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• Professional development facilitators in schools or school districts
• Regional Education Service Center professional developers
• Grade-level or content-area teacher leaders

• Visit the National Staff Development Council Website http://www.nsdc.org/
• Subscribe to the Journal of Staff Development
• Order the Summer 1999 issue of JSD

Portfolios

Capturing the Wisdom of Practice, by Giselle Martin-Kniep, ASCD, 1998.

Working with Data

Data Analysis for School Improvement, by Victoria Bernhardt
Results, by Mike Schmoker.

Best Practice in Teaching and Learning

Best Practice: Powerful Learning, by Ron Brandt, ASCD.

How can the Web site be used to prepare for the project?

Reading all the narrative areas of the website (http://etc.iupui.edu/pdp) is important. Begin with Setting the Stage. Each section within it (Powerful Reading, Assessments, Standards, etc.) has an "Introduction" that gives a one or two page description of the role that topic plays in the project. Read about the three Threads (Reflection, Dialogue, and Technology) that run through the project. Do not underestimate the need for attention to these! You will also want to skim the sample activities and resource.

Much of this work in gaining an understanding and background for the project would best be done by a small team of people so that the work can be shared but also so that a shared understanding and a broader base of support is developed among key people.

What role should the administration play?

Again, schools will have a wide variety of professional cultures and support systems. All professional development efforts have a better chance of success if the administration is aware, involved and supportive. The best-case scenario is when key administrators are involved in the above step of gaining the background. This deeper understanding will help them understand their roles as participants and/or supporters.

How should teachers be involved in the planning?

Key teachers should also be involved in the planning and preparation - at least to the degree that they want to be and at least at the awareness level and at least to the point that they can offer input and suggestions.

This is the time that you begin to deal with the issues discussed in "The Invitation" section of this website. Think about:

Who will be involved and how? Will this be a whole school effort? Voluntary? Who will facilitate and organize? Will it cross school or district lines?

What will your version of PDP look like? Will the focus or inquiry be open-ended or will all involved look at a particular topic such as improving writing?

When will program take place? Will meetings be monthly after school? Every other week with release time? When will it begin? End?

Where will meetings be held? What location(s) will provide the atmosphere that you need? Will meetings be held in different locals or online?

Why? Be clear about your motivations and goals. What outcomes do you hope for?

How will you insure the ongoing support that this project requires? Will particular personnel have some release time? Will funding be an issue?

Think through these issues with key stakeholders. Even if you don't come to final decisions about every item, it is important that you have thought about it, are aware it must be dealt with, and that you have heard the ideas and opinions of others.

• Get a partner. If you are going to implement PDP with a group of 20 or more people, we recommend that you identify at least one partner - someone who you can bounce things off of… someone you can plan with… someone who can help out once-in-a-while.
  
  
• Re-read and get serious about Setting the Stage. What books, articles, videos, etc. will you use to stimulate deep thinking, reflection and discussion? (Powerful Reading) What assessment instruments will best focus your participants on teaching and learning as well as on technology skills? How do you want to deal with standards?
  
  
• Gather and order materials. Are there particular books that you will order for each participant or will you only need a few of each? Will you provide a journal for participants to record their reflections or will you do this online? (If online, who will set up a listserv or discussion board?) Are three-ring binders in order? Would it lend an air of professionalism to have binders complete with a specially designed logo and a blank disk or an Inspiration demo disk?
  
  
• Make all the final decisions necessary to get started - Focus on "The Invitation" section. Create the flyers, letters of invitations, applications, etc. needed for informing, inviting and registering participants. Develop a draft timeline.

1. Determine what readings you will use. Some are recommended in Powerful Reading - chooses one or more of those or ask for suggestions from your participants. Some groups may want to subscribe to several publications and use feature articles from The Kappan, Educational Leadership, Leading and Learning with Technology, etc. In any case, select several and determine whether all participants will read all the same things, whether you will jig-saw some of them and when particular readings will be discussed. Be sure that discussion focuses on what is happening in classrooms now and what might be possible in the future. Reading and discussing will not only be important as a kick-off strategy but should continue in various forms throughout the program.
   
   
2. After a meeting or two of organizing and discussing readings, add personal assessments to the mix. Select one or two of the assessments - be careful to select at least one that focuses on technology skills but also at least one that focuses on teaching and learning (such as NCREL's Profile Tool). Discuss how the two work hand-in-hand and keep things focused on participant's own teaching and their students' learning. Do whatever it takes to build and maintain a trusting, collegial environment. This project won't go much further with out it. Allow results to be reported anonymously or voluntarily. Be very supportive and empathetic when participants reveal weaknesses or areas for improvement.
   
   
3. Focus on standards. In fact, it is possible to use one or more sets of standards as assessment pieces for the above section. Indiana and many other states have placed a heavy emphasis on standards in recent years and the use of standards as discussion items and assessment or inventory tools can be very powerful in professional development. One of our pilot schools used Language Arts standards along with the book Powerful Learning and another book, In Their Own Words, to accomplish all of the Setting the Stage activities. This made for a very integrated and focused approach to the project.
   
   
4. Setting the Stage is also where you must begin to discuss and collect data. This demystifies working with data and begins to establish the habit. Making a point to save and collect reflective writings, keeping assessment results and reflections and identifying student learning needs all demonstrate that data comes in many forms and is useful to classroom teachers and to professional development efforts.
   

August

• Facilitator lays all the groundwork
  
  September
• Invite participants
• Establish groups and meeting schedules
• Begin reading and discussions
• Begin one assessment
  
  October
• Continue reading and discussions
• Complete assessment and looking at standards
• Be sure data collection has begun and is understood as an expectation
• Guide discussions so that participants begin to identify areas needing improvement

November
• Complete page 1, 2, 3, 4 of Individual Plan (or a modified version such as the one Northeast DuBois created)
• Examine page 5 and help participants to think about how they will construct their own
• Participants begin drafting their Individual Professional Development Plans. Some may finish - just be sure there have been ample opportunities for interaction with and suggestions from other participants before allowing plans to be finalized.
• Encourage inclusion of robust inquiry (action research) within each plan
• Pay special attention to potential portfolio elements
  
  December
• Finalize plans
• Order/gather/identify resources to support plans
• Address implementation issues and data collection
• Begin implementing plans

December/January
• Establish a workshop and conference schedule to support individual plans
• Get the appropriate participants to the ICE conference
  
  February/March
• Conduct workshops on site
• Encourage and support participant collaboration through peer-coaching, observing each other's classrooms, sharing readings, etc.
• Have participants bring examples of student work to meetings. Use "Examining Student Work" activities to help participants discuss student work meaningfully
• Continue readings and use of video to keep the discussions and thinking stimulated and focused on student learning and technology
• Share and discuss portfolio elements that are being collected.
  
  April
• Begin large group focus on what has been learned and how it is best documented and shared through the portfolios
• Plan for portfolio completion activities
• Begin planning for transition to next year

May/June
• Conduct sessions to finish and share portfolios and findings
• Determine best ways to disseminate results to the rest of the school/district and to administrators and school board.
• Conduct closure activities for this school as well as any supporting activities throughout the summer.
  
  July/August
• Plan for implementing the project again the next school year
• How will you handle both teachers returning to the project and new participants, as well?