Joe is fascinated by insects, and Liam is really into baseball. When teaching the concept of patterns, we may consider how patterns are demonstrated in baseball and the insect world to hook both Joe and Liam into learning. We frequently differentiate instruction based on students’ interests, and, as educators, we recognize the need to individualize learning opportunities for children in our classrooms. We may also differentiate based on learning styles.
Some children enjoy moving around or making noise while others are engaged by working quietly at a table. Prior knowledge is also important to consider; a challenging task for Maya may not push learning for Liz, so we find a task for each student that will challenge and engage them. When we put so much time into individualizing instruction for children, why is it that professional development for teachers is so often a one-size-fits-all model?
You may recall from my last blog post that there are three categories of actions that leaders must consider when working towards organizational change: setting direction, developing people, and redesigning the organization. We already discussed setting direction and how that applies to professional development, particularly in the program Making the Most of Classroom Interactions (MMCI). Today we’ll talk about developing people, marked by providing learning opportunities and individualized support. Yes, individualized support—we can differentiate instruction for adults in the same ways we differentiate instruction for children.
Like students, teachers also have varying interests, learning styles, and prior knowledge. Let’s think about how we can use this understanding to challenge and engage each teacher in learning. Think about the teachers you work with and ask yourself the following questions:
- Who likes to learn in a group of peers, individually, or one-on-one?
- How does level of experience differ among my colleagues?
- Which teachers in my organization are more motivated to learn than others?
- Who seems fearful of change?
- Who is self-directed and who prefers a more formal learning environment?
When you begin to notice the degree of variation in the way adults learn best, it becomes obvious that the same professional development would not work well for everyone. Fortunately, Teachstone recognizes this and has options to meet differing learning needs. We’ll look at two of these options today: our brand new Instructional Support Strategies (ISS) training and Making the Most of Classroom Interactions (MMCI) program. How do these programs meet the needs of diverse learners? Let’s compare and contrast.
MMCI is a structured program with a facilitator and up to twenty participants. It is organized into ten two-hour sessions, each covering one dimension of the CLASS tool. The instructor guides participants in describing effective interactions in video, discussion of classroom application, and activities. ISS trains coaches to engage in strategies, such as lesson planning, conferencing, and role play, to deepen teachers’ knowledge within the Instructional Support domain by working individually or in small groups.
- Learning style—MMCI is a structured, instructor-led approach, while ISS supports informal learning in small groups and pairs.
- Prior knowledge—MMCI addresses every dimension of the CLASS tool, while ISS focuses only on Instructional Support and assumes some prior knowledge of the CLASS measure.
Think about the variation in teachers’ learning preferences that you considered earlier in this post. Are there some teachers with whom you work who might prefer the traditional course approach found in MMCI? Are there others who might be truly engaged by role-play with hands-on materials or a one-on-one conference about their own classroom? Are there some teachers who are ready to take a deeper dive into Instructional Support and others who are still gaining a holistic understanding of the CLASS measure? The differences in the ways children learn are evident in adults as well. Be sure to take this into account as you provide learning opportunities within your organization!
Editor's Note: This was originally published in October 2013, but we've been thinking even more deeply about how to individualize professional development for teachers and we've learned a lot. This post has been edited for accuracy and to reflect that we've expanded our tool box by adding strategies related to:
- Increasing teachers' readiness to change their practice
- Using data to drive decision making around PD
- Motivating teachers with learning communities
