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Establishing a Continuous Professional Learning Culture

Kevin Chang

Master of Education in Leadership, Grand Canyon University

EAD 513: Shaping School Culture

Dr. Nesa Sasser

August 3rd, 2022

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Learning Topics

The professional learning topics will be evaluated for relevance and worthiness using a

rubric system. From a compiled list of learning topics, they will be funneled through a series of

questions and be assigned a number 1 through 5 (1 being the most important). For example, the

learning topic “how to integrate technologies in our classrooms” will be asked questions such as

“does this topic fulfill the areas of need at our school?” or “does this topic lead to student

success?”. By doing so, the learning topics will be assessed objectively with predetermined

questions. The learning topic with the highest accumulated points at the end will be shared in

respective orders.

Professional Learning Shared

The professional learning will be shared with the teachers/staff through optional or

mandatory professional developments, depending on the topic. Optional professional

developments may revolve around topics such as “technologies”, which younger teachers who

are familiar with technologies do not need to attend these sessions. Mandatory professional

developments may explore the topics such as “enhancing school culture”, which requires all

teachers’/staff effort and input. Each topic will be evaluated by the administrative team before

being designated as optional or mandatory. Nevertheless, all slide shows and other materials

used during professional development will be shared with all teachers following the learning day.

Implementation into Professional Practice

Following the professional development day, teachers/staff will be encouraged to apply

the learned materials in their classrooms. Attendees should follow the order of steps to

successfully implement them into professional practice. 1) Write down the takeaways in a short

bullet-pointed fashion, 2) choose a few points that may have the largest impact in their
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classroom, 3) address how the materials can be applied in the classrooms, 4) identify the goals,

5) set a general timeline to keep oneself accountable, and 6) reflect on the results.

Providing Reflective Feedback

Teachers can provide meaningful feedback on their applied materials by reflecting on the

results. Once a determined set of time has passed, attendees can meet again to further discuss

their experience. Before sharing, the presenter should identify the order of steps they took

mentioned above with everyone else to provide clarity on their journey. If the final result

produced an undesired outcome, teachers can go back to their order of steps to identify any

opportunities to make adjustments. Similar to the order of scientific steps, teachers should re-

apply the materials to see contrasting or enhanced outcomes.

Rationale

“Technology should be taught specifically with literacy in mind because digital

technologies are a primary way in which people communicate and share information” (Leu et al.,

2004). While technology has advanced dramatically in the past two decades, it has yet to conquer

the uncertainty of usage for some educators. The level of understanding of technologies can

create disparity among educators and provide inconsistent results for students. To profoundly

integrate technologies in classrooms and reflect 21st-century education, teachers must be assisted

with technology learning professional developments.

Following the learning session, it is crucial for the attendees to apply the learned

materials into their classrooms. Without this step, the process of attending professional

development days would be pointless. “Effective school restructuring requires teacher

motivation and action to transform knowledge about change into reality” (Hord, 1997). Leaders

in education must establish a culture of continuous learning, motivate teachers to grow as

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professionals, and assist them in cultivating new skillsets. Goals should be well communicated

and expectations should be clearly set. Leaders should also encourage teachers during this entire

process through sounding feedback and evaluation. If the educators can collectively flourish

through sharing information and motivating one another, more students will likely to thrive and

continue to create a culture of significance.

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References

Hord, Shirley M. (1997). Professional Learning Communities: Communities of Continuous

Inquiry and Improvement. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED410659

Leu, D.J., Kinzer, C.K., Coiro, J., & Cammack, D. (2004). Toward a theory of new literacies

emerging from the Internet and other information and communication technologies.