Overview
A teacher plays an important role in preparing the student for a role in the society where their contributions will have a positive influence. According to Eaker and Gonzalez (2007), a teacher needs to learn and master effective leadership skills to acquire the above goal. Teachers in my school have established a professional learning community which serves as a resource for the learning process. The PLC programs combine teacher experiences and evaluated teaching strategies to help in student improvement.
Professional Learning Community Description
DuFour (2004), defines a professional learning community (PLC) as a group of people working interdependently toward the same goal. In a learning environment, a PLC is crucial towards improving the student learning process. One of the major problems that new teachers experience is integrating the
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All teachers in one grade come together and share their teaching experiences. In these meetings, the main agendas are focused on DeFour’s goals of student learning. That is, ensuring that students learn, focusing on improving results and promoting a culture of collaboration. The PLC model fosters a culture of collaboration by uniting the teachers towards achieving the same goal of student improvement (DuFour, 2004). Areas of focus include identifying the strong and weak points in teaching. Each team member is assigned a responsibility of making goals, teaching strategies and gathering materials pertinent to the teaching process. This in accordance with the PLC model for teacher leadership that requires every teacher to learn to be an effective leader (Eaker Gonzalez, 2007). The combination of new and veteran teachers has created a platform where the new teachers get an opportunity to learn from those who are experienced. The goals and teaching strategies presented are evaluated to determine their weak and strong points before
I can help my teachers be professional learners by using observation and evaluation processes, like those found in Danielson’s model, to promote self-assessment, reflection on practices, and professional conversations with them. The Framework can help me have honest, reflective conversations with the teachers about their instruction and I can use it as a guide to help all involved in professional development decisions. In other words, I can use such teacher evaluation models to promote active engagement and encourage professional growth in all
Frank, V. V. (2009, September). Framework for Improvement: Effective School Leadership Translates into Increased Student Learning. The Learning Principal: National Staff Development Council , pp. 2, 6-7.
This book was an easy read for anybody in the educational field, because of its explanations of the strategies and how teachers can use these strategies in their classroom with minimal effort. Most of the strategies allow the teacher to be an observer to student learning, allowing the students the opportunity to lead their own group discoveries and discussions, which is paramount to high level education. Most of the examples given in the book are strategies that most teacher do on a daily basis, but it shows the readers how that strategy better unlocks the state standards for the students. The book also uses examples in all subject areas in education, so teachers of Math and English can relate the strategies to their own class. The book also pushes t...
In the 21st century, more educators are working collaboratively with other teachers to enhance their learning and promote their professional growth. Some schools provide professional development workshops so teachers can learn new teaching strategies to become better educators while others schools lack these professional workshops. There are still few individuals that do not believe that working collaboratively makes a difference in student learning and as educators, we must respect their opinions (Knight, 2008). As educators, we must make sure to establish a partnership with other teachers to promote learning and make a difference in student learning. According to knight (2008), working collaborative with other teachers is very critical for
Professional community is where a group of teachers in conjunction with administrators gather to work on students learning growth and helps you improve your professional growth. In addition, the teachers can share resources, I can engage in a PLC by discussing different strategies or techniques used in the classroom that are working effectively. In addition, the teacher may be able to ask questions/ suggestions to other teachers of things she can use in the classroom.
Assessing the interactions that I observed over the last several days, I ascertained the professional development delivery chosen, suitable for this group of educators. Moreover, respect and camaraderie are present in the Willingboro School. Those that are in a leadership role are demonstrating nurturing guidance towards their fellow colleague, teacher, or the maturing students in their care. Thus, as I assess and examine the preliminary draft of the professional development session that I am going to deliver, I believe that I have determined the correct delivery format the lesson study. Additionally, through personal insight, I will explain my views with enough clarity to demonstrate convincing evidence
Fengning Du is an Associate Professor at the Defense Language Institute. Du earned an Ed.D in Educational Leadership from the University of Georgia in 2005. Du looks to effective student learning strategies, teacher professional development models and work team dynamics to conduct his research projects. Du’s work has appeared in the Journal of Educational Administration, the Teacher Educator and the Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership (Du, 2013).
