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Looking Forward: Professional Development Plan

Matt Oswandel
MAT 690 Capstone
National University
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Abstract

Teacher professional development is of increasing importance as one way to support and provide

the increasingly complex skills students need to succeed in the 21st century. Professional

development that focuses on teaching strategies associated with specific curriculum content

supports teacher learning within their classroom contexts and provides students with necessary

competencies such as problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration

skills. As I look at my professional development goals over the next five years, my goal is to

develop the skills necessary as a teacher to inspire students to learn and succeed while preparing

for college, career, and citizenship.

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Looking Forward: My Professional Development Plan

As a new teacher and working as a high school math teacher, I was overwhelmed with all

the time and work required, and I felt like I was drinking out of a fire hydrant. With all the

lesson planning, grading, meetings, and BTSA, my professional development plan was just to

survive my first year as a teacher. I, fortunately, survived that first year, and as I am in my fifth

year of teaching, I look forward to creating a five-year professional development plan that will

not only help me grow and improve as a teacher, but also provide a learning environment for

students that will lead to success in and out of the classroom.

First Goal

In the Spring of 2016, I received training on Co-Teaching That Works: Effective

Strategies for Working Together in Todays Inclusive Classrooms from the Bureau of Education

and Research. Since receiving the training, I have co-taught a 7th-grade math class, one period

per day, with the special education teacher at my school site. As I have learned from the

professional development I received and from experience, the key to having a successful

inclusion classroom is to have collaboration between the general education teacher and the

special education teacher. Working with my co-teacher, our goal is to develop a thriving

learning environment for all students in the class, and we have discovered that working

cooperatively we have been able to create an environment of success for each student in the

class. As I continue to co-teach, the different areas of expertise that my co-teacher and I possess

has been able to meet the diverse needs of students and provide the extra support for students

that need additional help. I look forward to continuing to co-teach in an inclusive classroom and
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working and learning from my co-teacher while discovering the opportunities that students are

exposed to in a co-taught classroom.

Second Goal

Beginning in August, my school partnered with the Irvine Math Project which has

provided hands-on, research-based professional development, standards-based curriculum

guides and unit plans aligned to the Common Core for K-12 mathematics teachers. Prior to this

school year, I had not received any formal Common Core Math professional development, but

the quarterly professional development that I have received has provided hands-on-lessons to be

used with students along with providing students understanding of the Why? and Where did

that come from? of mathematics, and has allowed me to engage students to be successful in

meaningful mathematics while recognizing real-world math examples exist in everyday life. At

first, teaching Common Core based math lessons required an adjustment from myself and from

my students. The adjustment only took a short time, as the professional development that I have

received, from working with the Irvine Math Project, has proved beneficial and I continue to

look forward to applying the quarterly Common Core Math professional development that I have

received in my classroom.

Third Goal

Technology is continually changing and children of this century are using information

and communications technology (ICT) in all aspects of their lives, and I believe in order to

support and extend childrens skill in technology, I need to develop my own knowledge of

various ways to implement ICT use into my math curriculum. I have learned, while creating my

PDQP, that my knowledge of technology is in need of improvement and I must ensure that I
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keep informed while seeking out ways to introduce additional forms of technology in my

classroom. Todays students have grown up in the Technological Age and incorporating relevant

technology in the classroom will only benefit student understanding. My goal to introduce

various types of technology into my classroom and that will begin with Google for Education.

From free interactive online training to performance-based certifications, Google for Education

offers a variety of professional development opportunities to use technology to improve teaching

and learning. My goal is to receive Educator Level 1 and 2 certifications from Google which

will allow me to be confident in using Google tools in my classroom and meet the technological

needs of students.

Goal Four

It is a common belief in society that some people are naturally good at math and others

are not. Stanford professors Jo Boaler and Carol Dweck have done extensive research that

shows a students mindset regarding math is a major determining factor of whether or not they

will excel in math. After studying the behavior of thousands of students, Boaler and Dweck have

formulated the terms fixed and growth mindsets. Students with fixed mindsets believe

qualities, like intelligence or talent, are fixed traits, and that talent alone creates success, without

effort. With a growth mindset, students believe their most basic abilities can be developed

through dedication and hard work, which creates a love of learning and set students up to learn

from mistakes, instead of feeling crushed by them. My goal is to attend one of the yearly

Mindset Mathematics Workshops at Stanford with Jo Boaler and explore the content and the

pedagogy the promotes a growth mindset for students.

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Goal Five

With my education, professional development, and experience I would like to become a

master teacher by helping to prepare and mold the next generation of teachers. Being a master

teacher is not always easy, but is an incredible opportunity to make a difference in a new

teachers transition into the classroom. What might work for one teacher might not work for

another, and a well-intended critique can easily sound a lot like negative criticism, but being a

master teacher would allow me to share my success and failure as a teacher and help guide a new

teacher transiting into the classroom.

Five Year Professional Development Timeline

2017 Co-Teaching: Work with co-teacher to create a successful inclusive

classroom.
2017-2018 Common Core Math: Professional Development received from
Irvine Math Project will help to create deeper understanding of math
for students.
2018-2019 Google for Education: Improve math relevancy by incorporating more
technology into lessons.
2019-2020 Changing Mindsets: Learn how to develop growth mindsets for
students and help to create success in math through dedication and hard
work.
2020-2021 Master Teacher: Utilize my experience as a veteran teacher and help
to prepare the next generation of teachers.
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