What is Known about RJ Professional Development As discussed previously, one of the challenges to the implementation of RJ is staff buy-in and shared vision. How professionals, including teachers, administration, support staff as well as students and parents are prepared to implement restorative practices can be vital to the success of this initiative. Vaandering (2014) suggests that how RJ professional development (PD) is presented is important to consider. It can and should, she believes, embody the very philosophical foundation that RJ is built upon, however it is not uncommon for RJ PD to be given in a way that reinforces hierarchical power rather than the democratic, empowering relationships it espouses. Scripted transmission …show more content…
One reason this occurs is from a scarcity of funding. Mirsky (2007) describes a school where the teachers were divided into three classes based in their perceived receptivity to RP; believers, fence sitters and critics. Teachers who were considered believers were trained first, then the fence sitters were trained with support from the believers and finally the rest of the staff was trained which, she explained, allowed time for many of the critics to retire or leave. Other schools that began training small groups did so either using teachers who volunteered, who were recommended due to their strong relationships with students or were members of school based leadership teams. Whether from a lack of funding, or a desire to develop a core group of motivated, philosophically in sync teachers, the PD delivery system of train the trainers is frequently used. In Scotland, this is also called cascading and according to those teachers, is not as effective, Being trained by a trainer who is often a peer is not felt to be the same quality as being trained by the original trainer (Lloyd et al, 2009). Overall, the majority of training was given by outside consultants. Most frequently named were trainers licensed by the International Institute of Restorative Practices (IIRP) based in Pennsylvania. Other presenters were the researchers themselves (Cavanagh, Vigil & Garcia, 2014; Vaandering, 2009), district coordinators, or the School Board. One study
Initially and still relatively concrete in thought, I sincerely felt that the leadership within the school hierarchy started with the principal and branched down all the way to the core teachers, specialists, and support staff, establishing that whatever the aims and jurisdictions set forth by the principal overtly shaped the nature of a school’s approach to reform and learning expectations. Additionally, teachers were expected to operate in their specific roles to advance those expectations set forth in large school staff meetings that planned
As an emerging instructional leader, I believe that research can help educators understand proven instructional practices, provide a basis to make decisions and help with school improvement. Teachers acting as reflective practitioners is a
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)
“People need to know why what they are doing is worth the effort and how it connects to their personal and collective mission and values, or the endeavor will soon be stalled. We show that morality is often reflected in the work and used as a means to inspire others.” (Blankstein & Noguera, 2015). The teachers were organized, they ensured constancy and consistency through the teachers and students by having meeting and evaluating the work of the students in all classes. “Improving our school meant that we needed to improve instruction across the school. Quality instruction was the driver of our improvement. When we learned to teach differently, and focus on teaching our students the literacy skills they needed, the students learned the material better.” (Blankstein & Noguera, 2015). And this was the insight that inform my professional practice. In my school, we start working all the teacher as one team since last school year. This school year we are on the same path by improving our grading policy across the school and by helping each other to have a school of excellence. When something is new, fear is going to be there always, but it is our decision if we allowed fear to defeat use, or we can decide to fight our fears and conquer the
In this article, Dana shares her considerations in the Professional Development School (PDS) community based on her experience in the field over 25 years. The author argues the purpose and problems she observed following three issues. (1) University Research versus Practitioner Research, which she claims setting the difference between both research types and making teacher aware should be beneficial to improve their teaching; (2) Inquiry as Project versus Inquiry as Stance, which she suggests that teachers should take an inquiry stance towards their teaching to constantly improve
With the shift in professional learning from collecting PLUs to one focused on improving teaching and learning, it is important that teacher leaders play a role in implementing professional learning communities and helping to make sure accountability in professional learning. I am excited about the opportunity to share these changes and new expectations with fellow teachers. A fellow teacher and I have been trained on the upcoming changes and will be redelivering it to other teachers at our school in the near
I feel in all leadership areas the professional development needs to continue. Completion of a doctorate program does not render one an expert, but equips learners with the desire to continue to seek, discover and grow both professionally and personally.
Did You Know? is a professional development feature which provides caregivers with strategies to complement interaction with children. Example—Theme 4 (p. 36): When children ask you a question, encourage them to answer it before you answer it for them by asking: What do you think?” to allow children to organize their thinking as their verbalize their answer.
My experience at Kent State so far has been short and excellent. With the help of my advisor, I was very fortunate to be placed at the VA for my practicum. Working with Veterans has been a goal of mine for some time. I would like to say how excellent my professors have been so far, they have provided me with the essential tools that have been an asset while continuing to strengthening my professional skills. The research has been very challenging and rewarding at the same time. Kent State has a strong, challenging and rewarding MSSW program.
This mentality can formulate through expectations from administrators, from conversations with other educators, or simply through the level of expectation that are being placed on educators from a state and federal level. As an individual who looks to create and deliver a professional development for colleagues or other educators one must understand how adults learn and decide on how to best reach each individual and place them in a position of learning something new and bettering themselves.
One cannot expect the principal to be the head facilitator of each and every group, therefore trusted instructional leaders must be chosen for each group. Putman calls these instructional leaders, change agents. These instructional leaders, or change agents, work closely with the principal and other key people to create professional development programs and activities tailored to their group’s specific needs. As the change agent, the instructional leaders work closely with the members of their professional development group to achieve outlined goals. Groups would then work collaboratively to discuss and devise strategies to be brought back into the classroom in an effort to achieve the desired goals. One would have to assume that beliefs and goals would have to be revisited regularly and that professional development groups would have to be fluid entitities to accommodate growth and
In the YouTube video “Creating a Culture of Compassion in Schools” , Cherokee Point Elementary leaders speak about the interconnected levels of support for a culture of compassion. This quote sticks out to me because the woman who speaks about her school emphasizes the importance of of teachers who are compassionate about their craft, and collaborative by heart. A school with such a high percentage of students in similar situations to ours succeeding with restorative practices can motivate our teachers.
To emphasize the importance of this reform, a handful of educational organizations and school districts have begun to embed continuous improvement in their work. A noticeable common reoccurrence is for districts or schools to contract third-party, for-profit consultant companies to develop individualized improvement plans, provide personalized professional development, or to lead a school system through a particular process of change. (Park, Hironaya, Carver & Nordstrum 2013).
This week I had the pleasure to interview Barlow School principal Mr. Aponte. We discussed, analyzed and evaluated his school’s professional development program. Through the conversation we were able to discuss all the requirements that need to be taken in consideration when creating a PD program. We were also able to analyze his role as instructional leader, teachers’ role, the alignments of the PD to the Continuous Plan, the need of research based for instruction, as well as delivering and evaluating of the PD. I was surprise to learn that in there are many parts of the professional development program puzzle. Indeed, I learned that in order to create better learning opportunities for all learners, the school instructional leaders need
AECOM recruits graduates who have specialized in Civil Engineering. In general, civil engineers translate detailed designs into structures such as bridges, roadways and buildings. In order to qualify for employment at AECOM, an aspiring engineer must be proficient in computer aided design (CAD) using relevant software. In addition, they must be capable of interpreting blueprints and technical specifications. Generally, potential candidates are expected to be knowledgeable in all aspects that touch on construction. Furthermore, must demonstrate their ability to troubleshoot technical challenges that may arise at any given phase of the project. The role of civil engineers is to ensure that a project conforms to its blueprints (Fasano 1).