Professional Development Gaynor Home Learn More Standards Inspiration About the Author
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About the Author: Laurie Gaynor
I love being with children and igniting their interest in learning. I continue to teach fourth grade at McPherson elementary, and I love it. Fourth graders are moving from learning to read to reading to learn. It is an exciting journey. Each year, I dive deeper into education to refine my teaching practice. I want my students to be proficient with all the tools available in my 21st-century classroom. We have 1:1 wi-fi-enabled Chromebooks, a Promethean Board, a merge cube, and Dash & Dot the robots from Wonder. Combining technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge (TPACK), I endeavor to bring cutting-edge learning to my students. Tasking my students with utilizing communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity (4 C’s), my students develop 21st-century skills that allow them to continue learning far into the future. I use the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) model to support access, equity, and engagement. Connecting my passion for lifelong learning, I saw firsthand how modeling my learning passion enhanced students’ achievement. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
My Teaching Philosophy
My goal is to teach every student to take that first step on their journey to fulfill their potential and realize what Maslow described as self-actualization. Focusing on (TPACK), I have been able to infuse my roomers and zoomers in a technology-enhanced learning environment. Developing Transliteracy, or the ability to access and apply tools across various platforms that include digital social networks, TV, radio, film, and print to expand students’ ability to read, speak, write, and understand the 21st-century world they inhabit.
My teaching philosophy includes leading by example while instilling a love of learning. Each child explores and discovers their driving force. I want each student to value themselves in the learning process. Much like Piaget, I believe in constructivism. Constructivism is an educational theory where the learner builds on what they already know to construct new knowledge. But like a pebble in a pond, the ripples are amplified and extend out to reach places not predicted. As a teacher, I drop knowledge similar to a pebble into a pond that represents my students who create ripples that create paradigm shifts and transforms their education to one that is uniquely tailored to their experience, thereby building on their previous learning. In the same vein, I am on the same journey, and one day I hope to reach the mountain top of self-actualization.
Please use the following link to my blog to read more about the author and to reach out with any questions or concerns: http://equitableaccessforall.weebly.com/
My Teaching Philosophy
My goal is to teach every student to take that first step on their journey to fulfill their potential and realize what Maslow described as self-actualization. Focusing on (TPACK), I have been able to infuse my roomers and zoomers in a technology-enhanced learning environment. Developing Transliteracy, or the ability to access and apply tools across various platforms that include digital social networks, TV, radio, film, and print to expand students’ ability to read, speak, write, and understand the 21st-century world they inhabit.
My teaching philosophy includes leading by example while instilling a love of learning. Each child explores and discovers their driving force. I want each student to value themselves in the learning process. Much like Piaget, I believe in constructivism. Constructivism is an educational theory where the learner builds on what they already know to construct new knowledge. But like a pebble in a pond, the ripples are amplified and extend out to reach places not predicted. As a teacher, I drop knowledge similar to a pebble into a pond that represents my students who create ripples that create paradigm shifts and transforms their education to one that is uniquely tailored to their experience, thereby building on their previous learning. In the same vein, I am on the same journey, and one day I hope to reach the mountain top of self-actualization.
Please use the following link to my blog to read more about the author and to reach out with any questions or concerns: http://equitableaccessforall.weebly.com/
Reflections on my Journey
TPACK
My TPACK journey began when I discovered professional development available through NapaLearns and the Digital Innovators Program. I found the workshops useful and fun. I enjoyed teachers’ camaraderie while learning about cool tools and teaching strategies that I could use in the classroom. My fourth-graders have profited from my learning which has led me to explore the role of adult learning (andragogy) in professional development. During the Pandemic, Teachers had to learn Distance-teaching tools at a scale and pace that was overwhelming to many. I wanted to know how teachers were navigating this learning. How do teachers internalize what they have learned during professional development and how does that knowledge impact student learning? Attempting to answer this driving question became the focus of my Master’s Action Research Project. Through the Touro University Masters of Innovative Learning program, I studied the following Professional Development delivery vehicles, namely Professional Learning Communities (PLC), Workshop (WS) model, and Communities of Practice (CoP).
The magic of TPACK is the point where technology, pedagogy, content, and knowledge intersect. This synergy creates an energy that drives education. It is where teaching becomes an art. As Tim Minchin has said, “The arts and sciences need to work together-- to improve how knowledge is communicated.” All three Professional Development vehicles support teacher learning. Although, the PLC model is the only vehicle that simultaneously tracks student learning. So determining the efficacy of Professional Development in light of student achievement needs to be further refined.
TPACK
My TPACK journey began when I discovered professional development available through NapaLearns and the Digital Innovators Program. I found the workshops useful and fun. I enjoyed teachers’ camaraderie while learning about cool tools and teaching strategies that I could use in the classroom. My fourth-graders have profited from my learning which has led me to explore the role of adult learning (andragogy) in professional development. During the Pandemic, Teachers had to learn Distance-teaching tools at a scale and pace that was overwhelming to many. I wanted to know how teachers were navigating this learning. How do teachers internalize what they have learned during professional development and how does that knowledge impact student learning? Attempting to answer this driving question became the focus of my Master’s Action Research Project. Through the Touro University Masters of Innovative Learning program, I studied the following Professional Development delivery vehicles, namely Professional Learning Communities (PLC), Workshop (WS) model, and Communities of Practice (CoP).
The magic of TPACK is the point where technology, pedagogy, content, and knowledge intersect. This synergy creates an energy that drives education. It is where teaching becomes an art. As Tim Minchin has said, “The arts and sciences need to work together-- to improve how knowledge is communicated.” All three Professional Development vehicles support teacher learning. Although, the PLC model is the only vehicle that simultaneously tracks student learning. So determining the efficacy of Professional Development in light of student achievement needs to be further refined.
Lasting Learning from the Innovative Learning program
Key takeaways from the Touro Masters in Innovative Learning:
Key takeaways from the Touro Masters in Innovative Learning:
- I learned to focus on pedagogy and research to keep my students engaged while modeling UDL to promote all students’ access and equity.
- I learned how to execute Action Research to inform my teaching and my learning.
- The program provided access to a curated registry of apps, websites, and content that focused on supporting teachers in the classroom or via distance-learning, which yielded the most significant learning to apply in the classroom.
- I utilized our professors’ expertise as guides to promote and direct my professional development, which has helped me connect my passion to teaching my students in the classroom.
- Touro classwork has required me to communicate and collaborate with colleagues while developing critical thinking skills that expand my creativity. In this way, I can lead by example.