Faculty Professional Development from the Inside Out

Getting Teachers to Innovate

How do we reach every teacher (and student)?Wendy CottaDirector of Technology Integration and Library ServicesDana Huff Technology Integration SpecialistWorcester AcademyPrivate, independent schoolGrades 6-13660 students (160 middle school; 550 upper school)100 boarding students in upper school5-day and 7-day boarding program81 Providence Street, Worcester, MA 01604http://www.worcesteracademy.org660 students100 boarding5 day, 7 day boarding programsRelatively fast institutional growth from the perspective of veteran teachersExcellent content specialists2Get to know your teachers and their curriculum!Connect!Listen carefully-Restate what you hear from themShare common interestsBe visible and accessible, even if it is in brief periods of time.Respond promptly-Describe accurately and simplyFollow-upIn the logical world, you would tie their technology use to:-saving time and increasing productivity-their curriculum-their professional development goalsIn the real world, you will be more effective if you connect with them on a personal level before you even think to go there!

3Listen and communicate effectively!

Watch out for your own assumptions!Everyone is building their own personal toolkit!Over-communicate, but strive for focus, clarity, and brevity!When you provide straight tech support, talk through some of your problem-solving!Extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivationDaniel Pink, Drive

4Use positive peer pressure!

Get to know the microsystems and relationships!Competition = good

5Create learning events and challenges!

-By time period (year, semester, month, etc.)-By content area-By division or school

-Giveaways and prizes are exciting to everyone!You are creating a culture of learning out loud!Picture of Pope and Ram CashRam Cash Program DescriptionRam Cash Prize sheetRam Cash chipsWorkshop registration processSummer PD Launch letterIdea Bomb

6Engagement

Engagement from different teachers will look different7Connected Educator Challenge

Be flexible!

Assume the best about peoples intentions.Assume that people appreciate reminders and clarifications

9Be comfortable with the law of reciprocity!

When you give faculty tech, let them know your expectations that they will give you feedback about its use and share their experience with other faculty.

10Learn about pedagogy and standards!TPACK model: What kind of expertise do you offer your faculty?They are the content specialists. NETSLearning theories: constructivistBackwards design: Blooms (Digital) TaxonomyHOTSFlorida Technology Integration MatrixFlipping the classroomKahn AcademyOnline learningBlended learningApp smashing!

11Let go, and grow your capacity and budget to accept teacher-driven tech purchases!

Capacity: Create a process for faculty-driven tech/software/SOS purchases.Do not make quick purchasing decisions for a first-time faculty purchase request.Take the the time to consult with faculty about purchasesGive homework: offer suggestions for further reviewFollow-upPurchaseFollow-up: Create sharing opportunities

12Be more realistic than others about the pace of technology integration!Year 1: Introduction, exploration/play, piloting, inconsistent compliance, invite examples and peer sharing, get feedback!Year 2: Extension and more accountability, evidence of systemic compliance, insist on examples and sharing, get feedback!Year 3: Refined examples with assessment. If not, explore other tools/software/devices/initiatives! Communicate!Begin planning the next adoption/initiative Nov-Dec-JanPlan exposure opportunities In late winter/spring to build interestPlan training opportunities at the end of the year and into the summerPlan training for back to schoolOffer flexible drop-in sessionsStrategize realistic goals on a 1-3 year planInvolve your faculty in training, even if they are just sharing.Do not use the word training.

13Broad approaches to PD..Face-to-face, online, blendedActively recruit teachers to share at PD offerings, to present and co-present workshopsResearch and share relevant external PD offerings, encourage group attendanceDont forget the food at face-to-face workshops!Targeted approaches to PDTool-specific workshops, leveled by proficiencyDiscipline-specific workshopsSmaller groups by district, school, division, departmentsOne-on-one by appointmentActively recruit specific teachers to share at PD offerings, to present and co-present workshopsResearch and publicize relevant external PD offerings that connect specifically to district goals Use communications as an extension of professional development!Email about updates, highlighting positive new features that can benefit specific interestsTips and tricks in small batches (Lunch & Learn, Tweets w/ hashtag, Tech in Ten, 21 modules, Did you know?)Newsletters or blogsCollect teacher support links with mixed mediavideo tutorials, textual explanations (Post on a wiki, webpage, paper.li)Use Twitter and/or Facebook Digital Badges in Professional LearningNew Milford High SchoolCredly.com

Malcolm Knowles popularized the term to formalize adult learning vs. pedagogy.17

Simon Sinek-His 2009 book on the same subject, Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action (2009) 18

Golden Circle by Simon SinekThe Golden Circle of human motivation19Approaches: The Tipping Point and Early adoptersFocus on strategies for sustaining their engagement; lots of positive feedbackPublicize the more of advanced tools; challenge them to keep learning!Invite them to share what they know, formally and informally

Approaches: Ways to reach laggards!Connect with them professionally through content.Maintain an open door policy.Learn about their curriculum and pedagogy.Learn about their students.Learn about their peer relationships.Learn about their personal technology use.Allow an institutional policy and initiative to bring them on board. Then, welcome them and acknowledge their engagement and progress!

It takes courageous learning.

Be realistic about your role!

Plant the seeds, watch the garden grow!Be present, smile, laugh, celebrate adult learning and growth over timeSkinned knees are necessary for learning, concussions bad!

Cofer (2000) and Dobbs (2000) report that the best researched numbers are the ones that report 70 percent of career learning is informal while 30 percent is formal. Thus 70/30 is the average.

24Watch the garden grow!

Cofer, D. (2000). Informal Workplace Learning. Practice Application Brief. NO 10. U.S. Department of Education: Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education.

Dobbs, K. (2000). Simple Moments of Learning. Training 35, no. 1 (January 2000): 52-58.

Knowles, Malcolm S. (1950). Informal adult education: a guide for administrators, leaders, and teachers. New York: Association Press.Resources

For conference materials, go to: http://bit.ly/1a6jrhU

Or, contact us: wendy.cotta@worcesteracademy.orgTwitter: @edtech2innovate (Wendy Cotta)dana.huff@worcesteracademy.org