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Instructional Challenge

During my first year working in the Bozeman School District, I benefitted from the support of a building mentor, instructional coach, and district mentor. A building mentor serves as a part of the induction process for teachers new to the district. Our school's instructional coach was available at the request of teachers to model or observe lessons, provide support for developing units, and identify or locate community resources to enrich classroom experiences. At this time, newly hired teachers also had the benefit of the district mentor. The role of the mentor was to model and observe lessons, as well as provide support to align classroom practices with district priorities.

The following year, several changes took place that lead to a diminished support system. While building mentors remain an integral part of the induction process, due to budget reallocation, we no longer have instructional coaches in our district. The district mentoring program was grant-funded and the grant expired in 2016.

In the absence of instructional coaches and district mentors, there aren't any systems in place for ongoing, experiential, classroom-based professional development. Though there are many avenues that teachers can pursue for continued learning, there are none that are collaborative and based on the needs of the present. This presents a challenge because it means that even if a teacher participates in high quality professional development, they will not necessarily have support when it comes to implementing new methods in the classroom.

When I think about what has been most valuable to my professional growth, I think about the support I received from my mentors and instructional coach. In the absence that support, my teaching practice has been strengthened by working with a highly collaborative grade-level team. I would like to extend that collaboration across grade-bands to provide peer-driven support for other teachers and facilitate a broader base of shared knowledge.

Learners and Relevance

Morning Star students would be impacted by this project and were selected because they are within my direct realm of influence. They are K-5 students growing up in a predominantly white community whose diversity and cultural exposure may be limited to what they experience in school.

Morning Star teachers are well-educated and highly professional. We have a very collaborative culture within grade-level teams. Teachers who expressed an interest in peer-directed professional development were selected because of their willingness to participate and desire to grow.

The students who will benefit from this project could potentially include all K-5 Morning Star students, depending on which teachers choose to participate. If we are able to successfully implement a peer-directed professional development group, Morning Star staff could serve as a model for other schools hoping to develop a more collaborative culture.

It is important to address the need for peer-directed professional development because it means that teachers can develop the skills that they feel are most important. If teachers are given the option to participate and set their own goals, it seems natural to assume that they would be more invested in their professional growth and transformation. The focus would be on developing and implementing more effective and equitable instructional practices.

Currently, general education teachers do not have any explicit guidance for building diversity and cultural awareness in the classroom apart from Indian Education for All standards. This puts our students at a detriment as they are not guaranteed an education that supports them as citizens of a society torn by racial discrimination.

Diversity, Equity and Cultural Competence

By addressing the need for continued professional development, educators will engage in discussions to strengthen their own diversity and cultural awareness. We will examine our instructional practices and generate ideas for building cultural competence into integrated units. Through collaboration, we will create learning units that promote equity through intentionally chosen teaching materials, practices and learning outcomes.

The Solution

Implementing a system for peer-driven professional development would be new to our school and would supplement existing informal collaborative practices. Engagement would be optional and it would provide a viable solution to the need for collaborative professional development. Through discussion, observations, and intentional design, educators could tap into the wealth of shared knowledge and experience within their colleagues.

Developing Competencies

The Overarching Competencies I will focus on will be Group Processes and Adult Learning. Developing the competency of Group Processes will be relevant within this project because I will need to learn how to manage and guide a group of educators to reach a common goal. In addition, I will need to understand the needs of adult learners in order to help facilitate their professional growth.

The Diversity-Equity-Cultural Competency focus of this project will be to Explore and Challenge Inequity. This is particularly relevant to our school population because due to our relatively homogenous community, we often are not prepared to meet the needs of students from diverse backgrounds. Within this group of educators, I hope we will develop a better understanding of the community that we serve and examine our practices.

Within the Instructional Pathway, I will focus on Facilitating Collaborative Relationships. The purpose of this project will be to broaden the collaborative relationships within my school community.

Building Relationships with Diverse Stakeholders

Besides the group of educators who opt into the project, I will consult my administrator and local union president. Both of these individuals will be useful in helping me understand what systems have been used in the past and offering advice on best practices.

There are other community members I may be able to recruit to offer diverse perspectives. These may include students within and outside of our school, pre-service teachers, or outside experts such as representatives from Montana Racial Equity Project.