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Alternative Professional Learning

 

When creating my professional learning sessions, I reflected upon professional developments I have attended that were good and those that were not so good. The most impactful learning sessions were those that promoted engagement and offered ongoing support whether through resources, guides, books, or videos. I strive to compose professional learning sessions that enlighten and empower educational diagnosticians to perform professional responsibilities with fidelity. All sessions are designed in a manner that promotes engagement and collaboration. There is no “Sit and Get” or reading of boring slides. Participants take charge of learning and foster meaning through activities that allow choice, which results in reference guides for future use (Horn & Staker, 2014).

 

Reference guides are not the only resources participants will have access to through professional learning sessions. My innovation plan encompasses a blended learning design for educational diagnosticians offers a virtual platform that will allow for discussions, easy access to resources, and professional development. And although I will facilitate professional learning sessions, mentors will be assigned to each program participant for direct support. Building a learning community of educational diagnosticians will happen organically through the design of professional learning sessions both in-person and virtually.

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Call to Action

I developed a Call to Action to revolutionize how professional learning is delivered to educational diagnosticians. Just as we aim to foster significant learning environments for students, the same environment stimulates professional growth and development for adults.

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Principles of Effective Professional Learning

The Professional Learning plan for educational diagnosticians will occur in a blended learning format to promote flexibility, engagement, and collaboration (Bhardwaj et al., 2021). Through the eight week learning sessions educational diagnosticians will construct personal meaning and understanding of Full Individual Evaluations. Most importantly, at the conclusion of the professional learning series educational diagnosticians will have resources and guides for future support and reference when constructing evaluations. Peer interactions, mentoring, and self-directed opportunities will foster learning experiences for program participants.

Duration and Ongoing Support

  • Blended learning environment

  • Professional learning will span across an 8 period

  • Weekly in-person meetings

  • Discussion forum

  • Question and answer platform

  • Virtual resource center

  • Designated mentor

 

Support During Implementation

  • Instructor will facilitate development opportunities in a significant learning environment

  • Program participant collaboration

  • Prerecorded videos to reference with essential information to align with each session

  • Meetings with designated mentor to that includes modeling

  • Ongoing feedback

  • Blended learning environment supports opportunities for assistance during nontraditional ours

 

Active Engagement

  • Discussions

  • Hands on activities

  • Development of resources

  • Coffee and Conversation opportunities

 

Modeling

  • Weekly meetings will provide modeling by facilitator and mentors

  • Through learning activities program participants will have opportunities to model for peers

  • Development of artifacts to serve as models

  • Reference videos available for individualized modeling

 

Content Specific

  • Content for this professional learning series is designed specifically for novice educational diagnosticians

Instructional Design for Professional Learning

 

My Big Harry Audacious Goal (BHAG) for this professional learning series: Prepare novice educational diagnosticians to develop clear, concise, and informative Full Individual Evaluations for students evaluated for special education services.

Professional Learning Outline and Timeline

 

Week 1 - Eligibility areas for special education services and Components of a Full Individual Evaluation

  • Program participants will review special education eligibility areas (prereading)

  • Program participants will discuss and share any questions regarding eligibility areas (virtual platform)

  • Program participants will explore the components of a Full Individual Evaluation and participate in learning activities (In-person meeting)

  • Sharing of reference guides (posted online and discussed during Zoom meeting)

  • Program participants will chat or have a virtual meeting with mentor to review weeks learning and ask any clarifying questions

 

Week 2 - Development of a Full Individual Evaluation

  • Review sample evaluations (prereading)

  • Discuss findings from sample evaluation and develop a quick reference guide for essential evaluation components with group members (virtual platform)

  • Present evaluation reference guides (posted online and discussed during Zoom meeting)

  • Mock evaluation with group and sharing with program participants (In-person meeting)

  • Program participants will chat or have a virtual meeting with mentor to review weeks learning and ask any clarifying questions

 

Week 3 - Determination of Eligibility Statements

  • Development of eligibility statements with pictorial model (virtual platform)

  • Present eligibility statements and pictorial models (posted online and discussed during Zoom meeting)

  • Quick write with group and sharing with program participants (In-person meeting)

