Five Models of Professional Development

Book Talks

Case Study

Observation

5 models of

professional development

Self-GuidedDevelopment

Cohort

other perspectives on a student issue. A disadvantage of a case study is more information may be wanted by the educator in order to have a better understanding of the student within the case study. To continue to make this relevant to the campus community, an activity could be case studies using current students on the school campus. Typing up a short description of one student in the grade level, the case study can focus on a portion this student may need support with. Trading the case study with the grade level above allows for educators to determine possible interventions for a student that will be entering their grade the following year. This not only gives them an idea of what students will be moving forward the following year, as well as give educators ideas from another source to support their students.

A case study is a professional development model that allows educators to use a student scenario and dissect it (State Education Resource Center, n.d.). In this model, educators may be placed in a small group to discuss the case study with. Case studies traditionally use students who have a need in at least one area. The case study offers insight for the team to understand strengths, needs, interests, observations, etc. Using the case study, educators need to determine the best way to support this student given the information they have. This model is effective as it allows educators to collaborate to support this student. Having a case study offers relevance to the educators promoting andragogy principles. An advantage of using case studies is being able to apply learning directly to the learner. Any information learned previously is able to be discussed in a group of how to support the student in the case study. The case study student may be similar to one in their own classroom, allowing them to get

The cohort professional development model allows for a long term professional development to be completed by a group of educators (State Education Resource Center, n.d.). Due to this model being long term, it goes in depth over the selected topic. This model can be effective for educators as they have the opportunity to work with other professionals on a set topic. If needed for certification, this learning model keeps learning relevant to certification requirements the educator needs to complete. An advantage of the cohort model is it consists of a group of educators that are able to keep one another accountable for the learning. Due to this model taking place over a length of time, each educator needs to stay on top of the learning requirements each week presents. In a cohort, individuals are able to remind each other and complete work in groupings to have discussions about the topics presented. A disadvantage to a cohort model is that the

learning may not be completed by all staff members at the same time. Each cohort may have a different number of educators that start at different times throughout the school year. A cohort would be a good model for educators needing to receive updated certification. For example, educators needing to meet the new reading endorsement requirements from Arizona. For teachers in this situation, completing a cohort professional development with other educators from the same site allows for support in receiving this endorsement.

A self-guided professional development is an individualized learning option that the learner selects an area they need extra support in (Francis, 2021). This learning model allows for multiple educators to complete a professional development at the same time. Due to the learning being selected by the educator, their motivation is greater to learn it as it is relevant to their classroom. This professional development model incorporates andragogy principles of motivation, relevance, as well as self-efficacy. An advantage of self-guided development is that an educator is able to work at their own pace. This pace is able to change based on the workload of the week. A disadvantage of this type of professional development is that the

educator needs to be disciplined to complete the research on their own. In addition, because each educator has their own topic there is not room for discussion between educators. An activity that can be utilized with this type of professional development is a day of self-guided development presentations. The teacher completing the professional development would be able to present to their peers as a mini professional development. This gives the educator the opportunity to share the knowledge they received with the rest of the staff as well as learn from other self-guided PD’s completed.

This allows educators to have more voice and choice within their voice and choice. A disadvantage of this type of professional development is that it is heavily reliant on educators reading the book. If the educator does not read, it does not lead to the amount of discussion needed for all participants to gain from both the book and discussion. This professional development would work well as an activity for grade band teams over the summer. During the summer some educators are willing to complete professional development. While this is voluntary, completing a book to discuss with a group allows for the different interpretations to be shared. This same format can also be used during the school year, but would need a dedicated time during the week for grade bands to meet to discuss the book.

In a book talk style professional development, there is a book selected by a group of participants to study (State Education Resource Center, n.d.). Each participant in a book talk would each read a portion of the book, typically a chapter at a time, to be discussed with the group. During the group discussion ideas that came from the book, main takeaways, and even how it could be implemented in the classroom can be talked over. This model allows for different areas to have their own focus. Allowing grade band teams, such as primary and intermediate, to meet allows for professional development that is developmentally appropriate for their grade band to be focussed on. This could also be set up using a variety of book talks for different subject areas allowing for educators to pick a book in an area they would like to grow in.

A model of professional development that allows the learner to watch other educators is through observation. In an observation, the teacher who is looking to grow in a portion of their practice is watching a more experienced teacher in the classroom (Francis, 2021). While observing, the learning teacher is watching strategies the veteran uses, student engagement, student behavior, resources used, and other items directly related to the teacher's goal for the observation. This model is effective because the learner is able to observe teaching in practice rather than theory. As the veteran teacher is being observed, the observer is able to reflect on things that are done well. Following the observation, the teacher undergoing the professional development can reflect on ways to implement what they liked from the observation into their own teaching practice.

Observations are beneficial for the educator as they can take place during a short period of time and be tailored directly to the teachers needs. A disadvantage of observations is teaching styles may not align between the observer and the veteran teacher. If these styles do not align, it may be more difficult to implement observations in the classroom. Additionally, a disadvantage of an observation is it needs to take place during school hours. This leads the observing teacher to give up a prep hour or receive coverage for their class. An activity that can be used with this professional development is a reflection sheet. The reflection sheet can have prompts such as what was enjoyed, what could have been changed, what else should be observed, etc. This reflection sheet guides the educator to look for specific things during the observation and write them down to remember later.

development allows for the educator to select an area they would like to become stronger in. This educator would observe another teacher that is an expert in the area. This type of professional development also requires a solid campus community foundation to be successful. Having another educator in the room while teaching is a vulnerable experience for the educator being observed. If there is no relationship between the observer and the educator being observed it may be an uncomfortable time for the educator being observed. While this can be a concern, my current school campus has a wonderful community built. Of the twenty four educators, eighteen have been at the school for the last three school years. Having a similar staff repeat for multiple school years continues to build relationships within the school. Due to this, educators are willing to share their knowledge to support their colleagues.

At my current school site, the observation model of professional development would be the most effective. Currently, there are sixteen general education teachers, three resource teachers, and five self-contained teachers. Of the twenty four teachers, there are five teachers that have under ten years of teaching experience, fifteen teachers have had ten to fifteen years of teaching experience, and four teachers have over twenty years of teaching experience. Due to the majority of the educators on our school campus having over ten years of experience, the professional developments need to meet their specific needs. Each of the educators have areas of their practice that they have perfected and found work for their students. Each of these educators also have an area that they may not feel strongly about, which can be targeted during an observation. If the professional development provided is not something that the educators need, it will not be as meaningful as it is intended. Offering an observation as a professional