality of professional development opportunities, but one step further is to consider of what affect these opportunities have on the individual/group. I consider that one size does not fit all and although the latest guru or theory might be available it does not necessarily follow that professional learning occurs if it does not fit the context/meet the needs/be authentic for the individual or group.
I would like to respond to Dr. Andra McGinn’s comments on Professional Learning with specific reference to Conferences.
I agree with Dr. McGInn’s comments about the importance of attending conferences so that we can learn as professionals not only from within our own school district but also from the expertise that comes from others with their unique experiences and insights.
Learning is a personal journey that is often influenced by the reality we live. In our school district, we live and experience a certain reality which in turn influences what and how we learn. It helps us to better respond to certain situations. However, by attending conferences and having the opportunity to learn from others, based on their unique experiences, enables us to see another perspective that comes from a reality different from our own.
As professionals, this gives us a more global and complete understanding of some of the challenges that we must learn to address and work through.
This is a most interesting blog – I think the posting by Dr McGinn may demonstrate an excellent example of effective knowledge transfer demonstrating the interplay between PD and PL – and the importance of meaning making through dialogue. I wonder what action occurs as a result?
The vexing question might be related to whether or not we share an understanding of ‘knowledge transfer’. Is it akin to a wrapped parcel passed to another and unwrapped for use as is? Is it something like an experience to be taken into a different context and transformed to suit the new? How does all this explain the PD and PL issue?
Of course a meaning making process through effective dialogue has to be the imperative – do we have the skills for effective dialogue? The plot thickens as the semantics of language for clarity of meaningful shared understandings has to be untangled.
As I was listening to Joan’s presentation and the 5 pillars of effective professional learning, I was reminded of PD during my career as a classroom teacher when we all participated in a Myers-Briggs Personality test and then discussed how our personalities influenced our work as teachers and as a team. The learning seems quite dubious in the light of Joan’s pillars. The specifically chosen goals I suppose were to enhance staff relationships but can we honestly say this contributed to enhanced student learning and achievement? Perhaps indirectly but in retrospect, I think I’d call it more of a team building experience than professional learning. Also, it was a one-off so there was no follow up or identification of success. I’m not an expert in professional learning but I’m curious about how others would categorize this event held on a professional development day. Is that really professional development?