During this summer course, many challenges arose due to unfamiliarity with a new style of coursework and personal health disparities. Despite these obstacles, I remained committed to engaging with my collaborative group and contributing to meaningful discussions. My team consistently offered support throughout the process through our discussion posts and GroupMe conversations. Whenever I felt flustered or frustrated, my team was there to answer questions and clarify anything related to our assignments. Collaborative practices like these mirror the characteristics of effective professional learning communities, which emphasize shared responsibility and sustained dialogue (Beatty, 2000). Specifically, participants like Stacy and Jacqueline were instrumental in providing additional feedback on their interpretation of how we should approach tasks and create impactful professional learning experiences.
This course has been a refreshing challenge that sparked a curiosity about technology that I did not have before. In prior courses, I often found the work manageable and straightforward, but this class pushed me to think more critically and deeply. My comfort level with technology has been ultimately challenged, so now my new goal is to refresh my skills. Additionally, many of the videos and readings on instructional models and the impact of professional learning offered valuable insights that I have already begun applying in my role. These resources align with research suggesting that effective professional learning must be collaborative, job-embedded, and ongoing to significantly impact teaching practices (Pope, Beal, Long, & McCammon, 2011).
For example, the discussions around modeling and self-directed learning reinforced the importance of autonomy in professional development. Teachers need to experience learning environments that allow choice, ownership, and authentic tasks, which are key principles that we also applied during our group projects. These experiences inspired me to design professional learning experiences that leverage these same principles by creating an exploratory lesson for teachers to experience what it's like to be students. This reflects Gopnik’s (2016) view that learning flourishes in environments where curiosity and exploration are nurtured, which I intend to embed in upcoming sessions with our staff.
Despite these accomplishments, I recognize there were areas for improvement. Toward the end of the course, health-related issues and new medication impacted my ability to stay fully engaged with the discussion boards. For the last three discussion posts, I was unable to provide timely feedback to my peers, which is critical for reciprocal learning (Pope et al., 2011). Although I contributed to discussions earlier in the course, my participation in later weeks was not as strong as I had hoped. This shortcoming impacted my ability to meet one of the supporting contributions outlined in the rubric, which is why I assessed myself at an 88 instead of full credit.
Nonetheless, I actively engaged in collaborative learning by seeking advice, providing constructive feedback on my peers’ ePortfolios, and incorporating feedback into my work. For example, after reviewing my group members’ submissions and reading their feedback in Groupme, I revised components of my professional learning plan to ensure greater alignment with best practices in ongoing, sustained professional learning (Beatty, 2000; Toikkanen, 2016). Although it was challenging, I remained committed to engaging in discourse with my colleagues.
Furthermore, I extended my learning beyond this course by implementing similar collaborative structures with my students. My campus is developing a model to incorporate the ePortfolio as a senior project, aiming to encourage peer feedback and student ownership of learning. I am also fostering 21st-century skills, including communication, critical thinking, and technology fluency in future PDs I've been made responsible for (Pope et al., 2011). This application demonstrates that my learning in this course has practical implications for both teacher and student growth.
With this being my final course, my key takeaways are: never fear the discomfort of struggle because it leads to growth, and always support others when possible. These principles align with the foundational concepts of learner-centered and constructivist approaches to teaching and professional development, as emphasized throughout our readings and discussions.
Beatty, B. R. (2000). Teachers leading their own professional growth: Self-directed reflection and collaboration and changes in perception of self and work in secondary school teachers. Journal of In-Service Education, 26(1), 73–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674580000200102
Gopnik, A. (2016, July 30). What babies know about physics and foreign languages. The New York Times.https://www.dropbox.com/s/mm7qqkpkuaf451s/What%20Babies%20Know%20About%20Physics%20and%20Foreign%20Languages%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf?dl=0
Pope, C., Beal, C., Long, S., & McCammon, L. (2011). They teach us how to teach them: Teacher preparation for the 21st century. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 11(4), 324–349. http://www.citejournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/v11i4languagearts1.pdf
Toikkanen, T. (2016, June 30). Learning despite school. Medium. https://medium.com/lifelearn/learning-despite-school-d0879be9464f#.f6roydrfs
YouTube. (n.d.). The power of self-directed learning [Video]. https://youtu.be/PBAmcveOnIM