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Alternative strategies respects learners' differences

by Stephanie Hirsh
RESULTS - December/January 1998

The Standard: Effective staff development uses a variety of staff development
approaches to accomplish the goals of improving instruction and student success.

Whole school change focused on limited goals is key to improved student learning. But, when reaching school goals requires new knowledge and skills by staff members, do all staff members have to learn in the same way? Not necessarily.

The NSDC standard says a variety of staff development approaches can be used to improve instruction and student success. This reiterates the importance of agreed-upon school goals for improving student learning. Adult learning differences and desires need to be acknowledged and respected by offering adults alternative strategies for achieving such goals. This standard uses the "five models" as its framework.

1. Individually-guided staff development in which the learner designs learning activities to facilitate growth toward an identified goal.
2. Observation/assessment to improve instruction through peer observation or coaching or even supervisory feedback.
3. Involvement in a development/improvement process that identifies a goal, problem, or issue and designing and implementing interventions to address them.
4. Training to improve practice that includes exploring theory, demonstrating practice, supervising trial of new skills with feedback on performance, and coaching in the workplace.
5. Inquiry or action research that involves identifying a problem, data collection, data analysis, and changes in practice with additional data collection.

Some districts organize their professional development offerings around these five models. For example, each school in the St. Vrain School District in Longmont, Colo., receives a notebook explaining how to incorporate each model into their school-based staff development planning. "We honor the premise that adults deserve alternative learning models just like their students. We are working really hard to allow the staff to design their own learning for achieving district and school goals," said Brenda Kaylor, supervisor of staff development.

Chapters in the notebook are aligned with the five models structure. They include chapters on training; individually-guided staff development which contains options for study teams and independent study; process which contains aids in designing processes such as curriculum development and school improvement work; action research which includes guidelines for implementing action research at the school or classroom level; and collegial coaching which contains help with cognitive coaching.

Each chapter explains that particular model for professional development. It provides sample forms and planning tools for using the model to design a professional development strategy.

"In addition to sending each school the notebook, we provide training for everyone in implementing the various models," says Kaylor. "By far, the models used most often are training, individually-guided, and process; but we are getting more comfortable with using data and see an increase in the inquiry/action research model."

Using technology has recently been identified as a goal as well as process for staff development. The five models can be adapted to help adults acquire and apply new technology skills in the classroom.

Considering all we know about how adults learn and issues we confront regarding ownership of professional development, it's critical that we consider providing adults different ways to reach agreed-upon goals.