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Running Head: MODULE 4 APPLICATION

Christine Ayers-Welch
EL 5623
November 1, 2014
Module 4 Application

Program Outcome Rationale:

This work sample best fits with the Instructional Leadership program outcome.
It specifically address the administrators need to problem solve potential
instructional deficiencies in staff to improve overall content delivery and enhance
professional development. The old saying, an ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure definitely comes into play here. By addressing classroom
management needs and by frontloading the need to be constantly referring to the
state standards for the teaching profession, we significantly cut down on problems
that teachers may experience during their first year in the classroom.
This work sample demonstrates my personal reflection regarding a professional
development session aimed at new teachers. In this work, I have included research
based strategies and practices which have been proven to help conduct successful
professional development.

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Running Head: MODULE 4 APPLICATION
Part 2: Professional Development Reflection
According to the Learner Centered Psychological Principals: A Framework for
School Reform and Redesign (1997), concept mapping, thematic organization or
categorizing are several ways to aid differentiated learning through the construction
of knowledge. This is a central concept in the gallery walk activity in which new
teachers are asked to look at the many items on the walls of a master teachers
classroom and figure out which category of the California Standards for the Teaching
Profession they would fit in. Another learner-centered principle which I took in to
consideration when planning this professional development was the motivational
and emotional influences on learning. In the week or two prior to the start of
school, new teachers are excited and nervous, and are much more likely to be
receptive to information they learn about classroom management. Hence, the
jigsaw activity for the article about classroom management will have a greater
impact and retention capacity.
The data from my school showed that new teachers feel weakest in the area of
getting students engaged. In Harry Wongs book, The First Days of School (2001),
he suggests that establishing classroom management should take precedence over
teaching content. In other words, students will not be engaged with learning if they
do not first master the rules and procedures that allow for smooth classroom
workings. To this end, I chose to focus on a specific classroom management process
as a precursor to delving into the area of authentic student engagement. Once
student behavior is under control, engagement usually follows as a natural next
step.
The activities I chose for this professional development are most closely aligned
to the Learning Designs aspect of the Learning Forward Standards for Professional

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Running Head: MODULE 4 APPLICATION
Learning. The master teachers classrooms that will be observed during the gallery
walk activity will contain charts, graphs, visual aids, and interactive learning
graphics which are research-based and results-proven. The classroom management
article, Developing a Classroom Management Plan Using a Tiered Approach, that is
featured in the jigsaw activity is based upon models of human learning in that it
allows for meeting the differentiated needs of students by providing indicators that
help teachers decide what level of intervention is appropriate (Sayeski, & Brown,
2011).
The gallery walk activity fits in with Marzano strategy of non-linguistic
representations. The implementation of the activity would be somewhat reversed
from the typical classroom application in that teachers are being asked to look at
the non-linguistic representations of the California Standards for the Teaching
Profession which are hanging on the classroom walls and then interpret what
standards they represent. The other activity, the jigsaw would more aligned with
Marzanos summary and notetaking strategy. Teachers are being asked to read a
part of an article and summarize it and then to synthesize the concepts of the
article as a whole.
The Gallery Walk activity contains elements relating to all pertinent guidelines
for professional development. It contains learner-centered elements in that it
requires participants to construct knowledge by asking them to categorize the
environmental elements they observe on classroom walls. The Learning Forward
Standards for Professional Development learner-centered principles are included in
this activity through observing the research-proven graphics and learning aids used
by successful, experienced teachers. Finally, Marzanos strategy of non-linguistic

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Running Head: MODULE 4 APPLICATION
representations is incorporated by teachers interpreting the meaning and purpose
of the visual representations in the classrooms.
Snacks are a vital component of any professional development. It may seem
trivial, but it shows that the presenter values the human side of the participants.
The seating arrangement is also an important part of creating a positive
environment. Participants should be seated in small groups for ease of
collaboration, and they should also be easily able to see the presenter so they do
not experience physical discomfort. The presenter must also set and discuss
meeting norms. Ideally, this would be done collaboratively. If at all possible, the
presenter should allow periodic breaks, or at least tell participants to use their own
professional discretion for when to use the restroom or take a quick break.
Collaborative grouping usually helps to deter non-participation. In the jigsaw
activity, each participant is responsible to give input on a various section of the
article in order to be able to contribute to the whole to create a summary. In the
gallery walk activity, each participant will be held responsible to report to the
group about one thing they found on the walls of a classroom and to explain what
standard of the teaching profession it fits into.
Participants will evaluate the professional development session by completing a
survey to assess the effectiveness of the session. Questions on the survey would
relate to what the participants learned, what they want to learn in the future, and
the relatability of the session to their personal situation. A Likert type scale would
be used to help aid in increasing participation. People often do not want to think of
their own answers to open-ended questions, and so they simply do not participate
in these surveys.

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Running Head: MODULE 4 APPLICATION
Based on what I have learned in this course, I would recommend that the new
teachers at my school receive professional development that delves into the deeper
meaning and intent of the California Standards for the Teaching Profession. It is my
belief that many teachers do not understand what these standards are truly holding
them accountable for. They should be required to take each standard apart into its
essential elements and analyze what that would truly look like for it to be done to its
full extent.

References
American Psychological Association. (1997). Learner-centered psychological
principles: A framework for
school reform and redesign. Retrieved from
http://www.apa.org/ed/governmance/bea/learner-centered.pdf
Learning Forward. (n.d.). Standards for professional learning. Retrieved from
http://learningforward
.org/standards/standards-list
Marzano, Robert. (n.d.). Nine instructional strategies for effective teaching and
learning. Retrieved from

http://www.ntuaft.com/TISE/ResearchBased%20Instructional%20Strategies/marzanos%209%20strategies.pdf

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Running Head: MODULE 4 APPLICATION
Sayeski, K.L., & Brown, M.R. (2011). Developing a classroom management plan
using a tiered approach.
Teaching Exceptional Children, 47(2), 119-127.
Wong, H.K., & Wong, R.T. (2001). The first days of school. Mountain View, CA: Harry
K. Wong
Publications.