Professional Learning

Professional Learning Symposium 3.0

Date: Friday, May15, 2015, 10-12pm

Location: Duck Pond, relocated to HU106

Summary:  This was the final symposium of the
semester. The group reflected on past symposium topics; viewed TED:Simon Sinek - "The Golden Circle" video clip followed bya chunking activity Discover our Why; 
Next Steps discussion, how will professional learning
symposiums take shape next semester; The library
guide, Professional Learning, requires everyone's
input, and will be an ongoing project.

Description: Discover our “Why”

[create a] SAFE SPACE

•    Creating space for vulnerability/openness/transparency
•    Building relationships & community
•    A way to be “in community” with others on campus in a way    that is very rare
•    Camaraderie
•    Learning how to work with different people
•    Belonging
•    Being connected

 [build] CONNECTIONS

•    Be in touch with what’s going on campus-wide
•    A way to get together with others from all areas of campus
•    We are social creatures and we need connection with others    in order to create meaning and purpose

 [welcome] MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES

•    Too many questions to answer by myself
•    We don’t talk about learning as a group
•    I don’t know what I don’t know
•    Lack of collaboration within faculty
•    Get out of silos – relationship building
•    A way to inquire together
•    No man is an island unto himself – when we have a sense of    community everyone has the opportunity to contribute

 [provide] SUPPORT

•    Too hard, too complicated, too challenging to do alone/without    support
•    Help support what others are doing on campus  - “upcycle”
•    Help! – Add to the support rolodex
•    Communication/collaboration – working together like a sports    team
•    Support each other with developing extra-disciplinary skills
•    A way to get support (technical, emotional, etc.) for your own    interests, efforts
•    It is needed to coordinate student success
•    We need to align to assist students

[recognize] RESPONSIBILITY

•    As members of a community, we have a    responsibility to care and to act for the greater good
•    Professional Learning is an attitude
•    Professional Learning is an orientation for how to do    your job
•    To be better at our jobs

 [engage in] CONTINUOUS LEARNING

•    Professional development on campus needs to be    more than 1 or 2 days
•    A way to learn and better help students
•    Develop strategies/practices that support student    achievement
•    Our understanding of teaching and learning is    always shifting
•    A way to learn and become a more effective    institution
•    Flex time
•    Learning from others
•    College professors do not need a credential to teach;    no formal training

 [nurture] TRANSFORMATION

•    Why do we learn if not to transform?
•    Grow old together in a space and with a purpose    that is spiritually fulfilling
•    We care about each other and our community;    Professional Learning focuses                      on ways    to make a more positive impact on both
•    Honoring the humanity of our colleagues
•    Inspiration – allows us to be inspired by our    colleagues/students/peers and to                            inspire them as well
•    Empowering people to grow and transform    themselves and others
•    Help each other recognize our strengths
•    Reflection in community builds capacity
•    Look for deeper meaning in all new concepts
•    Striving to improve

 SUSTAINABILITY

•    A way to be sustainable because it is a bottom up    approach
•    A way to pool resources and perspectives
•    Continuous exploration to find the best ways to    help    students succeed

 FUN!

•    Avoiding other things
•    Awaiting the Symposium as defined by New Shorter    Oxford English Dictionary
•    Chocolate chip cookies

Professional Learning Symposium  2.0                      

Date: Tuesday, March 10th, 2015, 11:50 - 12:50 pm

Location:   Teaching & Learning Center (TCL)            

Summary: Personal reflection: why does professional learning matter? These are the core phrases and words that surfaced for each individual participant:

1. Coming out of silos
2. Relationships
3. “Up-cycling”
4. Student success
5. Stagnation
6. Best possible for students
7. Challenge
8. Many is greater than one
9. New/developing pedagogy
10. Reflective practice
11. Equity
12. Inclusiveness
13. Transformation

Description:

The heart of the day was small group discussion of three readings:

Brookfield, Stephen D. and Stephen Preskill. Learning as a Way of Leading: Lessons from the Struggle for Social Justice. San Fransicso: Jossey-Bass, 2008. Print.

Todd, James and Cynthia Rico. Building Faculty for Student Success and Equity. Senate Rostrum. September, 2014.

Sutton, Robert I. and Huggy Rao. Scaling Up Excellence: Getting More Without Settling for Less. New York: Crown Business, 2014. 

Here are the takeaways each group reported: 

•  “Without professional learning and training around equity and        access, ‘equity’ becomes a mere platitude. We must address                  access/equity in satellite campuses before expanding.”

•  “We need a cultural paradigm shift from our institutions for            professional learning to be equitable and meaningful. Grit is               needed.”

•  “When leaders learn and value learning, learning becomes both an      end to itself and a tool that can be applied to any other goal.”

Professional Learning Symposium  1.0 

Location:  Social Sciences 106

Summary: Introductions; Reflections on Learning;
Imagery Activity; Professional; Metaphor Poster;
Planning next steps, and Evaluations and prizes.

Description:

Characteristics of powerful professional learning:
 
1.      Hands on, interactive
2.      Includes perspectives from across campus,          all stakeholders, including student voices
3.      We need a sustainable model, especially          during bad times.
4.      Is collaborative; Hearing other voices to          grow ideas.
5.      Working with passionate people.
6.      Encouraging of relationships with other          people.
7.      Reaching out to others, teaming up with          those you don’t usually get to work with.
8.      Working with people that have passion,          tenacity, and that “dive in.”
9.      Fun!
10.   Provides time to slow down, elements of          “stillness” and personal reflection.
11.   Provides time to imagine or plan for a future          vision for our students.
12.   Bringing in experts and motivational         speakers from off campus.

Discussion of assumptions/characteristics of professional development vs. professional learning. 

Professional Development was associated with:

• Training, especially around discrete skills, given by an expert
• Often what some else thinks we need
• Often a 1-time event

Professional Learning was associated with:

•   Being more conceptual
•   Personal discovery
•   Ongoing, evolving
•   Active
•   Takes place in community

Next steps:

•  Rethink uses of college hour (what are the  uses? How can we refocus it?)
•  Find more personal learning opportunities
•  Share out definitions of PL/PD
•  Read more about PL vs. PD
•  Explain, explore meaning more
•  What are other models of PL or PD on other  campuses?
•  Invite one person next time!

What is a vision for PL moving forward? What do you want it to look like? What should guiding principles be?

•           Values people and shows appreciation for them and the work           that they do
• ·         Is sustainable, especially in times of budget shortages.
• ·         Is collaborative, and takes place in community with others
• ·         It is NOT another committee
• ·         Fosters partnerships across the campus
• ·         Refocuses college hour for PL
• ·         Structured time with a purpose, goal
• ·         Unstructured time with open-ended purposes
• ·         All campus perspectives are invited to participate
• ·         Finding opportunities for all to meet

• ·         How do we promote and communicate the idea that this is what a           professional development experience is (i.e. informal, open-ended,           parcipator, etc.)?
• ·         How do we, as a campus, continue to explore and define what           professional learning is and what it should be?
• ·         Showcase reception in the TLC during college hour
•           Monthly brown bags to discuss PL