Our Teaching & Learning Center: Five-Plus Years of Innovation, Learning, and Community Building Do Now Activity: Regardless of the current PD practices at your school, what do you believe are characteristics of effective and high quality professional development?
Our Teaching & Learning Center: Five-Plus Years of Innovation, Learning, and Community Building Ruth Aichenbaum Coordinator of Teaching & Learning Center David Brightbill Academic Dean for Curriculum and Professional Development
Agenda • Do Now • Four Corners • Presentation • Think-Pair-Share • Q & A
Four Corners Professional development at my school is meaningful and has positive outcomes for student learning.
Four Corners My school makes good use of time when organizing professional development opportunities for faculty.
Four Corners Professional development at my school meets the different needs of our faculty, both in terms of content and delivery.
Professional Development At William Penn Charter School • Opening Meetings (3-4 days) / In-Service Days (3 per year) / Closing Meetings (2 days) • Summer Professional Reading • Off-site Workshops and Conferences • Summer Work Grants • VITAL Grant Program • TLC • Committee on Teaching and Learning (CTL) • Memberships and Subscriptions • Yearly Reflections • Traditional Supervision Process (4 year rotation) • Mini-Observations and Feedback Loops
PROBLEM Access &
THE SOLUTION Our Own Penn Charter Teaching & Learning Center
CONVERSATION…COLLABORATION…CREATION
STRATEGIC VISION GOALS Promote excellence in teaching by supporting faculty to develop and advance their professional practice.
GOAL #3 - STRATEGIC VISION ● Lifelong learners ● Transformational teaching ● Faculty mentoring and leadership coaching ● Cross-divisional and interdisciplinary collaboration ● Strengthen use of technology ● Refine faculty evaluation
Research Supported Educational Leadership, November 2018 edition. When Teachers Lead Their Own Learning Edutopia: Why Don’t We Differentiate Professional Development: https://tinyurl.com/y9btu49j Teaching the Teachers: Effective Professional Development: https://tinyurl.com/ydz7syg4
Teaching & Learning Center Mission To promote excellence in teaching by providing meaningful and ongoing opportunities to enable faculty to further develop as reflective practitioners and to advance their professional practice. This will be achieved through differentiated instruction and varied modes of learning to support teachers as they strengthen their craft. The ultimate goal of the TLC is to empower teachers, administrators, and staff to further their individual professional growth to ensure that students receive an outstanding education.
ONLINE PRESENCE Link to TLC Website: https://tinyurl.com/y3nvnpk4
LOGISTICS OF THE TLC
COMMUNICATION Monthly ○ PCPD ○ This Month at the TLC Email ○ New Faculty Email ○ List of sessions on SignUp Weekly ○ Divisional Emails ○ Coming Attraction Posters in Division Mailrooms Daily ○ Signup Genius Email (day before session) ○ Email Morning of Session
TEACHER CENTERED, STRATEGIC VISION INSPIRED What you want to learn: What you want to teach:
Wellness/ Community Building ● PC Cultural Events ● Mindful Yoga ● Morning Fitness ● Swimming ● Rock Climbing ● Knitting TLC ● Zumba ● Biking ● Mindfulness
Various Formats for Sessions ● Roundtable Discussions ● PLCs - meet 4-6 weeks ● One-time workshop ● Series of workshops ● Session followed by class visit(s) ● Webinars (Live & Archived) ● Video/ Discussion ● Critical Friends Groups ● Instructional Rounds ● Sessions led by Teachers/ Students/ Parents/ Alumni/ Board Members/ Visitors
TLC PROGRAMMING LED BY STUDENTS, ALUMNI, AND PARENTS OneVideo Project: Help Make Your First Educational Video / Recording Session Zendoodle: Filmmaking Discussion with OPC J.D. Meditative Drawing Dillard, Writer/Director of Sleight
TLC PROGRAMMING: FACULTY INITIATED Lunch with Author Christopher Scotton: How I Conquered Fear, Eliminated Excuses, Stopped Procrastinating and Travel to Bolivia Published a Best Selling Debut Novel
PLCs this Year 1. Mind, Brain, Education Research and Implications for Teaching 2. #BARWE, "Building Anti-Racist White Educators" 3. Girls Social/ Emotional Needs and Educational Empowerment 4. Doing School vs. Learning for Learning’s Sake 5. Teaching in a Time of Uncertainty: Discussions about our Current Political Climate as Quaker Educators? 6. Meaningfully Using Homework to Promote Learning 7. Using Metacognition and Digital portfolios to Promote Deep Learning 8. Parents of Children Two Years Old & Under 9. Balancing the Role of Being a PC Faculty Member and a Parent of a PC Student
New Faculty Sessions at the TLC Go to four TLC sessions of your choice over the year. They can be any session - even sessions you create! Last year’s record - 38 sessions!
PARTNERSHIP
Parent to Parent
Sample Student Sessions ● How Disability Friendly Are You? ● A Positive Body Outlook ● Warriors over Worriers: A Yoga and Meditation Class ● The Ultimate Skills to Master Frisbee ● Smart Sustainability ● The Food Lab: A Cooking Class ● Organizing 101 ● Feeding Philly and Beyond: Food Insecurity ● Mindfulness Matters ● Service Meets Athletes ● The Pawn Stars: Learn to Play Chess with the Chess Club Captains
TLC USAGE
TLC PROGRAMMING: IN-SERVICE DAYS Student Action Participatory Research- led by Philly U. Professors One of 20 offerings during an In-Service Day
BENEFITS OF HAVING A TLC ● Empowers and engages the entire community ● Learn from teaching ● Provides leadership opportunity for faculty ● Builds relationships ● Safe place that invites sharing and reflection ● Supports meaningful student learning ● Helps us lean into difficult conversations ● Provides Professional Development that is ○ meaningful ○ ongoing ○ adaptable ○ easily accessible ○ fits into the school day- great use of time ○ personalized to meet needs of our faculty - in terms of content and delivery
FACULTY QUOTES I love that the TLC allows me to learn The TLC offers an from and interact opportunity to re-ignite our with faculty in all passions as teachers and areas of the school, nurture the network of many of whom I fellow educators. wouldn’t otherwise encounter day-to day. The TLC is my go to place for just-in-time tools and techniques, When I tell people about the place where as well as a great think I work, one of the first items I mention is tank where I can the TLC. A space to share, collaborate exchange ideas with and think with coworkers on an given my colleagues. day is possibly the most invaluable tool you can provide teachers with.
TLC IMPACT FOR FACULTY:
CONTINUING TO GROW • Instructional Rounds • PLCs • Monthly MBE TLC sessions • More Alumni and Parent Led Sessions • New Faculty Monthly Sessions • Other Partnerships • Schools locally and nationally • Universities • Teachers as Researchers
Lessons Learned ● Scheduling Sessions ● Flexible ● Part of New Faculty Life ● Build Relationships ● Rhythm of School Life ● Turf ● Food!
The Teaching & Learning Center Honoring the Learner
THINK/PAIR/SHARE ● What are some challenges related to connecting faculty with the professional development they want and need at your current school? ● Based on our presentation, what are takeaways you can envision implementing at your school? ● What are some dreams and goals you have for professional development at your school?
YOUR THOUGHTS • Ideas? • Questions? Link to TLC brochure: http://tinyurl.com/yyql4bv3
PRESENTERS Ruth Aichenbaum raichenbaum@penncharter.com Coordinator of Teaching & Learning Center David Brightbill dbrightbill@penncharter.com Academic Dean for Curriculum and Professional Development
Recommend
More recommend
