EDU 501: Seminar: Designing a Professional Development (Growth) Plan

Prerequisites: Graduate Status

Course Description:
Study of relevant standards and the applicability of those standards to a formal professional development plan and portfolio development.

Rationale:
The Educational Professional Standards Board adopted the Experienced Teacher Performance Standards for Preparation and Certification in June 1994.  These Experienced Teacher Performance Standards are performance based and must be an integral part of graduate education programs.  EDU 501 is designed to provide the Graduate Students an opportunity to review their current professional development and develop a plan to improve their performance.  This course will allow the Teacher Education faculty to provide a more individualized orientation to graduate programs at Western Kentucky University and allow graduate students to plan an appropriate course of graduate study.

Candidates will analyze and reflect on their own teaching after an in-depth study of the Experienced Teacher Performance Standards and other relevant national standards.  Using the standards as a guide, candidates will design a professional development plan to improve their teaching ability based on their analysis.  Appropriate portfolio guidelines will be incorporated into the seminar content as a way for the candidates to give evidence of their competence in implementing the Experienced Teacher Performance Standards and relevant national standards.  The portfolio will be used as a form of authentic assessment of each candidate’s knowledge and skills developed while in the graduate program.  The graduate portfolio will be reviewed and presented in the EDU 598 seminar.

Text:
The Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board. (1994).  Experienced teacher standards for preparation and certification.  Frankfort, KY: Kentucky Department of Education.
The Division of Curriculum and Assessment Development. (1996) Kentucky Core Content for Assessment. Frankfort, KY: Kentucky Department of Education.

Experienced Teacher Standards:
1. The teacher provides professional leadership within the school, community, and education profession to improve student learning and well being.
2. The teacher demonstrates content knowledge within own discipline(s) and in application(s) to other disciplines.
3. The teacher designs/plans instruction that develops student abilities to use communication skills, apply core concepts, become self sufficient individuals, become responsible team members, think and solve problems, and integrate knowledge.
 4. The teacher creates a learning climate that supports the development of student abilities to use communication skills, apply core concepts, become self sufficient individuals, become responsible team members, think and solve problems, and integrate knowledge.
5. The teacher implements/manages instruction that develops student abilities to use communication skills, apply core concepts, become self sufficient individuals, become responsible team members, think and solve problems, and integrate knowledge.
6. The teacher assesses learning and communicates results to students and others with respect to student abilities to use communication skills, apply core concepts, become self-sufficient individuals, become responsible team members, think and solve problems, and integrate knowledge.
7. The teacher reflects on and evaluates learning.
8. The teacher collaborates with colleagues, parents and other agencies to design, implement, and support learning programs that develop student abilities to use communication skills, apply core concepts, become self sufficient individuals, become responsible team members, think and solve problems, and integrate knowledge.
9. The teacher evaluates overall performance in relations to Kentucky’s learner goals and implements a professional development plan.
10. The teacher uses technology to support instruction, access and manipulate date; enhance   professional growth and productivity; communicate with colleagues, parents, and the   community; and conduct research.

Course Objectives:
The candidate will:

•  Identify what experienced teachers do in authentic teaching situations and those teaching behaviors and processes that are most critical to student learning.
•  Self assess present level of professional development in relationship to each of the ten Experienced Teacher Standards and other relevant national standards.
•  Identify professional strengths and priorities for professional growth.
•  Initiate the development of a Professional Growth Plan (PGP) in response to identified strengths and areas for growth.
• Develop, initiate the Portfolio process

Student expectations and requirements:
The candidate will:

•  Articulate the relevant national standards for their teaching area
• Articulate the Kentucky Experienced Teacher Performance Standards
•  Write a reflective paper on their professional strengths and priorities for growth for the ten teacher standards
•  Develop his/her Professional Growth Plan
•  Initiate the Portfolio process
•  Develop and file with their assigned Graduate Advisor a Graduate Program of Study in response to his/her PDP soon after EDU 501

•  Participating actively in all class sessions
• Completing requirements in a quality manner