#2: Professional Learning Outline

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Professional Learning: Implementing ePortfolios in CTE

BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal):

Content Teachers will … Develop an ePortfolio with a Reflective Blog component for use in their classrooms to model. The Overarching Course Goal is the improvement of CTE students’ writing skills through reflective blogging in their ePortfolio.

  • Duration. The initial duration of the Professional Learning will be over 5 PL/PD days throughout the school year. This should result in a 21 – 30 hours of research, learning new concepts and pedagogy, collaborating, planning, creating, and implementing ePortfolios.
    1. Day 1 & 2:
      1. Teacher Intellectual: Why we are switching from Professional Development, (Sit & Get), to Professional Learning, (Show & Go). Present the research and evidence for teachers to review and discuss. DO NOT LECTURE!
      • Research, plan and create individual teacher ePortfolios. The goal is to model for their students. “Show & Go.”
    2. Day 3: Blogging and content area writing. We lead/teach by doing and modeling. Teachers will model writing skills. “Show & Go.”
    3. Day 4: Assessing student writing, creating rubrics, and assessing content, sentence structure, spelling and grammar. 
    4. Day 5: Collaboration, planning, tweaking, and support for late adopters. Also data review.
    5. Ongoing: Continue PL with refreshers for ‘completers’ and adopters taking on the role of coach as we continue to implement ePortfolios throughout the high school and remainder of the district.
  • Support during the implementation stage: 
    1. Peer Co-Teachers: We all have a principal assignment throughout the school day. 1 day a week, teachers will co-teach during their principal’s assignment with another CTE teacher. Being comfortable being uncomfortable…
    2. The student school day ends at 2:18pm. All high school teachers have a common planning/prep time from 2:18 – 3:00pm. Follow up throughout the week, especially during the initial implementation stage.
    3. Email is always an option.
  • Teachers’ initial active learning exposure:
    1. Teacher Learners will research ePortfolios, what they are, benefits for themselves, benefits to students, and platforms. 
    2. Teachers will begin building their personal ePortfolios, (PBL).
    3. Teachers will collaborate with their co-teacher(s) developing a unit on digital citizenship.
  • Modeling:
    1. I will be using my ePortfolio as a model, along with any other teachers who would like to share their ePortfolio if they have one.
    2. The purpose of teachers building their ePortfolios is to model for their students throughout implementation. By co-teaching, students will see another teacher modeling.
    3. Early adopters will be recognized on CCTV.
  • Specific content:
    1. All content and activities are geared towards high school teachers implementing ePortfolios with an emphasis on blogging and improving student writing skills.
    2. ePortfolio creation, implementation, improving student writing, assessing student writing, data collection and analysis, (spelling, grammar, and punctuation).
  • Collaboration:
    1. Collaboration is built into the alternative PL through co-teaching and PBL. 
    2. By feeding the needs of the ‘Teacher Intellectual’, we foster collaboration by having the learner research the need for alternative PL. 
    3. We also have common planning time for collaboration.
    4. Also, materials will be available on the district LMS, including sharing our work for peer comments, feed-forward, and review.
    5. Administrative review of ePortfolios, both students and teachers’.
  • Leadership, Who & What: 
    1. I will be taking the lead with the CTE teachers. As we demonstrate mastery, select CTE teachers will take the lead with departments and grade levels, (ex. 8th grade English).
    2. We will see some duplication as we transition from content to core classes. These students can become peer-leaders/teachers. This will give our CTE students a chance to ‘shine’ in classes where they traditionally were not successful.
  • Audience:
    1. The initial audience is Administration. We all have a goal of increasing student achievement. Switching from a PD to a PL mindset has shown through research that it works to increase student achievement.
    2. The targeted audience for the PL series is the CTE teachers in our high school. CTE teachers are PBL driven. It is what we do…
    3. By having CTE take the lead on a building-wide PBL project like ePortfolios, will lead to authentic PBL. While posters have a place, students should have a choice in the format of their presentation. Video, infographic, slide deck, hyper-doc, and yes a poster, should all be options.
  • Instructional Design of your PL (will you use BHAG & 3 Column Table or UbD Template or something else):
    1. I will be using the BHAG & 3 Column Table format for designing the Professional Learning series.
    2. Feed the ‘Teacher Intellectual’ to motivate and reach the tipping point for adoption from the ‘Teacher Technician’. 
  • Schedule/timeline
    1. This PL series will stretch over the course of an entire school year.
      1. Initially, teachers review the 5 principles of Effective Professional Development, “Show & Go” replacing “Sit & Get”
      2. Teachers research ePortfolios, their benefits to them as teachers and benefits to students.
        1. 3 types of ePortfolios
        2. Platforms
        3. App vs. Site/Domain
      3. Teachers develop ePortfolios to model to students
      4. Teachers practice their writing skills to model to students
      5. Teachers practice their writing assessment skills utilizing peer writing to model to students
      6. After the initial 2 days of the series, begin 1 day per week co-teaching during principal assignments
  • Resources needed:
    1. Gulamhussaein’s 5 Principles of Effective Professional Development
    2. Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively, US Dept. of Education, https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/practiceguide/wwc_secondary_writing_110116.pdf
    3. Keys to Literacy, free worksheets, templates, rubrics, and more, https://keystoliteracy.com/free-resources/templates-printables/
    4. University of Kansas Writing Center, https://writing.ku.edu/writing-process
    5. Southern Regional Education Board, https://SREB.org 
      1. Additional Posters, worksheets, and resources are available.
    6. Professional Learning in the Digital Age: The Educator’s Guide to User-Generated Learning – Kristen Swanson
    7. Laptops and Chromebooks
    8. Various websites, links, and graphic organizers.
    9. CTE Career & Work Standards

References: