Priority for Training

[saha]

I was reading a white paper and I came across the following quotes:

When asked the more daunting question of what limits the effectiveness of technology delivery for teaching and learning, Chuck Higley of Amarillo Public Schools in Texas states that training for technology is often not a priority because teachers see it as less important than high-stakes testing outcomes.


Jeanine Gendron in Broward County Florida, however, says that she is frequently frustrated that professional development is the one area of technology that gets short-changed the most. She believes that the paradigm “needs to shift towards the acquisition of intensive professional development and the direct intervention into classroom instructional strategies through mentoring
and coaching.”

What do you all think and what is your experience on this topic at your schools?
I have had a very hard time so far convincing administration and principals on the importance of setting aside professional development time to provide teachers with training. Most decision makers and administrators feel that once the hardware and software has been installed, the rest will happen magically.

[Lara]

Professional development is essential both to enable teachers to exploit fully their boards' potential, but also to allow the natural flourishing of learning that occurs when teachers have the opportunity to share 'best practice' - by which I mean the best that the school currently has to offer as well as wider afield.

But time for professonal develpment is also being stretched across so many different areas. Encouraging teachers to pair up and share ideas, or just pointing them in the direction of a pertinent discussion or resource on the Planet sometimes are all that is easily feasible to fit in after an intial training session.

[mrsb]

Gautam,

I think that professional development and training with the Activboard is a vital necessity. The idea that once a board is installed in a classroom then the administration's job is done..............definitely not accurate. This past school year, we were able to have Shanon Lohse and another individual come to St. Thomas and conduct two user group sessions. These took place after school and many teachers, based on the number of people who have boards in our district, were not in attendance. Some people were not pleased with having to use their "off" time to attend the user group meetings. I made it a priority because I want my students to have dynamic interactions and experience meaningful learning on a daily basis. For those of us who spent that time learning more about what the Activboard does, sharing strategies and flip chart examples, it was a great experience. I look forward to more opportunities this upcoming school year.

Much of what I have learned to do with the software and different approaches to instruction have been learned from people like you, Peter Lambert, Ben Posner, Lisa Dubernard, Margaret Allen, Heather Temske, Heather Hamker, Rosie McAlpine, and so many others who have been willing to share flipcharts, ideas and experiences, "talk" new users through the steps for troubleshooting or learning new tricks, and contribute regularly to this community of thinkers who are seeking to enhance their own knowledge, and by doing so enhance the quality of education our students receive. A lot of things for me have been trial and error, fueled by a curiousity about and eagerness for embracing the technology that I have available to me.
So...........I say all that to say that training should definitely be a priority for administrators. The next best thing would be to create user groups at individual schools where teachers learn from each other. I have assisted several colleagues with trouble shooting board problems and helped them log on to the Planet, register as members, and demonstrated how to download and "tweak" flipcharts. I've done this because I am genuinely excited about having this technology in my room. The Activboard is really the best thing that has come into my classroom!!!!

[ccwombat]

I so agree with what has already been stated. Once I learned about the Activboard, I was so charged that I took it upon myself to take all the on-line classes, go to the Sarasota conference, and then was very, very fortunate to take a face to face class (Train The Trainer). I did this on my own, and then my PTA did help pay for the Train The Trainer Class and Jimmy helped with this too (Promethean People are absolutely fantastic, caring, and stand behind what they believe!). In our district the boards are installed and there has been basic classes made available for outside of school time. I believe that more staff should take advantage of this. I've also proposed to my principal that I would like to prepare some training classes for our staff as well as set up some user groups. I'm not sure I am the most qualified, but at least it is a start. I've also been so blessed by Myra (I met her in one of my on-line classes, who is an activboard Wiz!), Peter, Bill L., Kathy B., Ben, Heather, and tons and tons of memebers from the promethean community. I would love to see administration make training on the activboards one of the top priorities, especially since so many schools are asking their PTA's to donate money for boards and activvotes, activexpressions. We (districts/admin/teachers/staff) need to show our dedication to providing the best education practices and curriculum for students that we can. Thanks to everyone for helping me improve and learn so much! [clap]

[htemske]

I agree that professional development needs to be a priority with any new technology that is brought in. It's not about the piece of hardware it's about the way it is used during instruction. For some people, they will go out read manuals, do tutorials, join user groups and play around to learn. For many others, they need someone to walk them through and show them how it can really be used - whet the appetite and then give the step by step.

