Professional Learning - My Plan
BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) – CTE Educators will implement teacher externships as their professional learning opportunities
“OCSB teachers have shifted their classroom practice from teacher-directed instruction to teachers as activators of learning and designers of rich learning tasks.”
I have to admit, this assignment was a huge struggle for me. I do not generally set goals or at least I don’t think about setting goals. I live and get guidance and inspiration from my faith walk. Now, I do have ideas - Lots of them. However, I do more ideating than execution. So, when tasked with creating a plan to improve professional learning, I wanted to run and hide. My question is “why aren’t career and technical education teachers learning from the professionals in their fields?”
As I think about implementing teacher externships, I will need to consider logistics which I believe will be the most challenging part of the process. I believe using the UbD template will help with allowing me to think through this course of action.
Going through this process helps me to realize that it is important to incorporate steps because it allows me to think through all of the details, I need to plan out a professional learning plan. In the CASE STUDY REPORT Ottawa Catholic School Board Leading and learning for innovation (La Ferrière & Cooke, 2016), it states that teachers are now leveraging their voices in the change process. In my honest opinion, the best way for CTE teachers to do so is to get out into the community with innovative businesses in the local or national community. In doing so, teachers can bring more relevant real-world knowledge to their classrooms that will be useful for their students. Please review my UbD template for my professional learning plan.
Resource
La Ferrière , L., & Cooke , M. (2016). The CEA ‘Innovation That Sticks’ Case Study Report Ottawa Catholic School Board A Framework for District-Wide Change.
Professional Learning - My idea
In the article, Keeping your passion for teaching alive (Barnes, 2018), teachers are encouraged to do what they love and think about how to incorporate that into their classroom setting. One of the things I enjoy most is connecting what I’ve learned to real-life situations. While it may sound cliché, I have realized that in my life, one of the things I enjoy doing the most is learning. I love to learn. However, my learning doesn’t stop at just obtaining knowledge. My goal is to always connect what I’ve learned to my life and do what I can to incorporate it into my personal life. This is a huge goal of mine for my students which is why I am a huge supporter of field trips and guest speakers. Learning takes place inside and outside of the classroom.
When it comes to professional learning, I believe that teachers have been disregarded and have not had the same equitable opportunities as the students we are teaching. I believe that if we want to prepare students for the real-world, we must also prepare teachers to teach students for the real-world. I believe that teachers are often overlooked and are only seen as a messenger to the end product (the student). Lastly, I believe that if we invest in educating teachers more, we will see an increased passion in education.
When I changed careers to become a teacher, I was excited to bring in my real-world knowledge to the classroom. However, I knew at some point my knowledge would become outdated. I was concerned about how I would go about keeping up with new trends in the global marketplace. My to my despair, my district is not supplying me with this information. Which is why I decided to obtain my master’s in the first place. Why isn’t the educational system doing more to empower teachers with knowledge as it relates to the global marketplace?
As I consider my approach to speak with my administrators, there are a few issues I would like to address. For starters, I will need to mention how it’s time for administrators and education agencies to recognize that teachers should be at the forefront of and not just a part of the learning process. Teachers should be able to lead their own plight by getting the relevant education needed to better serve students. Teacher externships do just that benefiting, not only the teacher, but also the business. Let’s get rid of conferences and replace them with field trips.
Making PDs relevant for all teachers and providing teachers with opportunities to go on field trips related to their content (i.e., to local businesses or with businesspersons within the community, safaris, refineries, etc.) will provide teachers with engaged-learning and equip them with more up-to-date knowledge regarding current events and real-world experiences that can be brought back into the classroom. Teachers constantly advocate for their students. It’s time for others to advocate them.
As Duarte states in Resonate, “Organizations must continually shift and make improvements to remain healthy” (Duarte, 2013). Considering teacher externships, administrators will need to understand “experience will inform the design and implementation of classroom activities that add relevance and meaning to students’ learning” (2021). Connecting classroom content with students’ future career goals helps students to gain the skills needed to be successful. Additionally, granting teachers the opportunity to connect theory and practice will increase the relevance of the lesson and increases the students’ career awareness and discovery.
Resources
Barnes, P. (2018, October 10). Keeping your passion for teaching alive. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/keeping-your-passion-teaching-alive.
Duarte, N. (2013). Resonate. Duarte Resonate - Present Visual Stories That Transform Audiences. https://www.duarte.com/resonate-book/
Educator Externships in work-based learning. Colorado succeeds. (2021, March 14). https://coloradosucceeds.org/work-based-learning-roadmap/educator-externship/.
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