S5 E8 - When Teachers are Learners - Making Professional Development Work

Through my work as both a teacher and leader , it has always been clear that adults benefit from a structured approach to learning in the same way that students do . Using the explicit teaching model and other evidence-based approaches to instruction helps create safety and predictability and reduces stress for both students and adults .

In this episode , I'd like to share suggestions of how we can apply Rosenshine's principles to working with our teams in professional development .

Before we start exploring the principles , let's acknowledge something important While adults benefit from the same learning structures as children , when we're doing something new we bring more background knowledge and experience to the table . This can be both a help and a hindrance .

If we're learning something that's close to what we know , it can support our learning , but if we have incomplete or false preconceived ideas , it can make it harder for us to reimagine what great teaching looks like . And this isn't about a lack of commitment . It's just part of being human .

I'd also like to share a little bit about Barack Rosenshine and why his work matters so much . Rosenshine was a researcher who spent decades studying what makes teaching effective . His principles weren't just theoretical ideas . They came from three different sources of research cognitive science , studies of master teachers and research on cognitive support procedures .

What makes his work so powerful is how it brings together what we know about how the brain learns , what successful teachers actually do in their classrooms and how we can support complex learning tasks .

When we look at current research in cognitive science , particularly work around cognitive load theory and the importance of retrieval , it aligns beautifully with Rosenshine's principles . For instance , his emphasis on small steps and guided practice reflects what we know about how working memory limitations impact learning .

His work on review and questioning connects directly to research on how we consolidate learning through retrieval . These aren't just good ideas . They're practices grounded in how our brains actually work . So let's explore how we can harness these principles and the research about student learning to better support our teachers to develop their capacity .

The first principle is begin with a short review of previous learning . When we work with children , we know how important it is to activate prior knowledge and review previous learning . It helps us tap into our existing schema to support the current learning focus . It's no different with teachers , but this step is often skipped in professional learning sessions .

We kind of assume that because teachers are professionals , they'll remember everything from our last session three weeks ago . Think about it . They've taught dozens of lessons , attended multiple meetings and dealt with countless situations since then .

So a review for our staff might look like a quick write activity about key concepts , partner discussion about implementation attempts or even using retrieval practice with a big box of questions . The second principle is present new material in small steps with practice .

In our enthusiasm to upskill teachers and the pressure that we all feel to move quickly , we often try to cover too much in a short space of time . As a leader , I've been guilty of this myself , knowing that we only have this one hour for the next four weeks . So we're trying to cover all aspects of a topic in that one session .

But just as we wouldn't overwhelm our students with multiple new concepts at once , we shouldn't do this with teachers either . So when we're introducing new teaching practices , break them down into manageable components . Focus on just one element at a time , allow time for processing and the opportunity for application .

We need to give it a go and then we can come back and reflect , building on each step as we go . This is why our Teach Along courses are presented in small chunks over a period of time . It allows teachers to focus on the smaller elements that are most important to them at that time and to practice them .

Principle three is ask a large number of questions and check the responses of all students . With teachers , this principle looks different than with children , but it's just as important . We need to regularly check for understanding and check in on engagement , and we can do this in a non-threatening way by having regular check-ins during professional learning sessions .

Have teachers explain concepts to each other , not just tick boxes about what we're doing . We can use tools like exit tickets or reflection journals , and it's really important to create opportunities for everybody to contribute , not just that confident few . Principle four is to provide models , and this is so critical in teacher professional learning .

Just showing teachers what to do through an explanation isn't really showing them . We need to demonstrate why and how . So when you're learning something new , I'm sure that you want to see it in action , right ? Well , we know that as teachers , we're the same .

We can do this in our professional learning with video examples of expert teaching , live demonstration lessons , clear examples of planning documents , show samples of student work and assessment and how they relate back to that lesson plan and that modeled lesson , and you can show recordings of teacher student interactions .

When I visit school and I was doing that just this week , supporting teachers in their learning journey one of the things that I do is to model lessons . The school is then invited to record the lesson and keep the video on file for future reflection and professional learning .

One of the reasons this is important is because it helps our team develop common , shared understandings of what we want the practice to look like .

If we just talk about it and look at the lesson plans , you can have five teachers develop five very different versions of that lesson because they're imagining based on their own experience , but having something to watch can be really powerful .

Remember , though , it's also about follow up , not just the watching , but you don't have to get someone in to do this work .

If you have someone on your team who's a master at using a certain strategy or delivering a particular lesson type , record them and put the video into a folder for future reference when you work in a small school or you're dealing with teacher shortages , as everyone is .

It can be near on impossible to release people as much as you would like to for observation , so video helps that enormously . It also means that people are viewing a high quality example . So that you're again building that shared vision . So that you're again building that shared vision . Principle five is provide guided practice In teacher professional learning .

Guided practice is often the missing link . We send people off to training . They do the training . We come back they've got the stuff . We send them off to their classroom to go and teach and have a play , but we're really expecting them to implement perfectly in their classrooms all on their own .

It's a little bit like showing students how to solve a maths problem once and then expecting them to master it by themselves . So , when it comes to teachers , effective guided practice might look like collaborative planning sessions , role-playing , new techniques in PLC or staff meetings . You can have team teaching opportunities .