My current school was a classic case of put out the equipment, do a very minimal training with the first group (1/2 day), and then it will all take care of itself. I can tell you it didn't really work. The ACTIVboard were not being used even close to their potential. Another teacher and myself decided that we would start a group to share tips and best practice ideas. It had to be after school and we found that some were willing to do it and others were not willing or in some cases able to participate. I do think if there was some designated time that was not "off" hours (as Leteshia mentioned) it might be more widely attended. This of course needs to come from administration priority. A nearby county (Forsyth, GA) has full time certified technology positions in every school. These educators do ongoing training during the day with the teachers as well as being available to help with any issues. This makes a big difference with teachers being comfortable to go out on a limb and try things. It also allows the techs to share all the great things they see going on.

[bpeskin]

I was reading a white paper and I came across the following quotes:

When asked the more daunting question of what limits the effectiveness of technology delivery for teaching and learning, Chuck Higley of Amarillo Public Schools in Texas states that training for technology is often not a priority because teachers see it as less important than high-stakes testing outcomes.


Jeanine Gendron in Broward County Florida, however, says that she is frequently frustrated that professional development is the one area of technology that gets short-changed the most. She believes that the paradigm “needs to shift towards the acquisition of intensive professional development and the direct intervention into classroom instructional strategies through mentoring
and coaching.”

What do you all think and what is your experience on this topic at your schools?
I have had a very hard time so far convincing administration and principals on the importance of setting aside professional development time to provide teachers with training. Most decision makers and administrators feel that once the hardware and software has been installed, the rest will happen magically.

Our administrators have embraced our model for activclassroom training -- in part because we have designed training that focuses on curriculum development. Teacher outcomes for our graduate level courses in Activstudio focus on developing and converting curriculum to Activstudio lesson design -- and of course we teach the tools to support the curriculum development process.

In addition to the summer graduate courses -- each level does training in different ways.
At our Middle School -- we used department meeting time for training. Not all department meeting time, but I worked with department chairs to find pockets of meeting time where they could get training. Since again this is curriculum focused and based -- it's a natural fit to use department time when possible.

I believe the explicit curriculum development focus of our training is key to the support we have.

[LisaD]

Barbara,

I agree with you. I believe, that the administration DOES want to help, but feels it has other priorities.

If you can show them that you are not just doing technology training but curriculum development and delivery training (and work with them to develop the training and show how this ties into what THEIR GOALS are), it can work.

But the tech team and the curriculum team have to work together for this to happen. Both have to understand where each group is trying to go and how this training (and the supporting technology) can get help them BOTH get there!

Not always an easy task. Especially if the Curriculum group is not experienced in the possibilities of an Activclassroom! Or...if the tech group is not sure what the Curriculum group's needs. Some tech groups include folks with teaching experience and some do not...

Leadership and teamwork.

Lisa

[saha]

Do you think that mandating certain minimum standards of competency with ActivStudio and tying certain features/functionality skills into the teacher assessment tool used by the various counties will help?

In other words when a Principal or administrator walks into a classroom to observe/assess a teacher, they are looking to see things like:

-The teacher used "drag a copy" to demonstrate counting of coins
-The teacher used "incremental movement" to show how the decimal point shifts as exponents increase
-The teacher used embedding action to launch video,flash and hence make the lesson come alive
-The teacher used the "focus tool" on a flipchart that had numerous mathematical formulae and equations

I think administrators and principals also need to have some training so that they can be more sophisticated and be able to distinguish between a glorified whiteboard user and a empowering teacher who makes a lesson come alive??

[davidlloyd]

I think administrators and principals also need to have some training so that they can be more sophisticated and be able to distinguish between a glorified whiteboard user and a empowering teacher who makes a lesson come alive??

I wholeheartedly agree. I visited a school last year who wanted our Centre of Excellence status. The principal took me into a class to show me how the board was used. It was very clear the teacher hadn't used the board or software for several weeks; he didn't use software functions appropriate to the lesson, the students appeared as though they'd never used the board before etc.

[LisaD]

I would love to see some sort of document like:

You know your teachers are using their Activclassrooms well when you see:


xxxxxxx
xxxxxxx
xxxxxxx
It doesn't necessarily mean things that the software can do but more importantly how the students are participating.

Give sample scenarios:

Level 1- Teachers.... Students....
Level 2- Tearhcer....

Just braindumping.

Lisa

[markrobinson]

This is a very good thread and timely.... Promethean has been invited to contribute to a project to suggest any future US national policy around professional development and assessment as it relates to technology.... One should take these chances when they come up!

