Learning Forward
Equity and excellence in teaching and learning.
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Changing roles of teachers
THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE for all of education is to think about the changing roles of teachers and students. I foresee a shift from today’s textbook-based classroom, with a teacher standing up in front of a class communicating all the information a student needs to know, to a project-based classroom, where the teacher is more of a mentor or coach. The students will become much more independent in terms of their own learning, getting their information not only from their teacher and the textbook, but also from the Internet and other digital sources. Basically, it’s a wholesale redesign of the learning experience.
“So, when we talk about professional development in the future, we’re talking about teaching teachers to understand their new role. We have to make them aware of what is available in terms of curriculum via the Internet. Whatever they want to teach, there is already material on the web that goes far beyond what’s in the textbooks. Pick a subject, and you can access primary sources, original documents, and deep archival material.
Professional development will also have to focus on the strategies teachers will need as they go about organizing students to move beyond merely memorizing facts and digesting information to deep, meaningful, engaged learning.
Milton Chen is executive director of the George Lucas Educational Foundation, which gathers and disseminates the most innovative models of K-12 teaching and learning in the digital age. Before joining the foundation, Chen was the founding director of the KQED Center for Education & Lifelong Learning (PBS) in San Francisco, delivering educational services for teachers, parents, and community groups in support of public TV programming. You can contact him at mchen@glef.org.
Focus on student learning
I SEE A CONTINUATION of the current shift toward more strategic professional development that links teachers’ professional learning to their students’ academic needs. Teachers should have opportunities to learn in multiple ways, but … teachers no longer have the luxury of pursuing professional development for their own delight. It must be standards-based and data- driven so that both teaching and learning improve.
“The most effective and powerful professional learning often occurs when teachers work together to examine student work in ways that help them to plan and improve instruction. That only happens when teachers accept responsibility for the learning of all students, stop working in isolation, and are given time during the school day to collaborate.
“States and districts need to align their policies and procedures to support the structural and cultural changes needed to make this type of effective professional learning a reality. Those of us in positions such as mine should continue to help schools understand, embrace, and implement this ‘new’ type of professional learning where educators are learning and working together to improve the performance of every student.
Cathy Gassenheimer is president of the Alabama Best Practices Center, a nonprofit organization that works to improve teaching and learning in Alabama, with an emphasis on professional development. The center is an affiliate of the A+ Education Foundation, of which Gassenheimer is managing director. You can contact her at cathy@aplusala.org.
References
Guskey, T. (1999). Evaluating professional development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Sparks, D. (2007). Leading for results: Transforming teaching, learning, and relationships in schools (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press & NSDC.
Sparks, D. & Hirsh, S. (1997). A new vision for staff development. Alexandria, VA: ASCD & NSDC.
Yankelovich, D. (1999). The magic of dialogue: Transforming conflict into cooperation. New York: Simon & Schuster.
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