Christian Howd's List: Technology Staff Development

• Joyce and Showers Model

    The first of five components of this model is the presentation of theory or the description of a new skill or behavior deemed useful or desirable to the audience. This description is typically thirty minutes to one or two hours in length, and is provided in a one-way delivery mode to a passive audience. Imparting knowledge, as an outcome, can be accomplished in this single session.

    The second component of the Joyce and Showers model is demonstration or modeling of the new strategy or skill. Like the first component, delivery is one-way and no audience action is required. The third component is initial practice in a protected or simulated setting - most often in the workshop session. The audience now participates, trying out the new skill. Promptly providing structured and open-ended feedback about performance of the practice is the fourth component.

    The fifth component is coaching. As the new idea or skill is being applied and tried in classrooms (or wherever the workplace), follow up attention to help with the at-home implementation is given to the staff development participant.

  • Joyce and Shower Staff Development Model:
    1.Theory
    2. Demonstration or modeling
    3. Initial practice
    4. Prompt feedback
    5. Coaching 
• He found that when participants were given only the first component, a description of the new skill, 10% of the persons could transfer or use the skill in the workplace. When the second component, modeling or demonstration of the skill, was included, 2-3% more persons could perform the skill in the classroom. When practice, the third component, was added, 2-3% more transfer occurred; similarly, when the fourth component, feedback, was included, another 2-3% transfer occurred. Thus, four components resulted in 16-19 persons out of one hundred able to perform the new skill in the classroom.
• However, when coaching, the fifth component, was part of the staff development process, up to 95% of the participants transferred the skill into classroom practice. In a word, the coaching component was a critical one in effecting a change in the skills of an exceedingly large number of persons.

• Functions For Change

    The five functional categories of interventions for change were first, articulating a vision of the change and its attendant goals and expectations. The vision was sharpened through development of an innovation configuration instrument (Hall & Hord, 1987; Hord, Rutherford, Huling-Austin, & Hall, 1987) that reflected the vision clearly in operational terms. Second, planning, providing resources, and making organizational arrangements were accepted as a requirement and were aligned to promote a supportive environment for the change effort.

    Training and development of skills necessary to the envisioned change was the third category. The fourth category, monitoring and evaluation, reflected actions taken to assess the progress of the change process. The fifth category included consultation, reinforcement, and other data-based interventions, provided as a result of monitoring. The interventions and their categorization came from studies focused particularly on the actions of principals and other change facilitators who were working to support the implementation of new programs and practices for school improvement including, in one district, a new science curriculum.

  • Fuctional Categories of Interventions:
    1. Vision
    2. Planning, organization and budgeting
    3. Training and skill development
    4. Monitoring and evaluation
    5. Consultation, reinforcement and data-based interventions
• A variable that correlated strongly but not significantly with implementation success was the number of interventions provided to the faculty by the principal and the principal's facilitator colleague.
• A second high but not significant correlation was the number of interventions in the consultation and reinforcement category, such as providing teachers with personalized information (written or oral) about their concerns or problems in implementation, as well as other assistance that increased their use or implementation of new curriculum and instructional strategies.

• Despite the well recorded and reported research about effective staff development, there is a popular belief in the "Three Step Fable" which suggests:

   
  1. give teachers the box of science equipment and printed materials,
  2. provide a half-day orientation, and
  3. bid them God speed and good luck! (James, Hord, & Pratt, 1988, p. 63).

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• According to an Education Week   survey, nearly 30 percent of teachers said their students use computers only   one hour per week;

  • This was a critique from 1999. Many teachers are still using technology for only one hour week ten years later.
• If the use of the computer   lab is carefully scheduled, it will provide high equipment utilization; on the   other hand, keeping the computers in one place may be a barrier to using them   on a continual but intermittent basis as a part of the curriculum.

  • Keeping computers in one place may be a barrier to usage.
• Whatever decisions are made on allocation of equipment, it is imperative that  all staff members are included in the decision making and that long-term plans  are made for acquisition and upgrading of materials. Such collaborative decision  making and planning helps ensure staff buy-in, equity of access, and effective  use of technology in teaching and learning.
• "If technical problems arise frequently and teachers have to wait hours,  days, or weeks to get them resolved, they will abandon their efforts to incorporate  technology."