There are many definitions of teacher and many understandings of what the role of an educator is. To me a professional educator is someone who facilitates in the expansive process of education and exploration within the individual. This facilitation, or mentoring, benefits not just the individual but also benefits of the community by creating trenchant minds that challenge the world they live in to be a better place for those that come after. A professional educator must bring their passion and creativity into the classroom everyday and be enthusiastic about educations, and inspire their students to take and active and interested role in their own learning. But above all it is through critically reflecting on their practice, and modifying their practice, based on their own observations and contemporary research that a professional educator can promote the values of democracy and bring justice into their classrooms by identifying, and meeting the needs, of all who come through their doors.
According to Schmoker and DuFour, the most powerful learning results while taking action; the goal is not perfection but taking action to improve learning. Once established, a professional learning community should move toward action within a month. Following whole school overviews in August focused on current data, development of school mission, rationale and purpose of a professional learning community, team building, and establishing logistics of professional learning community meetings, professional learning community teams will move toward action of professional learning community development by
In professional learning communities, administrators and teachers share a vision for learning and address the needs of all learners. They are “collaborative teams whose members work interdependently to achieve common goals linked to the purpose of student learning” (DuFour, 2006, p.3). Increasing student achievement is at the forefront of the purpose. A professional learning community possesses: (1) shared mission and vision, (2) collective inquiry, (3) shared leadership, (4) action orientation, (5) collective learning, and (6) a focus on results (DuFour & Eaker, 1998; Hord, 1997).
York-Barr, J. & K. Duke (2004) what do we know about teacher leadership? Findings from two decades of scholarship. Review of educational research 74(3), 255-316.
Another factor considered in this study is the professional development of teachers. Professional development of teachers is a strong factor that enhances teachers’ knowledge and learning. A number of studies have reflected that the said factor is imperative to a positive change of every individual that seeks development professionally.
Since our current curriculum policies changed, teacher is the main focus by person upstairs as implementer of new policies. Therefore, teacher leadership and professionalism in every teacher are vital to create and maintain the positive vibes in schools. Teacher leadership can be seen inside and outside of the classroom of every teacher due to the ability to teach and perform the administrative works (Katzenmeyer & Moller,2009; Lambert, 2003). Besides, it is one of the most important variable in predicting the level of professionalism for each teacher. Other than having roles in classroom, teacher also has the roles in administering some of the works for school improvements (Smylie & Denny ,1990; Harris, 2002; Katzenmeyer & Moller,2009).
Education is a very important aspect in the life of a child. The level of success a student has in the classroom is greatly influenced by their teachers. Students, as well as their parents, depend on the teachers to guide them through their education. But who guides a teacher to perform successfully in the classroom? Principals and teachers play an important role in schools. A good relationship among school leaders and teachers is necessary and play an important role in making improvements in the school. Leadership refers to the “process in which one person successfully exerts influence over others to reach desired objectives”. (Okoji, 2015) Good leadership involves honesty, vision, confidence and commitment. It is the ability to inspire a
Introduction - Professional development (PD) includes a full range of activities, formal and informal, that engage teachers or administrators in new learning about their professional practice (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 1999). Three major goals of PD programs are change in the classroom practices of teachers, change in their attitudes and beliefs, and change in the learning outcomes of students (Guskey, 2002). Achieving these goals is dependent on how teacher learning is conceived, and the conditions under which any change is introduced. This paper aims to discuss the factors that determine effective teacher learning in the context of change, by analysing findings from interviews conducted with teachers at Monfort Secondary School (MSS) in their implementation of the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programme – a school-based initiative conceptualised to meet the desired outcomes of student-directed learning (SDL) and collaborative learning (COL).