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Across diverse districts I have asked teachers how they like to learn and what they want out of their professional learning opportunities. Over and over I hear the same kinds of responses and wishes for how they could learn. There is a deep desire to develop their practice, not just be talked to but be inspired, valued, and pushed to take their practice to the next level. To help teachers shift their practices and make learning experiences for their students the best they can be, these are the desired characteristics of professional learning that shifts practices:
Purposeful
Goal-oriented
Inquiry-based
Applicable
Safe
Learner-centered
Collaborative
Personalized
Action-oriented
These 10 characteristics likely do not come as a surprise as they align with much of what we know about the power of purpose, motivation, and empowerment in learning. The problem is that they so rarely represent how teachers learn despite what we know. Why?! Well, most often because it requires leaders and designers of these experiences to trust the learners, be flexible to meet their needs, allow for diverse pathways and be open to new ideas.
Often pressed for time and trying to fit it all in, many take short cuts to ensure that they have covered it all rather that engage in deep learning. Another challenge is that many have not truly experienced this type of learning in their formal education, which makes it hard to imagine how to create new and better experiences. Without new models, people tend to revert back and recreate their own experiences.
The always inspiring Joyce Valenza shares these important 10 characteristics.
Shift the languate in your practice to include these!