Learning Along the Way

by Sweeney, Diane

• ISBN13: 9781571103437
• ISBN10: 1571103430
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-02-01
• Publisher: Stenhouse Pub

Summary

Can your school or district improve its approach to building expertise among teachers, both those new to the profession and those interested in refining their craft? Diane Sweeney, currently a literacy specialist with the Public Education & Business Coalition, tells the story of how the inner-city public school in Denver where she was a teacher and literacy coach used learner-centered professional development to achieve outstanding gains in teacher knowledge and effectiveness.InLearning Along the Way,you will see concrete examples of how your school can move away from a one-size-fits-all professional development model to create an authentic learning environment that meets the needs of individual teachers. The book features chapters that focus on: implementing an instructional coaching model; establishing study groups among teachers; using observation as a means to model effective instruction; going deeper with discussion through the use of Critical Friends protocols; examining various ways adults process new information; encouraging teachers to take leadership roles; focusing the principal's leadership around the professional development model.Replete with real-life anecdotes and practical steps offered at the end of each chapter, this book will be useful to any teacher or administrator interested in rethinking the way they look at professional development.

Author Biography

Diane Sweeney is currently working with the Denver Public Schools. A consultant with the Public Education & Business Coalition (PEBC) and an adjunct professor at the University of Denver, Diane enjoys taking a hands-on role in the implementation of learner-based professional development for teachers

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Principles of Professional Development	1	(16)
Part One: Modeling and Observation	17	(34)
Study Groups	19	(8)
Understanding Through Observation	27	(12)
Coaching Toward Implementation	39	(12)
Part Two: Guided Practice	51	(24)
Processing New Information to Make It Your Own	53	(8)
Staying Grounded in Student Work	61	(14)
Part Three: Independence	75	(27)
Principal Leadership	77	(10)
Teacher Leadership: Switching Roles	87	(10)
Finding the Courage to Get There	97	(5)
A Final Note	102	(1)
Appendixes	103	(10)
Bibliography	113	(4)
Index	117