school management
Continuous improvement
∞ What areas for development do I see in my colleagues / learning environment ? ∞ What aspects of my role would I like to gain more confidence in ? ∞ AITSL also emphasises the need to have your learners ’ needs at the forefront of your mind when considering professional learning , as well as the benefit of taking the Teacher Self- Assessment Tool ( Teacher SAT ) to help identify your professional learning needs .
Improving teaching practice through professional learning .
By Wade Zaglas
During my third year of teaching English and History at senior secondary school , I told a colleague I wanted to enroll in a Master of Educational Studies as I was passionate about literacy education . She responded : “ Why would you want to do that ?”
While I was initially annoyed , in retrospect , as an early career teacher , what I really needed was more job-embedded professional learning sessions involving classroom observations , mentoring and coaching opportunities , and implementing and evaluating evidence-based practices .
SO , WHAT IS HIGH-QUALITY PROFESSIONAL LEARNING ? For Dr Claire Brown , an expert in professional learning at Victoria University , it must reflect a school ’ s strategic professional learning plan .
“ Each school must develop a strategic professional learning plan that leadership endorses and prioritises . A professional learning strategy invests in its teachers , and recognises that real and effective change in teaching quality is incremental and occurs over time ,” she says .
Professional development is normally a one-off , one-size-fits-all course or session for a group of teachers based on developing teachers ’ expertise in a particular area , while professional learning is typically longer and allows a teacher to engage in , apply and evaluate their own professional learning interests as they align with their students ’ and school ’ s needs .
“ High quality , continuous professional learning ( as opposed to one-off , snapshot professional development ) is critical for keeping teachers ’ skills and knowledge relevant ,” Brown says .
EDUCATION WEBSITES One of the first places to visit when considering the types of professional learning is your own jurisdiction ’ s department of education website . These sites will identify professional learning that must be covered , as well as the optional types of professional learning available .
The NSW Education Standards Authority ( NESA ) website , for instance , sets out the types and amount of professional learning required to remain accredited as a proficient , lead or highly accomplished teacher , as well as the NESA-accredited priority areas that must be covered in a maintenance period , by an accredited provider .
AITSL The aim of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership ( AITSL ) is to promote national leadership and excellence in teaching and school leadership . It ’ s the place to begin exploring what kinds of professional learning will be beneficial , given an educators ’ career progression and goals .
For teachers , department heads or principals , the professional learning cycle AITSL promotes is a simple model to help meet learning goals based on four career stages .
1 . IDENTIFYING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING NEEDS ∞ What do I see my colleagues doing that I would like to learn more about ?
2 . SELECTING AND UNDERTAKING LEARNING ∞ Will the professional learning activity connect to my learning goals and the needs of my learners and school / setting ? ∞ Will the learning equip me with the tools and support to apply to my classroom and students ? ∞ Are there opportunities to collaborate with colleagues in this learning ? ∞ What do I already know about this topic ? How can I expand this learning ? ∞ What is the evidence base for this professional learning ? ∞ What do I know about the provider ( if applicable )? Are they reputable ?
3 . APPLYING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING Once the professional learning is being applied , a number of key questions should be asked when questioning the suitability and scalability of the new-found knowledge , including : ∞ Can the professional learning be contextualised and adjusted to suit my learning environment ? ∞ Does the professional learning address the identified needs of my learners ? If it doesn ’ t , is it worth pursuing ? ∞ Have I gained enough professional learning in this area or might I require more ? ∞ How can my colleagues / leader support me to implement this learning , so knowledge is shared , supported and built upon in the school community ?
4 . EVALUATING OVERALL IMPACT “ Where possible , it can be helpful to collect quantitative or qualitative data to help you identify trends in changes to your practice or learner outcomes . These trends may help you to make valid inferences about the impact of your professional learning ,” AITSL says . ■
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