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Temple University Center for Research
in Human Development and Education |
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ReflectionConnection: A
New Online Professional Development Tool
133
by
Barry Mansfield
Temple University
Say the words "inservice" or "staff development" to teachers
today and you will probably not be greeted by much enthusiasm. Professional
development has a poor reputation in the minds of many, and the reasons are not
hard to find. Typically, a school or school district will require teachers to
attend a series of meetings related to administrative housekeeping; a top-down,
one-shot training session coming from the district or an expert; and maybe the
opportunity to go home early. It is also not surprising that when teachers were
asked about their worst professional development experiences, 70% of the
respondents said it came from their district or school (Sandholtz, 1999). Many
teachers describe these experiences as disconnected, fragmented, and
noncumulative (Cohen & Ball, 1999).
It seems
ironic that while teachers are being asked to engage their students in more
learner-centered, problem-based, and higher order types of activities, their own
opportunities to learn
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seem to be stuck in the traditional mold. In fact, such
practices contradict what are now widely accepted among
experts and professional organizations as "good" practices
in professional development. Some of these characteristics
include the following:
The learning should be integrated with classroom practice
and not delivered in one setting (sustained over time).
Teachers should help define the content, not have topics
imposed on them.
Teachers should form learning communities, not work in
isolation (Kennedy, 1998).
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Technology in Education Consortium
(MAR*TEC) has strived to break the mold by developing a tool
to assist in providing high quality professional development
with the use of technology. ReflectionConnection (RC)
is an online tool that enables professional development
providers to set up small private learning communities (four
to six participants) in which teachers engage in a
reflective dialogue about their practice through the
examination of their own students' work. At the very heart
of RC is the concept of reflective practice through
looking at student work, which can be applied and
adapted to many contexts.
The
underpinnings of RC are also based upon certain concepts
that are now widely accepted among experts and professional
organizations. MAR*TEC envisions that professional
development providers, districts, and schools will find
these concepts and RC valuable as an integrated component
within a multitude of programs and approaches.
A Tool for
Coaches and Mentors
As one example, the potential for RC to be used as a tool
for coaches and mentors of beginning teachers is
significant. As an online supplement to face-to-face
interaction, RC offers a structure or protocol that is
tangible, task-oriented, and inquiry-based. Structure is
critical in a coaching program, as some approaches have been
criticized for their lack of direction and purpose. In
addition, standardizing, documenting, and evaluating the
effects of coaching relationships is a difficult
undertaking.
Using RC, the
coach directs a teacher to enter an assignment that has
recently been implemented along with samples of student work
that represent a range of responses from the students. After
the initial reflection phase where the teacher analyzes the
effectiveness of the lesson through the student work, the
coach can then offer guidance. Additionally, what makes RC
unique in a coaching context is the capability of other
teachers, whether novice or seasoned, to participate in the
conversation as well. By developing this virtual community
of learners, multiple points of view and support are
possible and encouraged.
One very
powerful aspect of using this tool is the capacity to
document the coaching process for both formative and
summative evaluations. As very few wish to use test scores
as the sole means of assessment to measure the effectiveness
of professional development, RC provides several alternative
sources of data for coaches, evaluators, and researchers.
For example, a district implements a coaching program for
new teachers. In addition to the ability to meet their
teachers virtually, using RC allows coaches to assess and
account for the work they and their teachers are doing. They
may also use it as a diagnostic tool to focus on specific
areas that may need improvement. Additionally, as an outcome
of various groups engaging in the activities on RC,
researchers and evaluators can access a rich source of
information that will contribute to the overall
effectiveness of a program. It is possible to assess a deep
range of data including lesson plans, areas of teacher
focus, student work samples, reflections, discussion
transcripts, feedback, general usage patterns, and more,
depending on how the system is adapted.
Possibly the
most appealing benefit for research and evaluation is that
data collection is made simple. Since it is the participants
who enter all the information into the system, much of the
data entry has already been done. This information is also
digitized and lends itself to the use of text analysis tools
to locate selected keywords or phrases quickly. MAR*TEC is
currently working on tools to assess the data that is
collected in the system..
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