Professional Development Models & Strategies Related to Student Work & Voices

So, for the last 2 weeks I have spent time completing formative evaluations and walkthroughs. This week we will discuss and share in class ideas, strategies, suggestions to those we've observed. Based on one of my observations, I am to suggest or recommend professional development opportunities that the teacher should engage in to benefit student learning? I need to think about whether the teacher needs one-to-one support or will the teacher improve by collaborating with others? Below I have listed 7 professional development opportunities that can benefit teachers:

• Listening to Student Voices
• Critical Friends
• Lesson Study
• LASW (Looking at Student Work)
• Classroom Visits
• Coaching & Mentoring
• Book Study

Individual Reflection: Room Arrangements

Art Classroom

I visited four classrooms inside of the 9^th grade annex building of a large high school in my district. I began the tour by visiting an art teacher’s classroom, a cheerful, inviting space. The sun filled room had a large window that filled the entire back half of the class. The view of the school’s courtyard made for an intriguing viewpoint for completing sketches. Vibrant green plants sat atop the shelves along the windowsills at the far end of the room. Below the plants were small bins filled with art materials and supplies. More colorful supplies filled small plastic baskets against the far wall. Four tall bookcases filled with art books, magazines, colorful plastic bins, and student artwork lined the opposite end of the window wall. The vertical alignment of the bookshelves allowed light to be filtered through the room keeping sunlight from overpowering the space. Both a demonstration table and a clean up station occupied the middle of the room. The students sat on stools at art tables arranged in small groupings near the chalkboard located on the wall directly opposite the windows. The teacher’s desk, a large rectangular shaped art table aligned the wall closest to the entryway. This gave her a clear line of sight of the students, demonstration table, chalkboard, and art supplies. Clustering the art tables closest to the chalkboard allowed the teacher to focus instruction and minimize distracting eyes, something I would imagine would be quite challenging in the space. Art materials were easily accessible to all students and neatly arranged to ensure quick and easy clean up.  The tables were clustered in a manner that made it easy for students and teacher to move around the space. The current room arrangement allowed the teacher to conduct a lesson that required the students to work in groups. The clustered tables and large aisles could certainly accommodate a student with special needs. Additionally, a smaller desk next to the teacher’s would easily meet the needs of students who were more easily distracted by other students or students who enjoyed helping the teacher. Technology use was centered on hardware that allowed the teacher to project images, presentations, and slideshows. A single desktop computer sat on the teacher’s desk, but was utilized by various students for independent work.

Math Classroom

The art teacher’s use of clustering or grouping students mirrored two other rooms I visited, a math and an English classroom. In both rooms students were involved in group work which necessitated the clustering of desks. The desks in the math class faced each other to help stimulate discussion. Both teachers stated that they rearranged the desks in rows when students were required to complete independent work or if direct instruction was needed. Additionally, the math teacher had a bank of computers aligning the outside walls of her classroom. In addition to the computers, she also had an LCD projector, SMARTboard, and a video visualizer. This technology-rich room was a direct result of this teacher participating in professional development workshops geared towards teachers desiring to integrate technology into their lessons. Though both teachers had large classes it was clear that maximizing access was important. The physical space in both rooms allowed students and teachers to move through aisles fairly easily. Materials were placed on small tables near the students’ desks. This helped to minimize traffic in the class. Both the math and English teacher, like the art teacher, arranged their desks in a location that allowed constant lines of sight to students. Additionally, both rooms had displays of student work on the bulletin board.

All three teachers are great models for their colleagues who desire to see how effective room arrangement affects instruction. As a supervisor it is critical to complete walk throughs of a building to gain a better understanding of how various room arrangements affect instruction. Observations could include "look fors" to help teacher and supervisor identify best strategies for effective room management. Additionally, appropriate professional development could be planned for teachers bases on these observations to enhance teaching and learning for all.