Wild Rose Public Schools Teaching Assistants

1. Wild Rose Public SchoolsTeaching Assistants Professional Growth Plans August 30, 2010

2. What are Professional Growth Plans? Professional Growth Plans are the life-long learning process whereby a staff member annually develops and implements a plan to achieve professional learning objectives or goals that are consistent with the mission of Wild Rose Public Schools. To create powerful learning environments that inspire excellence in learning and support the well-being of all students.

3. Why are Professional Growth Plans important….. …because they are good for kids!

4. Why are Professional Growth Plans important….. “Our society can no longer accept the hit-or-miss hiring, sink or swim inductions, trial and error teaching, and take it or leave it professional development it has in the past” (What Matters Most: Teaching for America’s future as cited in Bradley 1996)

5. According to Douglas Reeves who did the "Learning 24/7 Classroom Observation Study in 2004 and who: • surveyed 16,000 participants of which over 27% were teachers • after 15,000 classroom observations found that the greatest single impact on student learning was...

6. Exemplary teaching! In fact, it is almost twice as important as every other factor.

7. So what does that mean for Teaching Assistants?

8. We need to support you in maintaining current knowledge of research based learning strategies.

9. How do we do that? By providing a Teaching Assistant Quality Standard which gives you guidance on what WRPS expects of you By asking you what it is you need to be most effective in your role (PGP) By supporting professional development with resources to make it possible.

10. How does this benefit me as a Teaching Assistant? • One size professional development does not fit all, we need to know what you need... • Creating these plans encourages innovation, experimentation, and the sharing of ideas and practices that support learning. • Staff will deepen their knowledge of the content they support. • This exercise will create opportunities for serious collaborative work with other staff members.

11. How does this Benefit Students • Students will receive a quality education and increased learning through continuous improvement of the staff working with them. • Students will benefit from an improved school climate and culture. • Staff will be on the cutting edge of current research and pedagogy. • Staff would portray a positive learning role model for students.

12. What is a Professional Growth Plan ? Professional growth plans can take many forms but they must demonstrate a relationship to the Teaching Assistant Quality Standard and include the following essential information: 1. Your name 2. Goals to be achieved 3. Timeline for completing goals 4. Benefit to students (TAQS reference) 5. Strategies for completing goals 6. Indicators of success 7. Cost to complete activity

13. Teaching Assistant Quality Standard (TAQS) • You understand that all students can learn, at different rates and in different ways. You understand the need to support students’ with unique needs by creating multiple pathways to learning. • You understand students’ needs for physical, social, cultural and psychological security. You know how to engage students in classroom routines. You know how and when to apply a variety of management strategies that are in keeping with the situation and that result in minimal disruptions to students’ learning. • You understand the importance of respecting students’ human dignity. You know how to establish, with different students, professional relationships that are characterized by mutual respect, trust and harmony.

14. Teaching Assistant Quality Standard (TAQS) 4. You understand that there are many approaches to learning. You know a broad range of instructional strategies appropriate to the educational environments that you are assisting in. You also know which strategies are appropriate to help students achieve success. 5. You understand the importance of contributing independently and collegially, to the quality of your school. You know the strategies that can enhance and maintain the quality of your school to the benefit of students, parents, colleagues and the community. 6. You understand the functions of traditional and electronic instructional technologies in learning environments. You know how to use these technologies and how to engage students in their learning. 7. You understand the importance of life-long learning. You know how to assess your own abilities and how to work with others responsibly.

15. What makes a good goal? Growth is a result of working toward your goals. Specific goals help direct your professional development. Meaningful goals have the following: • Have substance and meaning • Stretch your current thinking and practice • Can be achieved and, therefore, don’t lead to frustration • Have deadlines that help to ensure that the goal is attained.

16. SMART Goals A common technique for writing goal is to think about SMART goals. A smart goal is: S – specific M – meaningful and measurable A – achievable or attainable (use action words) R – realistic T – timely and tangible

17. SMART Goals Some common action words for developing SMART goals: Apply Maintain Attend Mentor Contribute Organize Enroll Participate Conduct Pilot Implement Publish Integrate Read Investigate Serve Join Share

18. What types of Professional Development are appropriate ? • Viewing a webinar on a topic related to your PGP. • Researching topics that relate to your PGP. • Reading professional articles, books, etc. related to your PGP. • Visiting a classroom who accommodate students with similar needs to the students you are supporting. • Taking a course or attending a workshop or conference that aligns with your PGP. • Participating in peer coaching, peer projects or study group activities

19. Who will review these plans? Student Support Facilitators will review these plans with you (by November and again in March) If your PGP requires the support of a visit to another school, attendance at a course or time to research strategies a request will be made to the SSF who will match the request with the submitted PGP and make recommendation for approval. It will then be submitted to Kathy Murch who will review the request for approval.

20. Examples of Professional Growth Plan

22. Date: Name: School: Student Support Facilitator: This request supports the following Professional Growth Plan Objective:________________________________ Benefit to students:__________________________________________________________________________ I am willing to share new learning by:___________________________________________________ Date of Professional Development:_____________________________________________________ Location of Professional Development:__________________________________________________ Cost of Professional Development:______________________________________________________ Signature of Teaching Assistant:_____________________ Signature of Student Support Facilitator:_______________ Signature of Administrator:__________________________ Wild Rose Public Schools Student Services: Teaching Assistant Request for Professional Development

23. In Summary • Create Professional Growth Plan based upon the Teaching Assistant Quality Standard. • PGP is reviewed with you and Student Support Facilitator. • Requests for Professional Development are submitted to SSF who will match it with PGP • SSF will submit PD request to Director of Student Services. • Approval or deny PD request.

24. How to access CARC Webinars • Go to the Central Alberta Regional Consortium Website - http://www.carcpd.ab.ca Click on E-Learning (top of the page) • Click on View Completed Webinars (right side of page, orange star) • Click on Inclusive Education • A list of cached webinars are available for you to view at any time. This list will continually change once a webinar is completed it will be cached for viewing at any time. You can view the webinar by yourself on a computer or with a group. Feel free to view it on the Smartboard.