Gifted Academy 5: Professional Learning in Gifted Programs

1. Gifted Academy 5: Professional Learning in Gifted Programs 2014 Mary Schmidt Gifted Education Consultant Heartland AEA mschmidt@aea11.k12.ia.us 800.255.0405 ext. 14375 http://pdingt.pbworks.com

2. Essential Questions • What is Professional Learning? • What Professional Learning do we need? • How do I develop/deliver Professional Learning? • How do I know Professional Learning is making a difference?

3. Learning Targets I can… • Assess staff needs for professional learning that will enhance comprehensive gifted programming • Align professional learning with other components required by Iowa Code (Ch. 12, IAC) and national standards • Identify and choose models and types of professional learning most appropriate in a given situation • Identify effective professional learning practices for adult learners • Evaluate g/t staff development

4. AGENDA • Welcome; ready-set-recall • Using standards to drive professional learning • Professional development standards • Issues that drive professional learning • Characteristics of adult learners

5. NORMS Support each other in the learning process Monitor progress (individual/group) Ask questions Respect others’ viewpoints Take time to reflect

6. Ready, Set, Recall What do you remember?

7. What professional learning do we need?

8. Using Standards to Define the Target

10. The Gifted PD plan should • Be aligned with other district staff development efforts • Be an integral part of a deliberately developed continuous improvement effort • Be designed and implemented collaboratively by classroom teachers, g/t specialists, and administrators • Include long-term and short term goals

11. The Gifted PD plan should • Contain content that is viewed by participants as necessary to achieve the desired end • Be consistent with recommended strategies of experts in gifted education and staff development • Differentiate PD to address critical differences among participants • Include a plan for assessing the effectiveness of the staff development goals

12. Right PD, Right Time

13. Right PD, Right Time

14. NAGC–CEC Teacher Preparation Standards in Gifted and Talented Education • Learner Development and Individual Differences • Learning Environments • Curricular Content Knowledge • Assessment • Instructional Planning and Strategies • Professional Learning and Ethical Practice • Collaboration http://www.nagc.org/uploadedFiles/Information_and_Resources/NCATE_standards/NAGC-%20CEC%20CAEP%20standards%20%282013%20final%29.pdf

15. Advanced Standards • Assessment • Curricular Content Knowledge • Programs, Services, & Outcomes • Research and Inquiry • Leadership and Policy • Professional and Ethical Practice • Collaboration http://www.nagc.org/uploadedFiles/Information_and_Resources/Advanced_standards/Advanced%20Standards%20in%20GT%20%282013%29.pdf

16. NAGC Programming Standards Gifted Ed Programming Criterion 6 Professional Development • Description: Professional development is essential for all educators involved in the development and implementation of gifted program services. PD is the intentional development of professional expertise as outlined by the NAGC-CEC teacher preparation standards. PD may take many forms ranging from… ⏎

17. Attitudes, Beliefs, and Assumptions

18. Examine Program Goals and Student Outcomes • Look at your own plan’s program goals • How well are doing at meeting those goals? How do you know? • What professional learning would assist you in hitting the target? For… • teachers of gifted? • classroom teachers? • administrators? • school board? • parents and community?

19. Making Connections • What professional learning is already going on in your building/district? • Where does gifted fit? • What are the connections you can make to existing knowledge, skill, and practice?

20. Law of Initiative Fatigue When the number of initiatives increases while time, resources, and emotional energy are constant, then each new initiative – no matter how well conceived or well intentioned – will receive fewer minutes, dollars, and ounces of emotional energy than its predecessors. --Reeves, p. 27

21. SCENARIOS • Form groups of four • Read your chosen scenario • Identify the issues presented which might be impacted or rectified by focused professional learning opportunities. Consider assessing needs, stakeholders/audience, modality (format for learning), and focus/content.

22. PLANNING PD… • What else do you need to know? • How would you get the answers? • Based on current information, where would you start? • What are the major issues to address in your staff development plan? • Who would be best equipped to deliver information and support/coach participants in implementation? • Who would your teachers best hear the message from?

23. There’s nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.--Ansel Adams

24. WRITE YOUR OWN SCENARIO • Find a partner • Consider the context in which you work. • Identify the major aspects of your work. • Administrative support • Building-specific issues • Personal expertise • Gen. Ed. attitudes and knowledge level • Describe

25. Write Your Own Scenario • Identify the building by level • Think about a situation that is troublesome to/for you. • Capture the general tenor of the setting in terms of attitudes about gifted • Describe roadblocks and barriers along with anything you’ve tried that has/n’t been successful. • Model your scenario after the examples if that is helpful.

26. SHARE THE SCENARIO • Find a partner • Share your scenario • Identify the issues and what you still need to know • Prioritize for audience(s) to be impacted • Determine formal and informal aspects of PD (use Inservice Design template to determine format) • Use this information to formulate your plan.

27. ASSESSING NEEDS • What information do you need? • Who could/would best supply that information? • What questions will most effectively provide that information? • What format would be most effective in gathering the information?

28. TEACHER ATTITUDES

29. What’s Your Mindset? http://www.mindsetonline.com Explore the Web site. What surprises you? What validates you? What can you do with these results? How can you use this information with others?

31. Teacher Growth States • Gourmet Omnivore • Active Consumer • Passive Consumer • Reticent Joyce & Showers

32. JIGSAW Form two groups Group 1: research characteristics of adult learners. Identify at least 10 and prepare to share them with the class. Group 2: research what motivates adult learners. Identify at least 10 things and share with the class

33. Adult Learners… …possess a variety of background experiences and prior learning …need to participate voluntarily in the learning experience …learn best if they have control over the learning environment …desire practical applications …require a respectful environment …enjoy collaboration …need to integrate new learning with prior experience …believe in lifelong learning … act as change agents

34. Adult Learners Need… …to be involved in the design of learning …to be encouraged to be self-directed …a facilitator rather than a didactic instructor …to have learning styles respected …a climate conducive to learning …to use past experience in the learning process …to see relevance to their own lives in the learning experience Brookfield