Professional Learning (Not Professional Development)

I've been thinking recently about the best professional learning opportunities I had as an educator. I recall visiting other classrooms as a Head Start teacher and discovering Workjobs when I saw a shelf filled with learning activities made out of common items found around the house. We were visitors to the classroom and had so many questions for the teachers. This book transformed our classrooms as we created activities using no-cost or low-cost materials to meet the needs of our students. As a second grade teacher, I had the opportunity to attend a series of sessions throughout the year on math problem-solving. We met with same-grade teachers from other schools, discussed what we saw as challenges, and came up with lessons as well as an assessment task. At the next session, we shared our students' work and had rich discussions about math and problem-solving. It changed how I taught math focusing on understanding concepts through group work, discussing the reasonableness of an answer, and having students share their questions and strategies for solving the problem. As a vice principal, signing up for a series of sessions on Positive Behavior Supports had a huge impact on not just me, but on the entire faculty. Looking at data about what, where, when, and who allowed us to come up with a positive rather than punitive school-wide plan. As a principal, the most impactful professional learning opportunity for me was the Hawaii Innovative Leaders Network. 

So often, teachers and school leaders attend professional development sessions that may or may not be what we need at the time. Other times, we attend a conference where we hear great ideas, and we are excited to try them out in our classroom or school. However, if we don't implement the new idea right away or we encounter questions that we don't have answers to, all that we heard that day is soon forgotten.. As a principal, our Professional Development Day agenda was often filled with mandatory trainings with little time for professional learning. Just as more seat time does not equal more learning, sitting in PD sessions does not equate to better teaching.

That is why I was excited when Josh Reppun asked if I would assist with a year-long professional learning community titled Investing in Human Capital, a course he created with Robert Landau and Ann Mahi. This is the first year of implementation and ten public, charter, and private school vice principals are its first participants. Through virtual meetings, readings, book studies, conversations, and executive coaching to implement a school project, these vice principals will gain the skills which will help them to be the innovative leaders we need in our schools today. One of the expectations of the participants is that they share about their experiences via a public blog. That is where I come in. I am their blogging coach. 

I know that blogging is not easy for most of us, and yet, once we get used to it, sharing our thoughts via a blog is a very effective way of communicating with and learning from other educators or anyone who is invested in education. There are many benefits to writing on a public venue:

• It helps us to think critically about why we do what we do in the classroom or in our school system. So much of what we continue to do in school has been around since the Industrial Age, and we are now in the Age of Information, the Age of Technology, the Age of Innovation. Why do we continue to do the same thing over and over in a world that is changing rapidly and continues to change?
• Sharing our writing makes us realize that other educators have similar experiences, challenges, thoughts, and ideas. It can be empowering when we realize that schools and educators across the country are grappling with the same issues we are, especially during this pandemic. How are we addressing these issues? 
• We can learn with and from each other. In this changing world where social media has such an impact on us, our Personal Learning Network (PLN) can include people from all over the world. We all have something we can contribute to making our schools better for our children. Let's share our ideas about how to address the challenges we face in education. 
• If we don't tell our stories, someone else will, and they may be sharing negative and biased generalizations about our schools and education.  Good ideas don't come from one person making a lot of noise and getting all the attention. It's going to come from us, those in the schools, doing the work, and writing, discussing, and sharing ideas about education and what works. It is why we need to encourage more educators to write or to blog or to share their ideas via a podcast or video. All of us working together can overcome the often-negative perceptions of schools and our educational systems. 

The Investing in Human Capital participants recently published their first blog post, and I am impressed with their commitment to this process. Sharing their ideas publicly and reading/commenting on the other IHC school leaders' blogs will build community and enhance their learning experiences as they learn with and from each other. As they continue to build their capacity to share their thoughts publicly via their blog and to engage in conversations about what they wrote, they will gain confidence in themselves as writers.

Investing in Human Capital is an example of the kind of professional learning that I found impactful in my years as an educator. Professional learners are invested in what they are learning and are integral participants in the process. It is what our educators need more than ever today as they grapple with the challenges of  teaching in a post-pandemic world. Let's provide them with professional learning time. 

Here is a blog post I wrote back in 2012: Textbooks or Professional Development for Teachers?