Some of the key issues we have identified so far have been clearly echoed here:

- The general failure at policy level to make a clear link between the technology investment with the training investment

and..

- When PD is looked at - it is best to present it as "curriculum development" so it aligns to a standards based system mindset.


If you have some additional ideas about what should be addressed in a national policy for PD - esp. as it relates to technology, then please feel free to either e-mail me directly or post in reponse to this in the next couple of days...

mark.robinson@prometheanworld.com

We would welcome all our community's ideas, reflections and experiences... Who knows a new administration may like what people are saying!


We are also looking for similar on Assessment and use of data to personalise instruction.... which could really start something! Again post ideas to here or mail me.

If you want to remain anonymous or just add to the thread so we can collate the general ideas - just say so.

The ideal format would be:

1) What is the issue?

2) Is there an example of a way of dealing with it?

3) Is there any case studies or research supporting this (optional - if suggesting new ideas)?

4) What statements would be required at policy level to avoid this being an issue in the future?

But you do not need to conform to that if you just want to share an observation

[mrsb]

I agree with Gautam when he suggests that "certain minimum standards of competency" should be expected when administrators walk into an Activclassroom. This will encourage teachers to learn as much as they can and increase the interactivity of their lessons so that they become student-centered and dynamic. Those of us in Activclassrooms should be held accountable for keeping up with what AS and AP can do because it helps us really "bring learning alive". My principal is very interested in learning what the Activ software can do. I have volunteered to have her come to my room and receive some "training" so she can get a better understanding of its features. So I applaud all administrators who are really seeking to learn more about the Activclassroom. And kudos to all you teachers who are being proactive and learning as much as you can here on the forum, or at Promethean learning, or Atomic Learning, or downloading flps from Planet and dissecting them, or paying for Activconference attendance with your own money. The Activclassroom, with its many components, can only be a powerful gateway to learning if we do all that we can to make it so. I applaud those of you who are doing all that you can. [clap][clap][clap][clap] Those of you who are slacking.................get Activ!!

[hlh422]

What a great topic and an issue I have been working on in my district for awhile. I have to say that when I read Lisa's post about "You know your teachers are using their Activclassrooms well when you see:" and David's experience with a less than knowledgeable administrator, I thought of my own district and the number of administrators who have no idea what the boards can do. I wholeheartedly agree with Guatam when he mentioned that administrators should take part in trainings as well. An administrator cannot expect his/her teachers to learn the technology if he/she isn't willing to as well. Therefore putting a mandate on a teacher as to which features the administrator will be looking for in evaluations is of no use if he/she doesn't know how it can/should be used effectively.

And I agree with Mark that learning this technology or any technology should be a part of curriculum development. We are often given neatly packaged reading, math, and science programs with a big smile and told how great the programs will be and maybe have a 1/2 day inservice on how to use the programs. Then we get a piece of technology and again told "Here you go! This will be great!" Sure, some of us will learn it and love it (like me!:)) but most will let it sit and say "I don't have the time." Will a child learn to read by being given a book and told “Here you go, read it!” Some will put the effort into trying and seek help on their own, but most will probably throw the book in a corner and watch the movie. As teachers, we give them direction, we read some of the story with them, help them with vocabulary, understand meaning, etc. When given something new, teachers need that same amount of coddling! There needs to be someone who can come into the classroom and help the teacher who is struggling and is afraid to ask coworkers for help, or work with grade levels to show how to incorporate the technology effectively into their curriculum. In my opinion this must be done by someone who can devote all his/her energy into the job. Yes, having teacher trainers at each building is helpful but in the end they are teachers too and have to devote a lot time to their own class. I applaud Forsyth,GA as Heather T. mentioned for getting techies in each building to train teachers. I guess in the end (because I really could go on an on:p) teachers are students when given something new to learn, and my wish is for the administration to treat their teachers like their students and make the investment in giving them every opportunity to succeed.

[htemske]

Absolutely, Heather! We talk all about differentiating for students and how we need to have high expectations but scaffold in order to support them. It would be great if they looked beyond just the students. In the end it is the students that would benefit immensely.

