In 2011, Learning Forward (formerly NSDC) released the third iteration of the Standards for Professional Learning. The importance of Learning Forward’s research-based standards cannot be overstated if we are serious about educator effectiveness and improving schools.
Just what is professional learning? It is learning (not sitting and listening) that educators engage in to collaboratively investigate their collective practice so that it results in improved student learning. That is a TALL order!
Professional learning requires that districts, schools and educators own the responsibility to understand themselves as systems. It necessitates systematic consideration of the complexity of schools, their educators and their students. It requires investigating the effects of educator learning on student learning. That is an even TALLER order!
I believe that professional learning must be situated not only in what educators need to know and be able to do, but also in the context of their actual work in their schools. Most of us have little aspiration to learn about something that is not meaningful to us. Even when professional learning is meaningful, it is crucial that we are learning in an environment of trust and mutual respect that challenges our assumptions and helps us improve.
In order to accomplish the work of school-based professional learning, there must be teams present that:
- are open to examining and challenging their own practice;
- are willing to share their successes and challenges; and
- use multiple measures to investigate the degree to which their instruction is impacting students.
The use of consistent processes, protocols and norms, as you see reflected in our SMART processes and resources, supports this work, the growth of teams, and their impact on student learning.
We owe it to ourselves and to our students to responsibly put into practice what we know about professional learning. Guided by the Standards for Professional Learning, we can reach new heights as we create professional learning that makes a difference for our students and ourselves.
Terry Morganti-FisherÂ