  • Program participants will chat or have a virtual meeting with mentor to review weeks learning and ask any clarifying questions

 

Week 4 - Connection between teaching strategies and diagnostician recommendations

  • Review sample recommendations list (prereading)

  • Discussion on teaching strategies and recommendations (virtual platform)

  • Group talk with specific examples of the alignment between evaluation recommendations and teaching strategies (posted online and discussed during Zoom meeting)

  • Development and sharing of recommendations and strategies based on data provided (In-Person)

  • Program participants will chat or have a virtual meeting with mentor to review weeks learning and ask any clarifying questions

 

Week 5 - Supporting parents, administrators, teachers, and students

  • Research supports for administrators, teachers, and students (prereading)

  • Discuss identified supports with group members (virtual platform)

  • Develop brochures and guides (In-Person)

  • Present with other participants developed brochures and guides (posted online and discussed during Zoom meeting)

  • Program participants will chat or have a virtual meeting with mentor to review weeks learning and ask any clarifying questions

 

Week 6 - Identifying your purpose

  • Roles and responsibilities of a diagnostician (prereading)

  • Share the importance of an educational diagnostician (Virtual Platform)

  • Coffee and Conversation – sharing your “why” (In-Person)

  • Create you “why” journal entry or model (For personal reflection)

  • Program participants will chat or have a virtual meeting with mentor to review weeks learning and ask any clarifying questions

 

Week 7 - Develop skills to serve proficiently as educational diagnostician with fidelity

  • Review resource guide for essential components of a Full Individual Evaluation (prereading)

  • Begin to formulate a Full Individual Evaluation based on a student evaluated. Use XXX for the name, which can be replaced using the Word “replace” tool prior to submitting the evaluation.

  • Group meeting to discuss evaluations questions or concerns (Zoom meetings)

  • Review peer evaluations and offer feedforward (In-Person)

  • Meet with mentor to review progress of evaluation and offer feedforward virtually or in-person

 

Week 8 - Develop skills to serve proficiently as educational diagnostician with fidelity

  • Meet with group members to review almost completed evaluations (Zoom)

  • Share finding, tips, and strategies with program participants as it relates to writing a Full Individual Evaluation (In-Person)

  • Post any helpful tips and recommendations for evaluation writing (Virtual Platform)

  • Meet with mentor to review your final evaluation (insert the student’s name to replace the XXX) either virtually or in-person

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Slide Deck for Weeks 1-3

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Resources

Professional learning participants will receive continuously receive resources throughout professional learning and all resources, in conjunction with their developed resources, will be available on the virtual platform.

Note - Most resources will be developed during professional learning sessions.

Initial helpful sites

https://www.spedtex.org/resources/notice-procedural-safeguards

https://www.spedtex.org/resources/parents-guide-ard-process

https://www.understood.org/en/articles/conditions-covered-under-idea

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References

Alammary, A., Sheard, J., & Carbone, A. (2014). Blended learning in higher education: Three 

different design approaches. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 30(4). 

https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.693

 

Fink, L. D. (2003). A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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Bhardwaj, P., Gupta, P. K., Panwar, H., Siddiqui, M. K., Morales-Menendez, R., & Bhaik, A. 

(2021). Application of deep learning on student engagement in e-learning environments. Computers & Electrical Engineering, 93, 107-277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compeleceng.2021.107277

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Gulamhussein, A. (2013). Teaching the Teachers Effective Professional Development in an Era of High Stakes Accountability. Center for Public Education. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1NBgyzzfGs6VrNjeJRDZLnipZPGeGMDF9?usp=sharing

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Horn, M. B., & Staker, H. (2014). Blended: Using disruptive innovation to improve schools.  

 John Wiley &Sons. 

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Hrastinski, S. (2019). What Do We Mean by Blended Learning?. TechTrends 63, 564–569. 

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-019-00375-5

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Means, B., Toyama, Y., Murphy, R., & Baki, M. (2013). The effectiveness of online and blended learning: A meta-analysis of the empirical literature. Teachers College Record, 115(3), 

 1–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/01614681131150030

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Werth, E., Werth, L., & Kellerer, E. (2013). Transforming K-12 Rural Education through 

Blended Learning: Barriers and promising practices. 

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED561276.pdf

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