  • Work orders need to be completed in a timely fashion and done right the first time, or users will get discouraged.
• "Hiring an   on-site technology coordinator is the single most effective action a school   administration can take when embarking on technology integration,"
• technology applications can support higher-order thinking by engaging   students in authentic, complex tasks within collaborative learning contexts
• Instead of   focusing on isolated, skills-based uses of technology, schools should promote   the use of various technologies for sophisticated problem-solving and information-retrieving   purposes

  • Authentic, complex tasks within collaborative learning contexts for sophisticated problem-solving and information-retrieving purposes, not isolated, skills-based uses.
• the learning goals should drive the technology  use
• Before professional development is designed, each teachers' current  level of technology skills should be determined by using appropriate instruments,  such as the Educational Technology  Foundations for All Teachers developed as part of the National Educational  Technology Standards.
• Individual tutoring, peer coaching, collaboration, networking, and mentoring have  been used successfully over extended periods to help teachers at all levels of  technology implementation develop technology applications that promote engaged  learning
• To adequately meet the learning needs of  all students, however, every teacher--not just the resident computer guru--must  be able to go beyond basic computer functions to use technology as a springboard  to engaged learning in every classroom.
• Incentives that require financial  support are certainly expensive. But, as Tenbusch (1998) argues, "If school districts  don't do a better job of allocating resources for professional development--instead  of putting all the budget into technology acquisition--schools will be left with  the tools but not the talent to prepare youngsters for a technological world"
• Modeling can be used when teachers visit each other's classrooms, at staff meetings,   and at professional development workshops. It enables teachers to observe expert   performance and broadens their awareness of what is possible.
• Schools can ensure the effective use of educational technology in the classroom   by addressing all these factors: placement of computers for equitable access,   technical support, effective goals for technology use, new roles for teachers,   time for ongoing professional development, appropriate coaching of teachers   at different skill levels, teacher incentives for use, availability of educational   software, and sustained funding for technology. Through such efforts, schools   can help students realize their learning goals through the use of technology   and also enable students to gain important skills for their future education   and careers.

  • A summary: Schools can ensure the effective use of educational technology in the classroom by addressing all these factors:
    *placement of computers for equitable access,
    *technical support,
    *effective goals for technology use,
    *new roles for teachers,
    *time for ongoing professional development,
    *appropriate coaching of teachers at different skill levels,
    *teacher incentives for use,
    *availability of educational software,
    *and sustained funding for technology.
    
    Through such efforts, schools can help students realize their learning goals through the use of technology and also enable students to gain important skills for their future education and careers.
• • Involve teachers in identifying and pursuing technology professional development   that is appropriate to their needs and skills.
  • Encourage teachers to set their own technology integration goals as part   of their individual professional development plans.
• Pay teachers to act as technology mentors for teachers with novice technology   skills.
• Identify each teacher's skill level with technology using assessment instruments   such as the Professional   Compentency Continuum Assessment Tool.

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• Lack of professional development for technology use is one of the most serious   obstacles to fully integrating technology into the curriculum
• Teachers, in other words, must become "fearless in their use of technology"   and empowered by the many opportunities it offers (Illinois State Board of Education,   n.d.).
• It cannot take the traditional forms of individual workshops or one-time training   sessions. Instead, it must be viewed as an ongoing and integral part of teachers'   professional lives.
• Two requirements help ensure the success of professional development for effective   technology use. First, the professional development should be an integral part   of the school technology plan or overall school-improvement plan. Second, the   professional development should contain all the necessary components that research   has found to be important.

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• In Prisoners of Time, the National Education Commission on Time and Learning (2005) recommended that districts use a variety of means to provide adequate time for professional development: extend the contract year; lengthen the teacher day; or use full-time, well-prepared substitute teachers so that teachers can be released for planning and professional growth activities.
• Online Opportunities for Professional Development
  Increasingly, organizations and associations are offering online professional development to faculty. An added benefit to using technology in this manner is the fact that professional development has been shown to be effective when technology is focused on higher-level learning (Holmes, 2000).

• Showers    (quoted in Asayesh, 1993) describes the component of organizational change    that accompanies effective professional development:

          

      

  "[Effective professional development is] intensive enough to allow    people to develop new knowledge and skills. And it has a component in the    workplace as well as in the training environment. Somehow there's a support    system that follows teachers into the workplace and either provides continuing    training or some kind of structure enabling teachers to continue solving    problems in the workplace." (p. 25)
• Staff developers commonly ask for feedback immediately following a professional    development program, but that response rarely accounts for the long-term    impact of the experience. A follow-up evaluation, completed after teachers    have had time to understand and implement what they learned in a professional    development activity, is more useful in assessing changes in teacher practice    and student learning.

