Return-Path: <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j3BH7qG13004; Mon, 11 Apr 2005 13:07:52 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 13:07:52 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <42606543@webmail.utk.edu> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: jataylor <jataylor@utk.edu> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:2018] effective options: integrating PD and PI X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Infinite Mobile Delivery (Hydra) SMTP v3.62.01 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Status: O Content-Length: 2854 Lines: 48 Hi All, The message below is from Lenore Balliro. Do others have thoughts on the effective integration of PD and PI? Please read on ~ Jackie ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What have program directors and others found to be the most effective options that integrate PD and PI? As a former staff developer and program coordinator, I have found well-designed and implemented teacher observation projects one of the most effective strategies for integrating professional development and program improvement. Often, teachers from the same program attend workshops off-site and talk about their practice, but neither of them has ever seen the other in action. When teachers pair up (voluntarily) to observe each other in the classroom, things become real. The teachers can meet beforehand and generate guiding questions for each other. During certain observations, the observer may be looking at things the teacher wants to know about her teaching; at another observation, the observer may be looking for things she wants to know how to do better herself (give directions, set up pair activities, etc). After a few observations back and forth, teachers can meet and discuss their reflections. In addition to learning more about each others' teaching,. participants learn more about the students in each level and can work with realistic benchmarks for assessment. Questions generated from the observation project often lead to reading professional literature about a particular topic, to classroom research projects or to program specific ideas for improvement--, (an overhaul of a curriculum unit, an investigation of better assessment tools,etc.) A peer-based approach like this removes the pressure of evaluation; observations are done in the spirit of inquiry and knowledge building. To implement a simple process like this, teachers need to be able to take time out of their own teaching to observe one another. An outside staff developer can come in to act as a substitute teacher for participants who are observing, or the program coordinator can substitute. When the coordinator acts as sub, there is an added benefit for the coordinator, who rarely has a chance to work directly with students. . When we did a project like this at the ALRI in Boston, I worked with ESOL teachers in this manner. We established process, protocols, time line,etc, and I also took the teachers classes as a substitute. As a staff developer, it was great to get back into the classroom and make teaching issues real again. New teachers benefited from one on one technical assistance while preparing lessons with me to teach. As always, teachers need to be paid an adequately supported for their staff and professional development time, and a designated person in the program should be identified as cooridnator of program development. Lenore Balliro Editor/Field Notes SABES
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