[adams1j]

I feel lucky that my district has made training a priority. We do in house training and teachers before they get a board have 6 hours of intro training and then they can take supplemental classes that are 2 hours in lenght with different topics like ACTIVotes or containers, etc. Principles take a 3 hour overview class so they can make and use the boards as well. Teachers and principles get a rubric with the expectations of an acceptable flipchart. I don't think having a set of standards that the principle is looking for when they come in is a good idea. When I get observed I may not have a video or other items in a particular lesson, but it doesn't mean I don't or cannot do them.
Jamie

[mrsb]

Jamie,

You raise a good point. When a principal comes to observe a teacher, s/he shouldn't be expected to demonstrate all the bells and whistles of the software. However, teachers should be able to demonstrate use of maybe some "basic" tools. Maybe there could be a list of features/actions rated (based on what features are covered in the different Levels of the Promethean Learning course, for example) from novice to advanced in their skill level, and over time the principals can refer to this list and see if a teacher is actually developing his/her skills with the software. Just thinking out loud here.

I applaud your district for conducting training before hand for teachers as well as principals. If a lot more principals get some basic training they will be able to better understand how the Activboard can enhance curriculum development.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I'll "see" you around the forum! +wave+

Leteshia

[davidlloyd]

Following on from Jamie's point about not necessarily showing all the fancy stuff, they key should be that the flipchart is appropriate to the learning, as would be the case with any tool or activity, and that will show in the engagement of the students and the learning they achieve.

But there's no reason why a teacher shouldn't submit a series of flipcharts to the principal as part of a skills portfolio.

[Alison]

What an interesting thread. We had a fair bit of training when we first got boards, and that continued. Unfortunately we only had three boards and the staff's general attitude was, we don't have one, so it's not relevant.

Then when the new school phase 1 opened (school was rebuilt after a fire. Phase 1 was Infant classes and we only have IWBs, no other type) there was general panic in the Infants and more training. Then again when phase 2 opened (Junior classes) more panicking and more training. Then some more training.

Then a very interesting staff meeting I took where each year group was given the same short play and told to make an e-book. Every Infant year group (3-7 year olds) used backgrounds, characters, props and text. Also they used a range of images, sound, page effects etc. Every Junior year group used text and then inserted images from clipart. I decided then that I had to find a way to get staff trained up properly, with them paying attention and absorbing the information, particularly the Junior staff. So we had a staff meeting where they had to complete the basic Level 1 Promethean course.

Next year my Headteacher is making ICT the whole school personal professional development target. If staff don't achieve the requirements, they won't pass their target. I think this might help, but it is very difficult when the staff who are carrying out the observations can't exploit the boards properly themselves. A checklist of some sort would be good. Not to tick off if they've done it - different lessons require different styles. My last observation my focus was on activexpressions and showing how they can enhance learning - but to demonstrate the knowledge of the teacher and how they are using this to progress the class' understanding. I look forward to reading more from this thread!

[ictfacilitator]

At the end of the day they have spent thousands installing and so if they want teachers to use it well, i.e. return educationally a great result, then training is vital. Look for creative ways to do this if they are not willing to ante up money.
1. I have tekkie brekkies or tekkie teas (get the principal to pay for an on-site brekkie and we all train together).. reward is food and good training time together.
2. I also say to any teacher getting a board that this means you MUST join our support group and come to our bi-monthly training times where we share ideas and tips. Get the collaborative support thing going.
3. ALSO think about having a group of more senior pupils of classes authoring flipcharts for the younger groups. With the skills they pick up (usually quickly) you can use them as a ICT Crew and give a teacher a personal trainer who they can meet with when they have specific needs and you are not around to help.
4. Get people to share learning success... we tend to not do this and lose the chance to motivate others. The enthusiasm of the keen ones really does brush off on others.
5. Kill a tree. Some users just need that paper manual to give them reassurance to get started, others can use help and pdf's.
6. Promote successes in staffroom, on board etc
7. Make sure staff have been sent a link to the online training. Setup an email that has links to download manuals (if they can do it!), online training (some of our staff really got into this) and any great sample charts you want the newbies to get into.

[mrsb]

These are all great ideas! I will pass some of them on to my administrator. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the forum.

[davidlloyd]

2. I also say to any teacher getting a board that this means you MUST join our support group and come to our bi-monthly training times where we share ideas and tips. Get the collaborative support thing going.
3. ALSO think about having a group of more senior pupils of classes authoring flipcharts for the younger groups. With the skills they pick up (usually quickly) you can use them as a ICT Crew and give a teacher a personal trainer who they can meet with when they have specific needs and you are not around to help.


Item 2 is absolutely essential: just five minutes at the beginning of the weekly staff meeting before everyone gets bored with the rest of the agenda:D for one teacher to show something that's worked well for her that week is enough.

I love item 3. I wish I'd thought of that when I was a school IT co-ordinator. It would have saved so much time.