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Professional Development Impacts Teachers and Students
My action research has led me down the road from pedagogy to andragogy to heutagogy. I think of pedagogy as the sage on the stage, andragogy as the guide on the side (used especially in adult learning) to heutagogy as the ace in the digital space, where one must be driven to learn on one's own. The 21st Century requires heutagogical learners, those that are self-directed problem solvers, that are capable of driving their own learning. -Blaschke, L.M. (2012)
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Professional Development GaynorHome Learn More Standards Inspiration About the Author
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The pandemic has created a unique opportunity to construct a new education model that may be better suited to our modern age. Previously we were constrained by many of the remnants of the Industrial Revolution. For example, grouping students by chronological age. They may have little else in common. The result is that they become accustomed to fraternizing with people that are of a similar age. The future workplace will not look like this. So we need to create schools and classrooms that look very different. Students need to work together on PBL/CBL projects that promote communication, problem-solving, and collaboration. Teachers need to model similar strategies.
Like the 4th grade Professional Learning Community that I observed. They worked smarter, not harder. They collaborated and attended the workshops and the communities of practice. They sought out Professional Development and brought back their learning to the group. Their students benefitted, as you can see in the Star Reading and Math Comparisons. Even though synchronous learning encompassed two and a half hours, a fraction of the pre-pandemic school day, these teachers managed to keep students on an upward trajectory. The trend analysis shows positive student growth and achievement. As Sir Ken Robinson said, we need to rethink our education systems. Simple reform will not suffice. We need a revolution! |
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Teacher Growth Infographic by Laurie Gaynor