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 …show more content…
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
Leadership training programs allow for teachers to use their professional experience as an educator and combine it with the academic and hands on experience of being a leader by providing a comprehensive program. Leadership “…is learnable by providing real world leadership training” (Ramsey, 2006, p.xx). The training program prepares educators to be leaders and equips them with the tools necessary to be an effective leader. There is a need for an “,,,infusion ...
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...
As I mentioned before, I was assigned to coach a new teacher a couple of years ago without been properly trained and I do not think I did a good job. Understanding the methods of cognitive, content, instructional and collegial coaching methods gave me more confidence as an educator on how to approach colleagues without getting them upset. I learned that each of these methods is targeted to achieve specific goals depending on the needs of the teacher. Now I can say that I feel more comfortable with the knowledge acquired on how to implement the four coaching effective methods according to teacher’s personality. I feel that I am more capable of doing a good job as a coach because I have learned to implement the formal observation cycle such as the pre-conference, observation, post-conference, and feedback. Implementing instructional and collegial coaching in my coaching experience, I learned how to establish a positive relationship trust and respect with my collaborative colleague as well as with the principal. The respect, trust, and confidence principals have for teachers’ abilities to influence their own development are essential to building a strong collegial school culture that fosters teacher talent development (D’ Antonio, 2001). There were some challenges that I faced with my
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
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).
A teacher today needs to have an ability to relate to and create partnerships not with their students, but also families, administrators and other professionals. This ensures that all persons involved with the education of the student are on the same page. All involved then work in harmony and help each other achieve the common goal of educating the student in the best possible way for the best possible result. (Wesley, 1998, p 80)
Principal Pettis has to come to the realization that it is not possible to “have all the competence, all the time, and all the information needed at any one time to get the job done.” (Sergiovanni, 2015, p. 12). She will have to empower and cultivate leadership skills in teacher-leaders to give her an equitable perspective on the needs of her school. In this way, learning is ongoing for all, making the important connection between leadership and learning that is so powerful in successful schools. With these few changes, the heartbeat of the school is
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).
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.
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.
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).
With the proper guidance and support, teachers can achieve academic excellence in the classroom. They follow their principal’s vision and share their goals. Teachers also serve as leaders in their classroom. They share their vision and goals with their students promoting positive attitudes in the classroom. Just like it is important for principals to respect and understand what their teachers need, students also need the support, understanding, respect and empathy from their teachers. When teachers demonstrate commitment in the classroom and set high expectations they raise the level of learning in the classroom. Teachers that work with the students and their parents to understand and meet their needs will achieve positive academic outcomes. Students engage in learning with positive attitudes and strive for high achievements. Teachers work together with their leaders to improve their teaching
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).