Practitioner Inquiry

Professional Development measures the degree to which teachers value continuous personal development and school-wide improvement.

Roberts, S. & Pruitt, E. (2003). Schools as Professional Learning Communities: Collaborative Activities and Strategies for Professional Development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Unfortunately, thorough research on the impact of professional development on student achievement is limited because it is challenging, complex and expensive to study. Nonetheless, Hoaglund, Birkenfeld, and Box, (2015), conducted a study that illustrated that learning communities are viable tools for providing professional development to both pre-service teachers and current teachers. Their study showed how a group of pre-service teachers and their supervisors participated in a professional experience learning community for two terms prior to the pre-service teacher’s junior year at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Questionnaires and interviews were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. The results of the study indicated that all participants valued the experience and consequently were able to gain and identify some benefits of a professional learning community (PLC). Participants specifically reported a greater appreciation of collaboration with more experienced educators as a practical way of solving issues and implementing processes and procedures for increasing student achievement. The activities incorporated within the

This paper explores the Professional Development System of the Volusia County School Districts and how they are implemented. It addresses the unique contributions of Charlotte Danielson and how her Framework for Teachers influenced and aided the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAPs). This paper also addresses Assessment, Volusia Proficiency Model (VPM) and Problem solving techniques currently used in Volusia County Schools. It concludes with the author’s thoughts on how he would implement the knowledge and skills in each of these areas of Professional Development in the teaching and learning process.

In spite of the many praises that these procedures receive (Bruce et al., 2011) for being beneficial for educators, practitioners enquiry, however, can also be challenging. According to Ellis and Loughland (2016: 124), “a teacher will encounter either enabling or constraining factors when engaging in practitioner research”. For example, one could claim that some enquiries might be biased, as the findings can easily be managed to fit particular results (Murray and Lawrence, 2013). Louise Stoll (2003) illustrates how these research can become strictly related to the situations from which they initially arise, thus losing relevance and possible application within other environments.

Giving quality care and support to patients, relatives and service users is very important as the treatment they receive (NHS, 2013). It is important for patients and service users to have positive experience in the healthcare settings, making sure they are cared for compassionately, respecting and maintain their dignity at all times (Ellis, 2010; Royal College of Nursing (RCN) (2006). This essay focuses on validity of a qualitative research studies. The aim is to use CASP Tool to critique a research article “Exploring patients’ self-reported experiences of out-of-hours primary care and their suggestions for improvement: a qualitative study” by Poole et al (2011) chosen from the National Health Service (NHS) frame work (2013) domain 4 (Ensuring people have a positive experience of care). Furthermore, CASP will be use to critic this article to know if users have had a negative or positive experience during out-of-hours and to develop on suggested program on improving on services by the service users including the practitioners.

The practitioners-scholar approach is the model I plan to follow to pursue my long-term professional goals of working as a consultant. Understanding the distinction between scholar, practitioner, scholar-practitioner and practitioner-scholar all are instrumental in my ability to create a plan to becoming a practitioner-scholar. Focusing on the history of psychology, becoming an effective researcher and forming invaluable communication skills laid the groundwork for having a successful career as a practitioner-scholar. Although, I do not feel I am either a scholar practitioner or practitioner scholar yet, my course work at

Based on the article the scientist practitioner model conveys what is expected of the average science practitioner when working in the human service field. All the components that would make a well-rounded practitioner were thoroughly explained in the article. This article also raises some controversial issues on what ideal qualities a scientist practitioner should have to become a better working professional as well as to help their clients to the best of their abilities. One of the first issue or component that was addressed in the article was professionals being knowledgeable in both research and clinical practice. I agree with the model stating that professionals should have experience in both because; it is essential to conduct research.

To further help the veteran teachers and the new teachers coming in, professional development will require an ongoing commitment from all levels of the school organization. There will need to be resources available to help guide the teachers’ professional development. The adoption of professional learning communities (PLC’s) within the school and district supporting them is paramount. The continued development will help the teachers implement PBL (Rosenblatt, 2012)

In addition to gaining insight on the evolution of the education system in California, I am looking forward to learning about today’s trends in teaching as well as predictions for the direction we are headed for the future. With the help of research, I hope to find the specific factors the state use to determine best practices. Do best practices differ according to the demographics the public school is serving? How big of a role does each factor play in curriculum and teacher training? I also want to focus on the current use of Professional Learning Communities and the requirement of Professional Development. How have these newer practices changed the effectiveness of teaching? In Early Childhood we have always had to fulfill Professional Development requirements in order to maintain or upgrade Early Childhood Credential Permits. How new is the requirement for Professional Development for multi-subject teachers in maintaining their credential?

The PD’S that have and still are the most successful to me are those that fulfill my need or focus on what I enjoy teaching and want to improve upon as an educator. I love any PD on social studies and literacy. It is what I enjoy teaching, but I also yearn to be technology savvy, a competency that must be fulfilled in this growing age of social media. Professional development is great when there are resources to use, time to collaborate with your building staff, teachers from other buildings and the time allotted to process the information presented. When sessions incorporate video clips and activities to motivate and excite, you are more interested. One aspect mentioned in the Mizell article,” Why Professional Development Matters,” is the ability to analyze information presented and share experiences related to the learning.

The goal of this framework is not only to reduce the number of lives lost as a result of various disasters but also to reduce the economic, social and environmental losses to communities.

Professional development is a requirement in order to guarantee that current teachers are able to provide students with the tools necessary to succeed in school. For years, professional development has been limited to mandating that all teachers receive the same, exclusive training methods. Research has

Traditionally, teacher development typically occurs through trial and error in the isolated confinements of each teacher’s classroom with some periodic whole-group professional development (Goddard & Goddard, 2007). Within the past few decades, many schools and districts, including ours, have considered and experimented with Professional Learning Communities (PLC) as an alternative framework in guiding a more efficient development program for their teachers. PLCs are focused on enhancing student learning through developing teacher practices. The concept of PLC relies on using structured collaborative sessions amongst teachers within the school to build internal capacity. Through PLCs, teachers critically reflect on current

Communities of practice are everywhere. We all belong to a number of them–at work, at university, at home, in our hobbies. Some have a name, some don't. We