• Professional development can no longer be viewed as an event that occurs  on a particular day of the school year; rather, it must become part of  the daily work life of educators. Teachers, administrators, and other school  system employees need time to work in study groups,  conduct action research,  participate in seminars, coach one another, plan lessons together, and  meet for other purposes. Fine (1994) states, "School change is the  result of both individual and organizational development" (p.  2).
• Shanker (1993)  points out that Saturn automobile company employees spend 5 percent (92  hours a year) of their work time learning:

• ILLUSTRATIVE CASES:  

      

  Brandon/Oxford Professional  Development School is a partnership program that uses one-half day  each week for teacher meetings and professional development.

      

  Columbus East High School  has an alternative time, modular-scheduling pattern that promotes professional  development and team coordination and increases educational resources for  students.

      

  Hefferan Elementary School, on   the West Side of Chicago, provides large blocks of training and planning time   for teachers during school hours and treats teachers as professionals.

      

  Milwaukee Public Schools  have team planning time for one period each day, encouraging communication,  coordination, and cooperation among teachers as they design the instructional  program.

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• • Promote time outside the classroom during the school day (e.g., use  substitutes to free teachers to attend workshops, conferences, observe  other classes).
    
      
    
  • Refocus the purpose of existing time commitments (e.g., use faculty  meetings).
    
      
    
  • Reschedule the school day (e.g., adjustments are made in the master  schedule).
    
      
    
  • Increase the amount of available time (e.g., use of supplemental contracts  and stipends for teachers to attend summer trainings, extend participation  beyond the usual hours).
    
      
    
  • Promote teachers volunteering some of their time (e.g., create conducive  conditions such as babysitting services, allocate space for teachers' conference).  
    
      
    
  • Promote more efficient time use (e.g., make meetings more efficient,  use technology).
• One morning per week, engage students in alternative activities such  as community service that are supervised by parents, community members,  or noninstructional staff; use this time for professional development.

• Carole Fine, NCREL's director of professional development, outlines  a variety of purposes for using professional development time  in her slide presentation "Time for What?"  

    
  • Reflection  
  • Action research  
  • Case discussions  
  • Study groups  
  • Peer observing and coaching  
  • Team planning  
  • Curriculum development  
  • Online research and dialogue  
  • Training  
  • Parent conferencing

• According to Sheryl Abshire, district administrative coordinator of technology for the Calcasieu Parish Public Schools in Lake Charles, La., "Professional development used to be all about the 'how to' of technology, but we've moved beyond that. The focus now is on instructional strategies and needs. How do you use technology to improve student achievement? What does it look like to teach a standards-based lesson infused with technology? Only when teachers see the impact on elevating student learning do they 'buy in' and integrate the technology-enhanced teaching strategies into their classroom practices."

• Don't Forget the Administrators

   

  Well-trained leaders are key to the success of any staff development effort.

   

  It is easy to think of professional development as training for teachers. But in a growing number of states and districts attention has shifted to supporting and teaching principals and other school administrators.
• Since January 2003, the district has been offering its most popular presentations in a lab where the voice and computer displays are recorded digitally. Usually, the sessions are live, with some audience members in the lab and others at remote sites from where they can submit questions via e-mail or use polling software to respond to queries sent by the instructor to their computer screens. Afterward, the session, along with optional extras such as classroom video footage, serves as raw material for the WebCast Academy version of the class.
• When we implement new software, we can tape the live session and post it to the Web so teachers can go in and review the training whenever they wish."
• "Our research has shown that sessions must be followed up with regular classroom visits to provide support and mentoring," she says. The classroom visits help teachers translate what they learn in professional development sessions into actual classroom practice; this is the piece that is usually missing in most professional development programs."
• "Technology is perhaps the most important-and most underutilized-tool for providing teachers access to the targeted professional development they need, when and how they need it. Online courses, informal support groups, and other network-supported resources open the door to professional development opportunities far beyond what any school or district might be able to offer."
• In many school districts across the country, virtual course delivery systems are used for both online instruction and ongoing collaboration among teachers. In Calcasieu Parish, for example, a number of face-to-face professional development activities are supplemented with follow-up discussions and lesson sharing using Blackboard.
• Technology & Learning contributing editor Kim Carter is a fan of the online community Tapped In for ongoing professional development. "Some people use it for meetings," she explains, "especially when they work with people from different geographical locations. I've used it to hold a virtual class discussion-clarifying conceptual understandings and having educators share their specific experiences and applications. You can post URLs for participants so they can see examples of what you're talking about. But quite honestly, what I use Tapped In for most frequently is keeping my own professional development going. I love the afternoon sessions and the opportunities to talk with other practitioners."
• Another collegial approach that focuses on mentorship and best practices is the type of "lesson study" used effectively for professional development in Japan. The lesson study process, popularized in this country by James W. Stigler and James Hiebert, involves extended observations of individual lessons by groups of educators who then meet to analyze the approaches and outcomes observed.

