Standard 5 - Professional Learning & Program Evaluation
Candidates demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to conduct needs assessments, develop technology-based professional learning programs, and design and implement regular and rigorous program evaluations to assess effectiveness and impact on student learning.
5.1 Needs Assessment
Candidates conduct needs assessments to determine school-wide, faculty, grade-level, and subject area strengths and weaknesses to inform the content and delivery of technology-based professional learning programs. (PSC 5.1/ISTE 4a)
Standard 5.1 focuses on assessing needs, strengths, and weaknesses to guide professional learning programs. In the Instructional Technology program, the Individual Teacher Technology Assessment is given to begin the coaching assignment. In the Assessment, the teacher answers various LoTi (Levels of Teaching Innovation) questions to determine what areas should be focused on in coaching sessions.
When conducting my peer teacher’s needs assessment, I assessed her technology the LotI questionnaire and we discussed her results to determine what areas of technology we should focus on in our coaching sessions. For weaknesses, she felt that technology was being implemented faster than she could keep up and needed the extra help to catch up to expectations that were routine now with our school. We decided to focus on Google Apps first, because it is a recently added school initiative and each teacher was encouraged to set up a Google Classroom for each academic subject. My peer teacher, Mrs. Trotter, has an excellent strength of trying new things and writing notes about instruction given to remember steps to introduce new technology in her classroom.
Using the needs assessment to guide our sessions helped me to inform Mrs. Trotter in a way that was understandable to her. For example, instead of giving my peer teacher a handout with helpful tips and steps to use while in the classroom, we worked through it together. I modelled the steps and she was able to replicate them easier that way. Using her results, strengths, and weaknesses to inform my instruction made it more effective.
Coaching Mrs. Trotter helped me feel how technology coaches interact with the teachers and how they are perceived when offering help. She was very responsive to my suggestions and felt that with practice often, she would be successful in using Google Classroom to assign work and grade it. She also felt like with the added support she was able to ask me more questions as she got comfortable with the new technology.
The work that went into coaching Mrs. Trotter impacted faculty development. This could be assessed using a survey to gauge Mrs. Trotter’s knowledge and confidence before and after the coaching sessions.
5.2 Professional Learning
Candidates develop and implement technology-based professional learning that aligns to state and national professional learning standards, integrates technology to support face-to-face and online components, models principles of adult learning, and promotes best practices in teaching, learning, and assessment. (PSC 5.2/ISTE 4b)
The Coaching Journal is an assignment from ITEC 7460. In it, I worked with a teacher who wanted assistance with different areas of technology. I created mini lessons, planned, and taught different concepts for the teacher to use in her classroom.
Before beginning our sessions together, the teacher completed a technology evaluation. After looking at her results, we discussed ideas and specifics of things that she was interested in or areas of content in order to develop and implement technology-based professional learning. She stated that she had set up a Google Classroom for her students, but did not know how to use it. We decided to start there and include social studies standards when finding resources.
The Coaching Journal is appropriate for the professional learning standard by developing and implementing professional learning for the teacher that is aligned to state and national professional learning standards. Assisting the teacher in using technology to differentiate instruction, assessing student learning, and and providing rigorous and engaging learning experiences aligns with International Society for Technology in Education’s standards for coaches. The teacher and I worked together to plan different ways she could use Google Classroom in her class and assess it easily.
Our schedules made it difficult to meet at times but instead of waiting until our next face-to-face session, I integrated online components. We discussed how her Classroom and Google Docs were being received through email, and we also planned ahead of time by setting things up for future dates to be completed by her students in the Google Classroom.
By allowing the teacher to choose in what areas she would like to explore technology and being sure that the content is practical and relevant to content she is covering her class, I modeled the principles of adult learning. As with many teachers, professional learning has to be meaningful to take root and be used consistently. Participating in professional learning that does not apply to you or your classroom can be viewed as a waste of time.
The teacher and I worked well together and came up with many ideas for her to use in her classroom immediately. We used Google Classroom to plan lessons for students, including resources and activities. We also had students complete constructed responses in Google Docs, so that grading would be quick and paperwork limited. I promoted best practices in teaching, learning, and assessment.
