Summary Paper - Professional Development Needs Assessment

Professional Development Needs Assessment - www.21stCenturySchools.com 1

Professional Development Needs Assessment

Read each statement or question below. Select A for Always (or Most of the Time), S for Sometimes, N for Never (or Very Seldom)

If you walked through your classroom, what would you see?

A S N Instructional Strategies and Classroom Management

Students are seated in rows facing the front of the classroom Students are working in small groups, in pairs, and individually on a variety of projects. Students must raise their hands to speak, ask permission to get up and move around. Students have freedom of movement, are self-directed and engaged in their projects or research. There is a sense of community in this classroom. You can tell that the teacher has invested some time in creating a sense of community, of caring and teamwork. Teacher is the center of attention and provider of information. Most of the instruction is delivered through the teacher talking to the class. Students passively receive required knowledge and information from the teacher and the textbook. Teacher is primarily a facilitator/coach. Students construct their knowledge and information through their own research, seeking answers to questions that matter. The teacher provides brief mini-lessons and is a facilitator. The walls of the classroom are either bare or covered with materials purchased at a teacher supply store. The walls are covered with examples of student work. Students are not allowed to work together (or only on rare occasion in very controlled circumstances) because this is “cheating”. Students spend much of the day working collaboratively. Jigsaw Groups and Expert Groups are the basis for classroom organization Students are self-directed, independent and interdependent learners. A variety of learning strategies are planned to allow for differentiated instruction based on individual student needs. Utilize multiple learning centers - within the classroom, around the campus, or throughout the community. Teachers have thorough knowledge of graphic organizers for students conducting research, teaching others, and assessments. Teachers are familiar with Brain- Based Research, and use it in planning their instructional strategies. Teachers are familiar with Differentiated Instructional strategies and they are a regular part of the classroom design. Teachers understand Multiple Intelligences and plan instructional strategies accordingly.

Professional Development Needs Assessment - www.21stCenturySchools.com 2

Teachers use Literature Circles for reading. This means they use literature rather than the basal reader. Teacher use the basal reader and teacher’s guide to teach reading. Teachers utilize Writers Workshops to teach writing and research skills. Skills are taught when needed. Students and parents have a checklist of all language arts skills to be learned that year so they can track that all skills have been learned. Teachers teach language arts by following the language arts textbook from one skill to the next.

A S N Classroom Climate

Students are excited about school. High levels of motivation. Students are bored, finding the curriculum and school meaningless and irrelevant. There are little to no “discipline problems”. Student discipline is a problem. There are lots of rules. Teachers use rewards, bribes and punishments in their attempts to control student behavior. The classroom is a happy place. There is a strong sense of community. You can see that the teacher values community enough to take the time to build and maintain it throughout the year. Teachers know about Emotional Intelligence, how it impacts learning, and incorporate this knowledge into their classroom strategies. Parents and other community members feel welcome, and contribute to the units with their expertise and sharing of experiences and stories.

A S N Assessment

Assessments are authentic. Students know ahead of time what they are expected to learn, how they will learn it, and how they will be assessed. The criteria are up-front, public and agreed upon. Assessments are performance-based – students demonstrate what they know, can do and are like through performances, products, projects in a variety of media. Rubrics are used. Teachers know how to design and use rubrics. Teacher knows how to evaluate student portfolios. Student portfolios are used – paper and multimedia. Teacher is the sole judge of a student’s learning. Self-assessment, Peer assessment and Other assessments are part of the evaluation of a student’s learning. Other means other audiences, from other teachers, to members of the community.

Professional Development Needs Assessment - www.21stCenturySchools.com 3

A S N Curriculum Design

Knowledge is memorization of a set of discrete facts. Knowledge is what students know, can do and are like after the details are forgotten. Curriculum is textbook driven. Curriculum is research-driven, using the textbooks as one resource among many, if at all. The curriculum is connected to real life. The curriculum is project-based. The curriculum includes real life problem-solving. The curriculum is thematic. Thematic units are planned. Units are interdisciplinary. More than one discipline is taught through a theme. Curriculum is integrated. Disciplines are not taught separately but are necessarily combined. Curriculum is fragmented. Disciplines are taught separately; no connections are made between/among the disciplines. When a unit is planned, the teacher ensures that it is connected to students’ experiences and interests The curriculum is irrelevant and meaningless to the students. Teachers work in interdisciplinary teams to plan units. Units are long enough to allow students to investigate the themes in a meaningful way. (At least 4 weeks, with 6-8 weeks recommended.) Units are designed by selecting a theme, then determining the Big Questions which will guide the research, activities, projects, materials and resources for the unit. Unit Outcomes are stated. All students and parents have copies of each unit along with a copy of the national and state standards taught within the unit. Weekly, then daily, activities and lessons are Designed Down from the ultimate Unit Outcomes. Most lessons are on the lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy – knowledge, comprehension and application Most lessons are built on the higher order thinking levels – synthesis, evaluation and analysis. Assessments are a direct reflection of the Unit Outcomes. Curriculum is aligned – National Standards, State Standards, District Curriculum Guides, Unit Outcomes, Materials, Activities, Resources, Lesson Plans, Projects and Assessments are all aligned. Multiple Intelligences – lessons and activities are planned to include all the intelligences. Print is the primary vehicle for learning. Performances, projects and the use of multiple forms of technology and multimedia are the vehicles for learning and assessments.

Professional Development Needs Assessment - www.21stCenturySchools.com 4

A S N 21st Century Education Do you see evidence of these aspects of 21st century education in your classrooms? Curriculum and Instruction: Addresses real-world issues important to humanity Addresses questions that matter Curriculum and instruction are connected to community Curriculum is Project-based, Problem-Based and Research-Driven (even for the youngest students, Kindergarten and First Grade and up!)

Literacy is defined as Reading, Writing and Math Multiple literacies are incorporated into the curriculum, including but not limited to:  Cyberliteracy  Information Literacy  Visual Literacy  Aural Literacy  Media Literacy  Ecoliteracy  Financial Literacy  Emotional Literacy  Civic Literacy  Multicultural Literacy

Technology and Multimedia - students utilize technologies and multimedia, including but not limited to:  Photography  Videography and filmmaking  Graphics  Animation  PowerPoint  Painting – from drawings to murals on buildings.  Radio production  Television production  Public Service Announcements  Web Sites  DVDs