Traditional Professional Development

The University of Florida Lastinger Center for Learning Research-Based Model for High Quality Professional Development

To improve students achievement by improving the teaching practices of individuals.

To maintain certification status of practicing teachers by updating knowledge.

To improve student achievement by improving the teaching practices of individuals and the collective abilities of the faculty.

To function as the cornerstone of school improvement aimed at providing high and sustained levels of student achievement.

To function as a powerful mechanism to attract, retain and develop highly qualified teachers.

Professional development is an act separate from teaching, delivered in a time and place often removed from the workplace, during staff development days with little connection to work during the school day and minimal transfer to classroom practice.

May be aligned with the curricula, connection to practice not always evident.

Heavy reliance on work-style structures.

Professional development extends beyond traditional staff development days to include times and structures during the school day so that learning is incorporated into the daily lives of teachers, embedded in the act of teaching and supported through internal structures in schools. This creates a coordinated, systemic approach to professional development, embedded into the regular school routine with continuous cycles of inquiry (learn, implement, collect evidence of impact on student learning, reflect, adapt).

Professional development is aligned with curricula, rooted in the instructional structure of schools, embedded in teacher practice, routines and schedules.

Comprehensive utilization of a variety of structures that may include teacher fellowship groups, peer observation, coaching, collaborative analysis of student work, lesson study, job-embedded graduate program, national board certification program, distance learning, action research, workshops and seminars.

Literacy may be one of many professional development topics.

Focus on communicating research-based content or skills to deepen knowledge of content or pedagogy.

Focus on increasing knowledge about (rather than masterful use of ) strategies.

Limited attention to school content.

Parent engagement strategies to improve student learning not routinely embedded in teacher professional development.

Focus on professional development is not always evident or aligned with school and district goals.

Literacy is the priority of professional development.

Focus on core competencies for effective teaching (knowledge of content and pedagogy; understanding of learner development; creating positive classroom environments; use of assessment strategies; collaboration and communication with colleagues, parents and communities; critical reflection; continuous professional growth; designing engaging instruction; planning, implementing and evaluating effective instruction; and effective use of technology).

Focus on enacted practice (knowledge of content and pedagogy translated into classroom delivery, responsive to students and settings) resulting in demonstrated mastery of strategies.

Constant attention to school and classroom context and to meeting the needs of diverse learners.

Professional development continuously examines strategies to engage parents in support of student learning.

Focus is collaboratively determined through faculty/school needs assessment, action research and student data analysis in alignment with school and district goals.

Lecture, discussion and passive learning.

Minimal follow-up support.

Responsibility for transfer to practice rests with learner.

Multiple instructional strategies consistent with principles of active adult learning.

Follow-up through inquiry cycle and continuous improvement model.

Responsibility for transfer to practice rests with the collective learning community.

Teachers as individual learners.

Teaching is an isolated, private act with minimal sharing of expertise.

Minimal administrator participation.

No significant role for parents.

University as outside expert/researcher.

District office is the coordinator of a menu of professional development options.

Site-based coaches are used to monitor compliance and consistent implementation of packaged programs, may demonstrate correct use of intervention for teachers struggling to implement strategies.

Observations are evaluative in nature.

Outside expert designs and delivers professional development with minimal measures of impact on teacher and student learning.

Teachers as learners, coaches, facilitators and co-presenters. Practice is made public and teacher expertise is widely shared.

Active administrator participation. Principal provides leadership for the development of structures, culture, accountability and expectations for professional development into the daily work of schools. Principal creates safe structure for teacher learning and experimentation.

Parents are meaningfully engaged in a systemic improvement effort to support student learning.

University as active, on-going participant in teacher professional development and school improvement, learning with and from schools.

District office designs and invests in a systemic plan for professional development that improves student achievement and teacher practice.

Site-based coaches assist teachers in enacting practice, demonstrate and model in classroom settings and facilitate conversations focused on the dilemmas of practice. Peer observations provide feedback for learners enacting practice.

Observations are supportive in nature as learners make their practice public.

Outside consultants may facilitate groups of faculty until internal capacity is developed. Outside expertise is one of many ways to improve practice-- must show measurable improvements in student and teacher learning.

Assumes that knowledge and skills can be transferred from trainer to teachers.

Limited adherence to adult learning theory.

Learning is an individual activity.

Based on explicit adult learning theory (needs assessments, learner consent, context/trust, sound relationships, sequence of content and reinforcement, action with reflection/learning by doing, engagement of learners, integration of cognitive/affective/psychomotor aspects of learning, immediacy and relevancy of learning, clear roles, teamwork and collegiality, accountability/measurement).

Learning is an individual and collaborative activity.

Since learning is individual, there are few supports embedded within the school.

Supports are usually provided during workshops only. Coaches are often used as compliance monitors rather than learning supports.

Supports are embedded in school structures as grade-level teams, cross-grade or vertical teams, professors-in-residence, site-based coaches.

Support activities include coaching, modeling and using protocols as a way to structure discussions around public examination of practice, collaboratively examining student work.

Coaches work in classrooms with teachers modeling, demonstrating and observing effective practice.

Focus is often on the individual practitioner with minimal sharing of information with school faculty by participants.

Professional development activities are often disconnected from each other and student learning.

Minimal attention is given to school culture, schedules, processes and norms.

Development of learning communities around instructional practice and curriculum development to support individual and group learning.

Seamless process of instruction, learning and improvement for adults and children.

Mobilization of knowledge, skills, resources and capacities within schools to support professional development that improves student learning. Intentional, consistent and persistent focus on culture, structures, processes and norms that promote high quality professional development.

Limited measure of impact on teacher practice and student learning. Evaluation centered on quality of session and presentation.

Pre/post measure of the extent that participants learned content.

Observed and measurable impact on student learning and teacher practice. Qualitative and quantitative measure of teacher learning through impact on quality of student understanding, work product, grades and test scores.

Evaluation examines and tracks key indicators of student success and school performance, culture and climate.

Minimal to non-existent alignment of curriculum and professional development with early learning centers.

Coordinated effort to integrate professional development between early learning centers and elementary schools in order to prepare elementary schools and teachers for entering kindergartners and ensure that early learning centers are preparing children with essential school readiness skills.

Individuals receive assistance in specified areas of need.

Community of learners support and participate in the development and success of novices through on-going, continuous cycles of improvement.

Limited impact on recruitment and retention at the individual school level.

Creation of rewarding, supportive school culture focused on improving the learning of students, teachers, principals and community which attracts high quality teachers.

Difficult to measure impact on teacher practice and student achievement.

Impact on teacher practice and student achievement is measured.

Targeted, comprehensive approach that aligns, leverages and utilizes the full range of resources toward the goal of improving student achievement and teacher practice.