• 1. Be aware of your reluctant learners. Be sensitive to each learner and listen carefully to his or her beliefs and needs. Try to refrain from judgment. Realize that change takes time and is different for everyone.

   

  2. Keep it real. Develop all learning opportunities around projects, standards, and goals. Technology becomes more personal and real to teachers if they can see it in context and as part of their curriculum.

   

  3. Get your administrators on board. Don't limit professional growth opportunities to the teachers in your schools. Successful programs have supportive administrators.

   

  4. Don't touch the mouse. Explain the processes and act as a "guide on the side" when new or reluctant learners are trying out technology skills. Resist the temptation to step in and show them how to do it.

   

  5. Form study groups. Follow up professional development sessions with small study groups that meet weekly, allowing participants to develop the shared language and common understanding necessary for acquiring new knowledge and skills. Larger study groups from different schools can hold monthly meetings-face-to-face or virtually-focusing on shared interests or projects.

   

  6. Provide other opportunities for team work. Teachers tend to be isolated in their classrooms, unaware of what is happening even in the classroom next door. Encourage teachers of the same grade level or subject area to develop curriculum collaboratively.

   

  7. Establish mentors. Identify teachers, students, and curriculum specialists who can mentor faculty in their classrooms, during prep times, or after school, thus helping to model good technology-supported instruction and offering feedback and advice on a variety of topics.

• 8. Support the mentors. Provide each mentor with a coach who can observe, plan, model, and provide feedback on his or her projects and leadership skills-both on-site and online.

   

  9. Use technology to nurture the learning community. A variety of online discussions, activities, and resources can be used to encourage ongoing conversation about issues raised during professional development sessions.

   

  10. Vary the tools for online professional development. Asynchronous tools such as threaded discussions, e-mail forums, and Web archives are easy for most learners to use and offer the scheduling flexibility busy educators need for "anytime anywhere" learning. On the other hand, synchronous exchanges-including online chat, instant messaging, videoconferencing, and collaborative workspaces-work well for certain group assignments or virtual meetings such as debates, town hall events, and "meet the expert" interviews.

   

  11. Don't rush online learning. Working entirely online is new and uncomfortable for most of us. Online communities will dissolve if there is nobody to facilitate them and to help build the feeling of community. Combine online learning and face-to-face meetings, especially at first, so that people can get to know one another and build a mutual set of goals.

   

  12. Market your professional development. Teachers are so busy, they may not realize that what you are offering is exactly what they need. Create "FYI" memos that you send by e-mail, put flyers in their inboxes, create an electronic mailing list to promote upcoming events, and follow up with a phone call to confirm your coaching sessions.

   

  13. Say cheese. Videotape all staff development activities for assessment and feedback. Videos can also be used as automatic portfolios. Individual frames can be captured digitally to use in teacher portfolios or on a Web site.

   

  14. Show what's available. Make sure teachers are aware of available and emerging technologies that could support them in the classroom or for personal productivity. Include "Technology Moments" at staff meetings where a device, a program, or a project can be demonstrated to the staff.

• 15. Build a library of resources. Develop a technology binder, Web site, or video collection with sample lessons, support materials, tips, and practical ideas.

   

  16. Offer just-in-time tutorials. So that your teachers can have what they need at their fingertips when they need it, create or use existing step-by-step how-to tutorials in print, videotape, or online.

   

  17. Make yourself available. Use e-mail and personal visits to check in with the educators you coach or mentor.

   

  18. Create summer learning experiences. Provide summer institutes, when teachers have the time for hands-on experiences, and encourage sharing, playing, experimenting, and learning.

   

  19. Aim for the right ratios. Coaching teachers works best if the ratio is 1-to-1 or, at the most, 3-to-1. The smaller the group, the easier it is for the mentor or coach to focus in on the learner's needs. Workshops work best if the ratio is no more than 15 learners per trainer, preferably under 12-to-1.

   

  20. Share what works. Have teachers create electronic portfolios of work, ideas, and reflections to share in study groups. Help them show off their most successful projects and approaches. Put on a showcase and post it to a Web site for everyone to see.

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• Because technology purchases have increased dramatically in many school districts during the past decade, often with little attention given to the development of teachers' abilities to use the technology, NSDC advocates that at least 30 percent of the technology budget be devoted to teacher development in this area. Without opportunities to learn, plan, and practice what they have learned, district investments in technology will fail to produce the intended benefits for students.