From completing this artifact, I learned that even seasoned teachers can use some technology assistance and get excited about learning something new. I also learned that the best laid plans do not always work out accordingly. Being flexible is important as a technology coach. During my next coaching sessions with different teachers, I think it would be beneficial to have a working document that includes our meeting notes and plans for the next session. This way the teacher and I can look back for reference.
The work that went into creating this artifact impacted faculty development. By coaching this teacher, she has learned a basic foundation of technology concepts to use in her classroom. This impact can be assessed with a survey of her technology use or an observation of her technology use in the classroom.
5.3 Program Evaluation
Candidates design and implement program evaluations to determine the overall effectiveness of professional learning on deepening teacher content knowledge, improving teacher pedagogical skills and/or increasing student learning. (PSC 5.3/ISTE 4c)
The Current Reality and Georgia Assessment of Performance on School Standards is an artifact from ITEC 7460. In it, I reviewed our current professional learning opportunities and requirements. By researching I was able to assess our professional learning with the GAPSS by labeling the standards included exemplary, operational, emerging, or not evident.
With this artifact I designed and implemented a program evaluation. The program evaluation helped me to discover that while many of the areas covered in GAPSS were rated as operational, some were only emerging. The areas covered in the GAPSS are aligns professional learning with needs identified through variety of data; establishes a culture of collaboration to enhance performance; defines expectations for implementing professional learning; uses multiple professional learning designs; allocates resources and establishes systems to support and sustain effective professional learning; monitors and evaluates the impact of professional learning. By researching our professional learning current reality it is apparent that the professional learning opportunities support teachers’ content knowledge and pedagogical skills. Professional learning was presented for a number of different areas including different contents, technology, data analysis and classroom management. Professional learning on data analysis focused on using data from formative and summative assessments to drive instruction and improve student learning.
From completing this artifact I learned that there are areas of professional learning that Thomas County Middle School can improve in. Without this analysis of standards, I would not know how about the ways that professional learning could be improved, for example having a follow-up plan for sustaining professional learning. To improve the quality of the artifact, I would have liked to speak directly with the superintendent of curriculum and instruction and get her viewpoint of areas that could use improvement.
The work that went into creating this artifact impacts school improvement and faculty development. By improving our professional learning, our school improves and faculty development increases. To assess this impact, another program evaluation can be completed at a later date after changes have been implemented.
Candidates demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to conduct needs assessments, develop technology-based professional learning programs, and design and implement regular and rigorous program evaluations to assess effectiveness and impact on student learning.
5.1 Needs Assessment
Candidates conduct needs assessments to determine school-wide, faculty, grade-level, and subject area strengths and weaknesses to inform the content and delivery of technology-based professional learning programs. (PSC 5.1/ISTE 4a)
Standard 5.1 focuses on assessing needs, strengths, and weaknesses to guide professional learning programs. In the Instructional Technology program, the Individual Teacher Technology Assessment is given to begin the coaching assignment. In the Assessment, the teacher answers various LoTi (Levels of Teaching Innovation) questions to determine what areas should be focused on in coaching sessions.
When conducting my peer teacher’s needs assessment, I assessed her technology the LotI questionnaire and we discussed her results to determine what areas of technology we should focus on in our coaching sessions. For weaknesses, she felt that technology was being implemented faster than she could keep up and needed the extra help to catch up to expectations that were routine now with our school. We decided to focus on Google Apps first, because it is a recently added school initiative and each teacher was encouraged to set up a Google Classroom for each academic subject. My peer teacher, Mrs. Trotter, has an excellent strength of trying new things and writing notes about instruction given to remember steps to introduce new technology in her classroom.
Using the needs assessment to guide our sessions helped me to inform Mrs. Trotter in a way that was understandable to her. For example, instead of giving my peer teacher a handout with helpful tips and steps to use while in the classroom, we worked through it together. I modelled the steps and she was able to replicate them easier that way. Using her results, strengths, and weaknesses to inform my instruction made it more effective.
Coaching Mrs. Trotter helped me feel how technology coaches interact with the teachers and how they are perceived when offering help. She was very responsive to my suggestions and felt that with practice often, she would be successful in using Google Classroom to assign work and grade it. She also felt like with the added support she was able to ask me more questions as she got comfortable with the new technology.
The work that went into coaching Mrs. Trotter impacted faculty development. This could be assessed using a survey to gauge Mrs. Trotter’s knowledge and confidence before and after the coaching sessions.
