Learning for both students and teachers is not a one-size fits all or a copy and paste operation. For teachers to value and create student-centered classrooms, they must experience professional learning in a personalized and embedded manner. Supportive school cultures recognize the value of professional collaboration and actively seek to connect educators in meaningful ways. Technology must be used as a tool for learning and not an entity unto itself to meet the challenges of tomorrow's workforce. Personalized professional learning, incorporating coaching, modeling, reflection, collaboration, and professional learning communities build both internal and lateral capacity through a carefully planned environment involving stakeholders. This chapter encompasses recommendations for implementing personalized professional learning strategies to connect institutional knowledge and practices through professional learning networks (PLN), interactions, collaborative conferencing, and coaching.
TopModel For Change
Personalized Professional Learning Model Overview
Figure 1. Personalized professional learning model for change
To reiterate, using what the literature has identified as critical elements to successful personalized professional learning, Meeuwse and Mason (2017) designed the Personalized Professional Learning Model for Change. In this chapter, the authors deconstruct each level to offer suggestions and strategies for consideration in the implementation phase. First, beginning with the outside ring of the image, Clear Vision and Focused Direction is primarily targeted for school and system leaders. As noted in the literature, it is critical for school leaders to initially develop and disseminate a clear vision and focused direction for school change with implementation of distributed leadership practices. Furthermore, administrators should strategically incorporate teachers in Shared Leadership roles to give them a voice in the school improvement and change process. Moving inward, the next ring incorporates elements typically associated with System Resources and Needs, which is devoted to examination of identified system needs and available resources to better inform campus improvement initiatives and change, while yet aligning with district, state, or federal directives known as external accountability. Another very important element in the model is examining the Campus Resources and Needs to determine ways to assist teachers with instruction and ultimately support improved student achievement. Once the Campus Resources and Needs have been identified and prioritized, often there is a need to build greater Teacher Capacity, which is at the heart of personalized professional learning to affect change in student learning and achievement.
Clear Vision And Focused Direction With Shared Leadership
An important responsibility of leaders is to establish a shared vision that represents collective input in its development (Wallace Foundation, 2015). Examining the Meeuwse and Mason (2017) Personalized Professional Learning Model (See Figure 1), the outer ring represents the need for vision and focused direction with shared leadership in a distributed approach. Leaders should engage all stakeholders in setting the stage for changing practice and building a supportive school environment for greater teacher capacity and improved student learning. Often schools and systems have many goals, which seem unconnected, ad hoc, or ever-changing. Sometimes states or districts have initiatives and goals with enticing innovative grants or focus areas that lead to fragmentation or employee overload (Fullan & Quinn, 2016). Thus, a main challenge for leadership is staying focused on organizational vision and goals.