MyTeachingPartner: A Consultative Model of Professional Development

1. MyTeachingPartner: A Consultative Model of Professional Development 2008 National OSEP Early Childhood Conference Grace Wilder Funk Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning University of Virginia

2. Today’s Presentation Focus on ways to make professional development meaningful for teachers

3. Traditional Approach to Professional Development Coursework, inservices, and workshops Classroom teaching Disconnect between professional development and actual classroom practices

4. High Quality Professional Development • Professional development should be driven by teachers’ need for information, support, and feedback • Definition • Sustained • Intensive • Classroom-focused • Based on research

5. MyTeachingPartner • Model of professional development that uses an individualized consultative model to enhance teachers’ knowledge and skills • Designed to address concerns about traditional models of professional development • Takes advantage of advances in technology for the delivery of professional development

6. Ingredients for Successful PD Model

7. MTP: Teacher Focused Approach to PD • Provide professional development focused on implementing activities related to: • Early literacy and oral language • Social relationship / self-regulation skills • Focus on implementation as the key to the developmental value of activities • Support high-quality teacher-child interactions as the central part of the activities • Use web-based, Internet technology as the means for delivering ongoing professional development at a statewide level of scale

8. Consultation & web-based support for effective teacher-child interactions (CLASS) Lang/Lit Activities Teacher-child interactions and relationships (CLASS) Student growth in language, literacy and social relationships

9. 1 Classroom video recording at an established time 4 2 Teacher and consultant discuss teaching practices Consultant reviews and edits video; writes prompts 3 Teacher reviews video and prompts; reflects on practice

10. Consultancy Cycles • Collaborative process • Take place every two weeks • Focus on different aspects of the teacher’s practice • Use video as the springboard for discussion • Determine specific goals and objectives to work on each cycle

11. Goals for Teachers • Become better OBSERVERS of own practice • View practice through lens of the CLASS • Become more INTENTIONAL in interactions with children • Increase SELF-EFFICACY • Increase quality of IMPLEMENTATION of lessons & curricula

12. Observationprovides a link from knowledge, expertise, and support to actual teaching practices Reflection Knowledge Expertise Support Teaching Practice Classroom Observation

13. Our Lens for Observing • MTP uses the CLASS as the basis for defining high quality implementation of lessons & curricula and as the focus on our professional development • Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) • Developed to assess classroom interactions and relationships as measured by three major components: • Emotional support • Organization / management • Instructional support • Provides a common language and viewpoint

14. Classroom “Quality” STRUCTURE PROCESS Curriculum Relationships Materials Training and Education Academic & Social Interactions Children’s Academic & Social Development

15. Domains & Dimensions of the CLASS • Instructional Support • Concept Development • Quality of Feedback • Language Modeling Classroom Organization Behavior Management Productivity Instructional Learning Formats • Emotional Support • Positive Climate • Negative Climate • Teacher Sensitivity • Regard for Student • Perspectives

16. How Technology Supports MTP

17. Technology allows teachers to view effective practice and reflect upon their own practice using a standardized metric of classroom quality MTP website Language and literacy activities Activity demonstrations Research rationale Social emotional curriculum CLASS video library Videconferencing Technology

20. Activity Components • Objectives • Getting Ready • Materials • Things To Do/Make • Activity • Summary • Details • Extension Activities

21. Videoconferencing iSight iChat

22. Study Design • Pre-k teachers were randomly assigned by district to one of two study conditions for a period of two school years: • Web Access teachers (n=52) received language and literacy activities, materials and access to the MyTeachingPartner website • Consultancy teachers (n=81) received language and literacy activities, materials, access to the MyTeachingPartner website, and bi-monthly discussions with a teaching consultant

23. Effects of MTP support • Teachers in consultancy: • Grew more sensitive in interactions with students • Increased students’ engagement in instruction • Improved language stimulation techniques • Children • Greater gains in tests of early literacy • Lower levels of problem behavior • Consultancy was a more powerful intervention in high poverty classrooms • Using web resources was more important in improving quality for teachers without a consultant

24. Improvements in Teacher Sensitivity

25. Improvements in Learning Formats

26. Improvements in Language Modeling

27. Summary The MTP Consultation Model is… Ongoing Individualized Collaborative Based on observations of teachers' current classroom practice Intended to promote self-reflection Designed to improve areas of teaching with direct links to student achievement

28. “ I was speaking with a previous administrator and told her all about my participation with MTP. I told her that I felt this was a breakthrough in teacher training and could have a huge impact. ” “ I think teachers and administrators have a great deal to gain from this type of training/consulting. ” Teacher Feedback on MTP Approach

29. Teacher Feedback • “The consultancy part of this program was very beneficial to me. You were wonderful to talk to and share my concerns. You understood the problems in my classroom and you gave wonderful advice.” • “I have enjoyed working with you this year. I feel that we have been partners in the true sense of the word. You have given me great support when I really needed it. I also appreciated your expertise in many areas.”

30. MTP Approach to Professional Development Connects professional development with classroom practice using a common denominator: the CLASS lens on interactions Classroom teaching Consultative Model

31. Questions and Reflections • What are your thoughts about what you have seen and heard so far? • How does this fit in with your current system of professional development?

32. Guidelines for a Consultative Model of PD • A COLLABORATIVE approach is essential • OBSERVATION offers a unique opportunity to work with teachers • FEEDBACK works best when it is balanced, specific, personalized, and ongoing • CHANGE takes time

33. How to Provide Feedback • Start with the Positive • “What did you see that you did well?” or “What was going well during this time?” • Ask about Challenges • “What as challenging?” or “After viewing the tape, what would you have liked to have done differently?” • Develop Mutual Goals • Ensures that you are working on something that is meaningful to the teacher

34. CLASS Activity View video Think about indicators of Teacher Sensitivity Awareness Responsiveness Addresses problems Student Comfort Develop feedback to teacher

36. Questions or Comments? • http://www.myteachingpartner.net/ • http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/