Continuing Professional Learning and Growth
Adaptability and inquisitiveness
“Successful instructional practices are founded
on evidence-based research, tempered by experience”
(Education for All, p.4).
Indeed, theories of learning have been studied and experienced, from behaviorist and cognitive to constructivist. The last one is the one we are taught about today and the one most of us use in our classrooms. We can’t deny students follow patterns of learning and this is why we talk about growth spiral (engaging learners, providing opportunities for practice, and revisiting the concept) as we elaborate our courses.
We know of and apply recipes to involve our student in their learning. But those recipes always need to be adapted to our public. “Each student has his or her own unique patterns of learning”. Some students need us to find other ways to captivate them. “In a diverse classroom, no single method can reach all learners. Multiple pathways to achieving goals are needed” (Hitchcock, Meyer, Rose, & Jackson, 2002, p. 18). I do believe “all students can succeed”, as much as I believe it is our role as teachers to find ways for and with them to succeed. Shared Belief, in Learning for all, concludes on “Fairness is not sameness”. This is definitely something we always must keep in mind when entering our classrooms. In order to be fair, we have to treat our students as individuals. They do not hear or understand what we say all at the same pace, they do not think as we wish they should all do. “To differentiate instruction is to recognize students’ varying levels of background knowledge, readiness to learn, language ability, learning preferences, and interests, and to react responsively” (Learning far all, p.17)
The three key elements found in the School Effectiveness Framework, (personalization, precision and professional learning) are sine qua non for us to do our job as well as we can. They are a way to ensure that the student, individually, stays the center of our attention. “Only by helping every student reach his or her potential can we hope to close the achievement gap between groups of students” (Learning far all, p.12). As we must always find ways to engage our students, we also must always keep ourselves engaged in our practice of teaching through professional learning, which PLC can be a part of.