5.2 Professional Learning
Candidates develop and implement technology-based professional learning that aligns to state and national professional learning standards, integrates technology to support face-to-face and online components, models principles of adult learning, and promotes best practices in teaching, learning, and assessment. (PSC 5.2/ISTE 4b)
The Coaching Journal is an assignment from ITEC 7460. In it, I worked with a teacher who wanted assistance with different areas of technology. I created mini lessons, planned, and taught different concepts for the teacher to use in her classroom.
Before beginning our sessions together, the teacher completed a technology evaluation. After looking at her results, we discussed ideas and specifics of things that she was interested in or areas of content in order to develop and implement technology-based professional learning. She stated that she had set up a Google Classroom for her students, but did not know how to use it. We decided to start there and include social studies standards when finding resources.
The Coaching Journal is appropriate for the professional learning standard by developing and implementing professional learning for the teacher that is aligned to state and national professional learning standards. Assisting the teacher in using technology to differentiate instruction, assessing student learning, and and providing rigorous and engaging learning experiences aligns with International Society for Technology in Education’s standards for coaches. The teacher and I worked together to plan different ways she could use Google Classroom in her class and assess it easily.
Our schedules made it difficult to meet at times but instead of waiting until our next face-to-face session, I integrated online components. We discussed how her Classroom and Google Docs were being received through email, and we also planned ahead of time by setting things up for future dates to be completed by her students in the Google Classroom.
By allowing the teacher to choose in what areas she would like to explore technology and being sure that the content is practical and relevant to content she is covering her class, I modeled the principles of adult learning. As with many teachers, professional learning has to be meaningful to take root and be used consistently. Participating in professional learning that does not apply to you or your classroom can be viewed as a waste of time.
The teacher and I worked well together and came up with many ideas for her to use in her classroom immediately. We used Google Classroom to plan lessons for students, including resources and activities. We also had students complete constructed responses in Google Docs, so that grading would be quick and paperwork limited. I promoted best practices in teaching, learning, and assessment.
From completing this artifact, I learned that even seasoned teachers can use some technology assistance and get excited about learning something new. I also learned that the best laid plans do not always work out accordingly. Being flexible is important as a technology coach. During my next coaching sessions with different teachers, I think it would be beneficial to have a working document that includes our meeting notes and plans for the next session. This way the teacher and I can look back for reference.
The work that went into creating this artifact impacted faculty development. By coaching this teacher, she has learned a basic foundation of technology concepts to use in her classroom. This impact can be assessed with a survey of her technology use or an observation of her technology use in the classroom.
5.3 Program Evaluation
Candidates design and implement program evaluations to determine the overall effectiveness of professional learning on deepening teacher content knowledge, improving teacher pedagogical skills and/or increasing student learning. (PSC 5.3/ISTE 4c)
The Current Reality and Georgia Assessment of Performance on School Standards is an artifact from ITEC 7460. In it, I reviewed our current professional learning opportunities and requirements. By researching I was able to assess our professional learning with the GAPSS by labeling the standards included exemplary, operational, emerging, or not evident.
With this artifact I designed and implemented a program evaluation. The program evaluation helped me to discover that while many of the areas covered in GAPSS were rated as operational, some were only emerging. The areas covered in the GAPSS are aligns professional learning with needs identified through variety of data; establishes a culture of collaboration to enhance performance; defines expectations for implementing professional learning; uses multiple professional learning designs; allocates resources and establishes systems to support and sustain effective professional learning; monitors and evaluates the impact of professional learning. By researching our professional learning current reality it is apparent that the professional learning opportunities support teachers’ content knowledge and pedagogical skills. Professional learning was presented for a number of different areas including different contents, technology, data analysis and classroom management. Professional learning on data analysis focused on using data from formative and summative assessments to drive instruction and improve student learning.
From completing this artifact I learned that there are areas of professional learning that Thomas County Middle School can improve in. Without this analysis of standards, I would not know how about the ways that professional learning could be improved, for example having a follow-up plan for sustaining professional learning. To improve the quality of the artifact, I would have liked to speak directly with the superintendent of curriculum and instruction and get her viewpoint of areas that could use improvement.
The work that went into creating this artifact impacts school improvement and faculty development. By improving our professional learning, our school improves and faculty development increases. To assess this impact, another program evaluation can be completed at a later date after changes have been implemented.