What Works in Professional Learning: Enhancing Teacher Practice for Classroom Impact

We know how important professional learning (PL) is in equipping educators with the necessary tools and strategies to enhance instructional practices and promote positive student outcomes. But what are the specific characteristics of PL that can maximize teachers' potential? In this edition of Literacy Leaders, we’ll explore six design features identified in a?report ?by our partners at @RPPL and discuss how these features relate to the science of reading.?

Maximize Your Professional Learning With These?Instructional Delivery?Design Features:

Include?Time for Teacher Collaboration

Effective PL includes dedicated time for teachers to collaborate and share best practices about instructional improvement. These opportunities could allow educators to discuss evidence-based literacy strategies, exchange lesson and intervention ideas, or collectively problem-solve challenges related to literacy instruction. Engaging in such conversations can help teachers refine their practices and develop a comprehensive understanding of effective reading instruction. It also helps teachers see that they’re not alone in their challenges – and this can go a long way towards them feeling supported in their roles!

Use Coaching to Personalize Learning

Instructional coaching is a powerful PL format where experienced coaches observe and provide targeted feedback to teachers on instructional practices. Literacy coaching cycles can focus on specific components such as phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension – or on routines such as close reading, needs-based small groups, or implementing Tier 1 phonics instruction. The personalized nature of coaching ensures that each teacher receives individualized support, leading to improved instructional effectiveness and student outcomes.

Schedule Follow-Up Meetings

Adding a follow-up meeting to the schedule after a PD day can provide valuable opportunities for educators to reflect on implementation, ask additional questions, and fine-tune their instructional practices. These meetings can be instrumental in fostering continuous improvement and sustaining momentum, providing teachers with space to discuss challenges, share successes, and receive guidance on refining their approaches, ultimately leading to more effective application of strategies and routines.

Maximize Your Professional Learning by Focusing on?This Type of Content:

Focus on Subject-Specific Instructional Practices

While content knowledge is important, effective PL goes beyond just understanding concepts. Teachers need to learn about specific instructional routines that are rooted in evidence and that they can use to explicitly teach phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. A focus on high-impact, evidence-based instructional routines allows educators to more easily provide targeted support to students.

Use Instructional Materials in Training

PL should include training on concrete instructional materials such as research-aligned curricula, formative assessments, and other resources. These materials offer educators tangible tools to implement effective reading instruction. Curriculum can provide structured guidance on how to teach reading skills, while formative assessments help teachers monitor student progress and inform instructional decisions. By incorporating these materials into sessions, teachers aren’t left wondering how to apply the strategies and techniques discussed in PL sessions.

Address Teacher-Student Relationships

An effective PL program acknowledges the crucial role of teacher-student relationships in fostering literacy development. Positive, inclusive, and supportive classroom environments can promote engagement and motivation for reading. Sharing ideas for building rapport, differentiating instruction, and cultivating purpose and appreciation for reading should be included in literacy PL. Sessions should explicitly address these relational aspects, emphasizing the importance of creating a supportive learning community for students.

In the context of the science of reading, implementing effective PL is essential for equipping educators with the knowledge and skills needed to deliver high-quality literacy instruction. By incorporating the design features detailed?above, our?Literacy Masterminds? weekly PLCs ?support educators in optimizing their instruction to promote strong student outcomes.?

Interested in learning more about these design features of effective professional learning? We'll be diving deeper into these topics over the next few weeks. In the meantime, I'd love to know -- what's the most effective PD you've attended?

What We're Working On

We?had an overwhelming response to our summer series with the District of Columbia Public School system, with?over 130 teachers registering?for 35 spots! We're excited to support kindergarten and 1st grade teachers this summer with learning phonemic awareness and decoding routines to use with their students in small groups next year.

If you're interested in bringing our PD to your school or district,?sign up here ?to attend our free info session next week.

Coming Up Soon!

In our next newsletter, we'll be opening up registration for our free Summer Webinar Series to learn more about the science of reading.

These short webinars will be the perfect way to stay up-to-date with the latest research on literacy?instruction. Stay tuned for more info!