Supporting Active Learning for Adults: The Who, What, and How

Camille Catlett FPG Child Development Institute

Professional Development

NPDCI Definition of Professional Development “ Professional development is facilitated teaching and learning experiences that are transactional and designed to support the acquisition of professional knowledge

,

skills

,

and dispositions as well as the application practice….. of this knowledge in

Definition

(continued)

a) b) c) The key components of professional development include : characteristics and contexts of the learners

( i.e., the “who” );

content

( i.e., the “what”

of professional development

);

and organization and facilitation of learning experiences

( i.e., the “how” ).

1 ”

Your Professional Development Interests

Who

 

are the learners?

Getting to know the audience Applying the concept of multiple intelligences to adult learners: How do they prefer to learn? How will they learn most effectively?

What

  

is the content?

Creating the balance between the big concepts and the details What do the learners know ? What do they need to know?

Keeping the content relevant and applicable

Your Professional Development Interests How will the content be delivered?

 

Creating a good mix of activities to move students toward mastery Creating a balance between structure and flexibility

     

Encouraging participation Finding and using good instructional materials Answering questions Managing time Finding good examples of syllabi, PowerPoint presentations Handling nerves

What Do We Know About Adult Learners (the who)?

Adult learners are …

    

self-directed want the learning to be relevant to their lives and experiences goal-oriented practical eager to be respected (Lieb, 1991)

Adult learners are stimulated by …

    

environments that feels safe and supportive environments that foster intellectual freedom and encourage experimentation and creativity opportunities to be treated as peers active involvement in learning regular feedback mechanisms (Billington, n.d.)

WHAT Drives the Content of Professional Development?

naeyc

National Professional Organizations (e.g., NBPTS, ASHA, AOTA, APTA)

Competencies and Credentials

OSEP Outcomes

State Standards & Licensure Head Start Performance Standards

HOW is PD provided?



Traditional methods

 Preservice teaching and inservice training 

Promising but unproven strategies

    Consultation Coaching Mentoring Communities of practice

One thing we can say with certainty about professional development is that workshops alone are not effective.

A recent survey of Part C and 619 Coordinators indicated that workshops were the primary mode for delivering training and technical assistance.

(NPDCI, 2011)

Effective Professional Development …

…is grounded in specific practice-focused content.

…is intense, sustained over time …is organized around a sequenced approach to learning …emphasizes application to real life situations …builds on learner’s current level of understanding …includes guidance and feedback to the learner …is aligned with instructional goals, learning standards, and curriculum materials

(Trivette, Dunst, Hamby, & O’Herin, 2009; Winton, 2006)

Your Professional Development Interests: Who are the learners?



Getting to know the audience

  

Straw polls Surveys



Draw out personal experiences through reflection and dialogue School memory

  

Dealing with learners who are apathetic/noisy/late/unprepared



Establish clear guidelines and expectations Ground rules or agreements Model respectful interactions with students and colleagues

Your Professional Development Interests: What is the content?

   

May be predetermined; check for flexibility What do you want participants to know and be able to do afterwards?

Opportunities to promote core values, e.g., inclusion

 

Infusion Extension Start with the basics and build (Winton, McCollum, & Catlett, 2007)

Attitudes, values Skill Knowledge Awareness reading lecture reading lecture role playing field application case studies role playing field application demonstration observation interviewing problem solving brainstorming discussion guided reflection self-analysis clinical supervision guided reflection follow-up plans coaching Low High

Complexity of synthesis and application required

A model for matching training approach to desired training outcomes and complexity of application (Winton, McCollum, & Catlett, 1997 ; adapted from Harris, 1980)

What is an ampersand?

Draw an ampersand

UDL: Multiple Means of Representation

kinesthetic

Visual

auditory

Building Dispositions: What We Know Five most influential experiences in building culturally responsive dispositions (Kidd, Sanchez, & Thorp, 2008)



Material resources



Interactions with diverse children, families and colleagues



Diverse internship experiences



Discussion and dialogue



Critical reflection

Features to Shoot for



Relevant & realistic content



Active, engaging sequential process



Opportunities for discussion , processing & reflection



Support from a facilitator



Evaluation

Your Professional Development Interests: Instructional Design and Delivery Creating a good mix of activities to move students toward mastery

    

Force yourself to limit the verbal (or visual) lecture The Change-Up in Lectures (Middendorf and Kalish, 1996) Alternative: true/false quiz

 

Use meaningful activities and energizers Put Yourself on a Continuum vs. juggling Apple activity Cooperative and small group learning

Use video segments effectively

Use video segments effectively

Your Professional Development Interests: Instructional Design and Delivery



Creating a balance between structure and flexibility



Prepare more than you can possibly use so you can speed up or slow down



Know your material well



Encouraging participation



Make expectations for participation clear in course or workshop criteria

Your Professional Development Interests: Instructional Design and Delivery



Finding and using good instructional materials

 

Natural Resources, Baby Talk Resources for Supporting Each Young Learner Handout

SCRIPT-NC

Supporting Change and Reform in Preservice Teaching in North Carolina

Landing Pads

http://scriptnc.fpg.unc.edu/resource-search

EDU 144 Landing Pad

See For Yourself

http://www.ecetp.pdp.albany.edu/videolibrary.shtm

See for Yourself

Your Professional Development Interests: Instructional Design and Delivery



Answering questions



Managing time



Handling nerves



Organizing your content/syllabus

Your Professional Development Interests: You’re a Learner, Too!



Assessing your teaching effectiveness



Constant monitoring and feedback



Coffee, tea, water



Remembering what it is like to be a student

Professional development that does not produce change is as useful as a parachute that opens after the first bounce.

PJ McWilliam

All learning occurs in the context of relationships.

For more information

Camille Catlett FPG Child Development Institute CB #8185 UNC-CH Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8185 Phone (919) 966-6635 Fax (919) 843-5784 Email [email protected]