2. Professional Development Plans and Personal Commitments

Professional Development Plans and Personal Commitments

This we believe (NMSA, 2010)

*Students and teachers are engaged in active, purposeful learning. Active Learning

This we believe (NMSA, 2010) provides sixteen characteristics of exemplary middle schools. This is the second characteristic under the topic: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. The focus of this characteristic is on students and teachers. While we often talk about the importance of student engagement, I believe this bullet calls for teachers, for us, to be engaged in active, purposeful learning. I am convinced that how we, as teachers, take care of one another, and ourselves impacts students. There are two elements: one structured, and one unstructured that guide us towards active and purposeful learning.

Professional Development Plans. One of the expectations of teachers, in our state, is the professional development plan (PDP). Teachers choose one to two goals for the year, make a plan, meet with the principal, and monitor their progress over time. The following teaching standards are used in designing a PDP: teachers demonstrate leadership; teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students; teachers know the content they teach; teachers facilitate learning for their students; teachers reflect on their practice; and teachers contribute to the academic success of students. Initially, teachers must rate themselves as either developing, proficient, accomplished, or distinguished on each of the elements based on six standards. Once this is conducted, the teacher chooses one to two goals for the year.

When I first saw the standards, I thought I had to have a goal for each standard. I only had to choose two goals. The following format is used in our state and includes my two goals.

Goal Four: Teachers facilitate learning for their students.

Activities/Actions

1) Integrate art into the mathematics classroom. Assess student learning based on activities that are arts integrated compared to activities that are not arts integration.
Sample: Students have learned a song to help them remember the slope of lines. In an assessment of slope, I will be able to identify the percent of students who meet the standard compared to other elements of the test (calculating slope).
2) Keep a file of art integrated activities and the success of the students.
3) Engage students in their learning with their families. Example: This week, students have to teach their parents how to calculate slope.

Expected Outcomes/Evidence of Completion

Students will be able to communicate their knowledge through art.
Three projects will be part of the class.
Student data will be analyzed as to their knowledge based on the projects conducted.

Resources Needed

Art supplies

Timeline

Each nine weeks, students will participate in three projects that illustrate their knowledge of math.

^* Required

Goal Five: Teachers reflect on their practice.

Activities/Actions

The Association of Middle Level Education put forth a document titled "This We Believe". In that document are 16 characteristics of exemplary middle schools. Throughout this year my goal is to "blog" about the experience and relate the topics to the 16 characteristics as outlined in This We Believe. My blog can be seen at
middleschool2015-2016.blogspot.com

Expected Outcomes/Evidence of Completion

Documentation of technology, art integration, student growth, and the impact of teaming will be demonstrated across time. A focus on the above topics will impact student learning.

Presentations on topics covered will conducted at state, national, and international conferences.

Evidence of students' needs being met based on their use of technology, art, and communication. Data will be compiled on AIG and EC students as well as regular classroom students.

Resources Needed

This We Believe (NMSA, 2010)
Permission to attend national, state, and international conferences.

Timeline

I will complete 100 entries on this blog. They will be coded by the 16 characteristics.
Each nine weeks, evidence will be compiled based on data.

National: blogging
Presentations

State: Technology and Paideia Seminar in the math/science classroom (NCAMLE conference)
International: art integration (ELMLE conference)

Midterm Review

* Evidence of Progress Toward Specific Standards of Elements to be Addressed/Enhanced

1) Integrating art in the classroom... we have conducted "The mathematics of me;" "The mathematics of what I love to do;" The mathematics of place;" and "The mathematics of my culture," that involved families directly. As a class we looked at the mathematics of origami and mandalas. We also made "finger origami" of mathematical equations, and one-point perspective drawings as they relate to dilations. In addition, we use art to visualize word problems, songs to reinforce formulas and concepts, and technology to illustrate knowledge.

2. Our students took the MAP testing yesterday. I am going to see if there has been improvement in their scores. Anecdotally, I have seen more motivation on days students are connecting math with art. During testing, students would be singing or making the motions to songs. This week we were examining scatter plots. When asked to identify whether the association was positive or negative, one class broke into "song" - to the right, to the right is a positive... 

Additionally, our team is going to implement "club time." My club is art/math/science. One-fifth of the team has selected this club as their elective, second to "wellness." 

In about a week, I will be sharing these resources with teachers at the European League of Middle Level Education.

3) I am on post forty-nine of the following blog: middleschool2015-2016.blogspot.com. It includes stories and advice. To date there have been over 650 page views of the blog. I am working with AMLE to distribute the blog to CMLA (Collegiate Middle-Level Association) participants and have shared it with the person who is teaching “Introduction to Middle Grades” at UNCA and to other professors across the state and nation.

At the end of the first semester, teachers are required to revisit the PDP. I am pleased to report that currently I am on track to meet my goals. The goal allows me to be intentional about developing my own practice. Through this experience, I am witnessing the value of implementing art and am beginning to collect evidence specific to how art impacts my students’ learning.

So you see, my PDP goal is to facilitate learning and reflect on my teaching. The nice thing about creating a PDP is that it gives us an opportunity to choose what we want to develop. My interests are related to art integration and reflecting on the experience. My students have completed some good projects; we have gotten to explore mathematics through art, and I have gotten to write about it. How fun is that? (:

Teachers can view the PDP format on Homebase for NC Teacher educators at: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/effectiveness-model/ncees/online-evaluation/pdp-teacher.pdf

Unstructured. While we focus on engaging our students in active, purposeful learning, I believe teachers also need to engage in active, purposeful learning with their teammates and themselves. Teams of teachers who work together to plan, who work together to discuss the concerns and successes of their students, and who work together socially are healthier.

In the past, I have worked on teams where teachers do a great job, but there is no continuity across classrooms, or communication, or collaboration, or celebration. This can make for a very lonely, and somewhat isolated team. Teachers in these settings are doing their own thing and conversations do not exist. I have even seen a spirit of negativity festering in these settings.

I believe middle school teachers can impact students more when they work together. Children are not empty vessels; they thrive on connections, so can teachers. On the other hand, teachers who plan together, who find ways to support students and one another, and who celebrate the successes of themselves and their students are happier. A collective vision about what is good for kids should drive every team.

A final note: Teachers who have interests and activities outside of school may also be happier. A few years ago, one of my colleagues shared, “I am going to play more.”

I replied, “I like that.” So we both made a commitment to play more. We would check in with one another periodically to find out how we were playing more. It was a great exercise in being intentional about taking care of our own personal, social, emotional selves.

Advice

1)   When creating a PDP, consider what makes you happy. If possible, consider setting a common plan with a teammate or colleague so there is conversation.

2)   Post your PDP goals in your classroom so you can reflect on them and collect evidences of meeting the plan.

3)   Remember that your students’ social and emotional behaviors impact learning. If you are concerned about a student, or notice a change in their behaviors, talk to one another and the parents.

4)   Take care of yourself. To engage in active and purposeful learning could be that you join a fitness club, or hike or bike or take art classes. I am convinced that being intentional about taking care of yourself will make you a better teacher.