You can structure planning times with coaching support . Coaching is so important in our journey as teachers . It's critical , though , that we do create those opportunities for practice in a way that enables immediate feedback and that this feels like a safe process . Nobody likes to be observed or practice in front of others when we feel like we're being judged .

Principle six is check for understanding and again , while the principle is the same , how we do this with teachers is a little bit different than with students . So we can have regular implementation discussions , peer observation , feedback , as long as that feels like a safe space .

Self-reflection protocols support the development of a shared vision , so you can have teachers video themselves and , using a set of standard criteria for success , evaluate their own practice . Visible success criteria is important for students and it's also important for the adults . We also have to remember to include data review in this checking for understanding .

The entire goal of professional development is not just to tick boxes and feel good . It's to make sure that we are positively impacting student results . If we're not seeing a bump in that monitoring data , if we don't have evidence that students are learning what we're teaching , the impact of our professional learning is minimal .

And remember , professional learning and professional development

can be two different things . Professional development is grounded in action that leads to strong outcomes . Principle seven is obtain a high success rate . This principle is crucial for building teacher confidence and maintaining momentum . Remember , every teacher learning to implement a new approach or technique is a novice , regardless of their years of experience .

We have to set our team up for success . So have realistic implementation goals and include shared action planning with dates assigned to particular actions . Provide adequate support structures . It's not enough to say you've got your training , you've got your books off , you go call me if you have any dramas .

Not enough to say you've got your training , you've got your books off , you go call me if you have any dramas . Celebrate together the smallest of wins , because developing practice isn't about one massive thing . It's about consistently applying small techniques and improvements , and success , ultimately , is built in a series of small wins . So celebrate them .

Don't discard them because we think they're not good enough . We can also adjust the pace of implementation slightly based on teacher needs . Now don't misunderstand me . I'm not talking about waiting until every member of the team is comfortable before you make a move , but some people are happy to move faster .

Others like to have a couple of weeks to digest and observe others . Give people that space and time . It's not a one size fits all , however . Your whole team does need to be on the bus and you do need to be moving in the same direction with similar timings .

This helps people feel secure , which then has the knock on effect of helping them get quick wins early on in the process , building buy-in as you go . Principle eight is provide scaffolding . This is very clearly aligned with the create successes and help people feel safe and secure in what they're doing .

So we scaffold for students and we should do it for our teachers as well . So giving people examples of lesson plans and giving them resources to use is a form of scaffolding . Providing people with pre-made resources and lessons is not a way to take them out of the equation . It's there to help lighten their cognitive load .

But remember that the provided lesson or the scripted lesson is not the end of the story . It's only the start of the journey in building our teacher capacity . Give teachers the chance to co-teach and remember coaching is critical for the successful transfer of practice into the classroom and the benefits you get in student outcomes . So don't scrimp on the coaching .

Do as much as you can and sometimes that means thinking outside the box with what we've got to work with , but do as much as you can and it will be a gift to your team . Lots of clear success criteria and step-by-step implementation guides also help . Principle nine is require and monitor independent practice , and in our teaching .

This is where the rubber meets the road . In teacher professional development . It's about actually implementing and actually taking the action . So it's not enough to say we did some PL , we did some practice . You had a play . Teachers need to be using what we are implementing consistently , but again , it's not about throwing them into the deep end .

Principle 10 is engage in weekly and monthly review , and it's not just about remembering facts , it's about deepening understanding and refining practice . So PLC meetings are a great space for this , where you can unpack implementation challenges , refer back to theory and deepen our understanding through action . Professionals don't just learn knowledge through reading .

We learn it on our feet . We learn it through action . So having space for reflective practice is really important . Data again comes into these discussions , and connecting our new learning to frameworks and theories helps us continue to deepen our understandings In our Leading Learning .

Success Professional Development Program , every staff meeting begins with a review of key ideas and information learned during the program . One and done in PL is about as effective as one and done in the classroom . In fact , it's never sufficient to help us build lasting knowledge .

Just as we differentiate students , we need to differentiate our professional learning for our team . Some might need more support with certain aspects of training with greater intensity , and others are ready to move ahead more quickly . This is not a reflection of capability . It's about previous experience . It's about personality .

It's about how we learn ourselves , and we as leaders need to meet people where they're up to and help them grow from there . But it's not just for our leaders to remember this , it's for every one of us who works in a team . We all support each other and being gentle with each other helps us feel safe .

So we're going to have a very clear vision on where we're going with this instruction . What element of student outcomes are we going to impact and then support and scaffold people so that they can make that happen ? Before we wrap up today , I want to emphasise one last thing . Professional development only happens when there is engagement that leads to action .

Theoretical knowledge is important , but it's not sufficient . We need to ensure our professional learning has measurable outcomes and leads to improved practice in the classroom . That means that leaders have a responsibility to ensure that professional development is something done with people , not done to them .

However , the flip side of this is that teachers also have a professional responsibility to engage in a professional and respectful manner , to be open to new learning , regardless of years in the classroom . To be reflective practitioners so that they continue to move themselves forward . This helps move the team and the students forward into the long term .

So many adult focused dilemmas in school can be solved with insights gained from how we successfully support students to learn . When it comes to PL , it's no different . We can use things like Rosenstein's principles , our understanding of cognitive load theory , about working memory and about supporting learning into the long term to help us teachers to thrive .

That's all from me for this week . Until next time , happy teaching everyone . Bye .