Professional Development School Network
Professional Development
This section is devoted to professional development
opportunities for both pre-service teachers/interns and current full-time
teachers.
INTRODUCTION
"Community of
Learners," the theme of the Towson University Professional
Development School (PDS) Network, has been the driving force
behind Network implementation. As a result of collaboration with public schools, the Network
has been successful because it links the best of practice with the
best of theory and research, which prepares and sustains the
abilities of teachers to teach well and positively impact student
achievement. The Towson PDS Network promotes fundamental change not by
prescription but by challenging involvement and problem solving
for all stakeholders, by dignifying the knowledge that teachers
possess, and by offering collegial leadership and professional
growth opportunities to university faculty and PDS teachers.
Reflecting the "Community of Learners"
theme, one of the distinctive characteristics of the Network is
its emphasis on providing needs-based, site-based, continuous
professional development for in-service teachers and
administrators, as well as University faculty.
Accordingly, the P-16 members of the Network have created,
conducted, and participated in a wide range of needs-based
professional development activities.
Reflecting the distinctive learning needs of participants,
these professional development activities have included:
- graduate coursework
- mentor training
- action research projects
- study groups
- service learning projects
- summer strategic planning institutes
- conference presentations
- technology integration projects
- after school "teacher chats"/discussion groups
- PDS Institutes
- participation as adjunct faculty
1. Graduate
Coursework
Coursework reflecting
faculty needs assessments is offered on-site to address school
improvement needs. Courses
focusing on reading, technology, and multicultural education
reflect intern and inservice teacher learning needs in many sites.
To facilitate teacher participation, the Network has
crafted appealing financial partnerships resulting in reduced
tuition and reduced teachers' out-of-pocket expenses by direct
billing of the local school system for tuition reimbursement.
Examples of courses offered include:
- PDS: Planning
for and Assessing Change
- Mentoring
- Education that is Multicultural
- The Teacher as Researcher
- Computer Technology and Utilization
- Utilization of Instructional Media
- Assessment of Student Learning
- Reading Instruction and Assessment
2. Pre-Service
Mentor Training
The training of pre-service mentors is a
critically important component of the Network.
Providing a common language, shared understanding, and a
model for coaching and reflection enables the school and IHE
personnel to achieve a common vision regarding their roles in the
community of learners. Intern
expectations, mastery of INTASC standards, and
methods of assessment are all topics that may be included in
pre-service mentor training. One of the benefits of pre-service mentor training is that
this training enables school staff to participate in the
partnership in various capacities. Some who complete the training choose to become pre-service
mentors, while others may choose to have interns in their
classrooms on occasion, or volunteer to do demonstration lessons.
3. Inquiry/Action
Research
The learning community that has evolved
through the Network offers an ideal medium for inquiry and action
research surrounding teaching and learning.
Inquiry groups and/or action research groups and the
training necessary to participate in these groups are an integral
part of the Network. We often use Action Research to support the PDS school's School Improvement Plan, and therefore, support student achievement.
4. Summer
Strategic Planning Institutes
Each PDS engages in a summer strategic
planning institute. These multiple format institutes involve key participants in
ongoing strategic planning, goal setting, reflection/evaluation,
and program revision, based on MSDE State PDS Standards and the focus of each PDS School Improvement Plan.
5. Conference
presentations
Dissemination of promising practices and
structures to the educational community is also one of the
Network's goals. Numerous
PDS teachers have participated as presenters at state and national
conferences, including AACTE, ATE, ASCD, AERA, and NAPDS.
6. Technology
Integration Project
The MM-TIP project at Towson is funded by the
PT3 Grant (Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology),
which is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Education. PT3 is
about more than just technology, it's about teacher education
reform.
In response to this need to
make changes
in the way future teachers are taught, the Preparing
Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) initiative awards
grants to consortium partners that are working to transform
teacher preparation programs.
Towson University is a
two-time recipient of the PT3 Grant Award. The current grant is
about to begin its second year of implementation:
www.towson.edu/tip/
7. Discussion
Groups ("Teacher Chats")
These are forums that encourage
professional networking in an informal manner.
These informal conversational opportunities are frequently
held at the end of a school day.
Over light refreshments, teachers and interns from one site
or several PDS sites share outstanding lessons or topic-specific
instructional materials. Topics
that have been addressed during these discussion groups range from
"Involving Parents in Instruction During American Education
Week" to "Performance Assessment Instruction for Third and
Fifth Grade MSPAP Preparation." Some PDSs are experimenting with electronic discussions
groups and electronic bulletin board postings, as well.
8. Fall/Spring
PDS Collaboratives
Ongoing collaboration with local school
systems has enabled the Network to provide PDS Institutes which
bring several PDSs together to focus on a joint issue, such as
minority student achievement.
Schools typically obtain permission to use a staff
development day to engage all teachers in PDS-sponsored
professional development. A keynote presenter, breakout sessions, and opportunities for
teacher sharing have typically been part of the Institute.
Access to out-of-area, IHE, school system, and school
expertise results in learning and sharing of best practices.
This network-wide collaboration is a prudent use of
financial resources that allows national and state trainers to be
available to work with several PDSs.
9. Participation
as adjunct faculty
Recognizing their inherent expertise, many
PDS teachers have become adjunct faculty.
Based on their academic education and experience, PDS
teachers have served crucial instructional roles in undergraduate,
graduate, and inservice programs.
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