Professional Development for Educational Leaders on Integrating Technology into Classrooms Part IV by Diane H. Zack

Educational leaders have a professional responsibility to provide focused professional learning to support teachers learning to create engaging lessons and curricula that incorporate technology and 21^st Century Skills.  The following is the fourth part of a five-part series designed to provide educational leaders insights on the content, structure, and strategies necessary for developing effective professional learning to support their teachers learning to integrate technology.

PART 4 Two Strategies for Professional Learning: Modeling Digital Tools and Evaluation to Improve Professional Learning

Classroom technology has rapidly shifted teaching toward student-centered learning, with a focus on acquiring 21^st Century skills such as collaboration and teamwork, creativity and imagination, critical thinking, and problem-solving (P21, 2017).   Educational leaders have a professional responsibility to provide effective professional learning designed to support teachers integrating technology into their classrooms.  Parts 1 and Part 2 of this series used research to show the Content necessary to support teachers integrating technology must include: “Why” integrating technology is essential, understanding the emerging role of the classroom teacher, instructional design, and strategies on coping with changing technology.  Part 3 focused educational leaders’ attention on the Structures for professional learning needed to support teachers’ learning. 

In addition to the content and structures presented earlier in this series, educational leaders must incorporate two strategies of modeling and evaluation to ensure teachers experience effective professional development on incorporating 21^st Century skills into the classroom.  “Effective professional development” is defined as professional learning that increases teachers’ knowledge, which can lead to changes in instructional practices that can result in improved student outcomes (Cohen & Hill, 2001; Darling-Hammond, Wei, Andree, Richardson, & Orphanos, 2009; Desimone, Porter, Garet, Yoon, & Birman, 2002; Garet, Porter, Desimone, Birman, & Yoon, 2001; Graham, 2007; Supovitz, Mayer, & Kahle, 2000).   Evaluations and follow-up for each professional learning session is critical to determine the effectiveness and the impact of educational leaders’ efforts to provide teachers with quality professional learning (Guskey, 2016; Learning Forward, 2014).  Part 4 focuses on the need for educational leadership to “practice what they preach” by modeling the use of digital tools and using an evaluation to determine if teachers’ have experienced effective professional learning designed to support teachers learning to integrate technology into their classrooms. 

Modeling:  A 21^st Century educational leader must “create a culture where teachers and learners are empowered to use technology in innovative ways to enrich teaching and learning” (International Society for Technology in Education [ISTE], 2018).   The educational leader must create a culture of innovation and collaboration that allows for time and resources for teachers to explore, collaborate, and create lessons using digital tools (ISTE, 2018).  More specifically, the educational leader must model integrating technology, pedagogical thoughtfulness, and content knowledge [TPACK] within professional learning.

Modeling is an effective instructional strategy that allows learners an opportunity to observe, imitate, or incorporate desired behaviors (Bandura, 1986).  Bandura, a social learning theorist, emphasized that “Most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling: from observing others one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later occasions, this coded information serves as a guide for action” (Bandura, 1977).  Learning Forward emphasizes that professional learning opportunities should be designed to increase educator effectiveness by “integrat[ing] theories, research and models of human learning to achieve its intended outcomes” (Killion & Crow, 2011, p 40).  Modeling TPACK provides teachers with opportunities to identify the principles presented during instruction and opportunities to evaluate the effectiveness of content presented (Bandura, 1979; Bonk & Cunningham, 1998). 

As adult learners, teachers benefit from actively engaging in the learning process.  Modeling is a form of active learning, and adult learners need to experience a variety of practices to develop an understanding of how to connect the digital technology to their content and then develop curricula that increase student understanding (Blank, 2008; Drago-Severson, 2016; Thomas & Knezek, 2008).  Modeling technology is important to acquiring TPACK; learners need models to provide concrete guidance (Sarhandi et al., 2016; Tondeur et al., 2016).    

As an example, an educational leader wants teachers to use technology to incorporate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) within their lessons (Rose & Meyer, 2008).  The educational leader’s objectives are to model UDL while simultaneously instructing UDL.  The instructional design of this professional learning session would include multiple means for teachers to acquire the desired information, engage in learning, and demonstrate their emerging understanding of the information through various forms.  Specifically teachers’ learning could include options to review concepts of UDL by choosing a video by CAST, reading a passage, exploring a website, or reviewing an online blog (CAST, 2010; @CAST, 2019; Digisi & Coyne, 2015; Hitchock, Meyer, Rose & Jackson, 2002).  During their learning session, teachers could be asked to express and revise their understanding of the material by choosing to create a video, participate in a discussion board, write a  paper, create mind-maps, or even collaborative on a drawing.  Teachers would then self-assess using a rubric designed to evaluate the teachers’ understanding of UDL as evidenced through their submission.

The educational leader models UDL to enable teachers to transfer their experiences and acquired knowledge into lessons for their students.  When educational leaders model expected classroom practices, teachers learn how to use technology to diversify instruction, design student-centered learning activities, and create assessments to evaluate students’ growth.   Teachers who experience learner-centered professional development will be more likely to understand, create and facilitate student-centered lessons (Sarhandi et al., 2016; Tondeur et al., 2016).

Part 4 focuses on the need for educational leadership to “practice what they preach” by modeling the use of digital tools and using an evaluation to determine if teachers’ have experienced effective professional learning designed to support teachers learning to integrate technology into their classrooms.

Evaluation:  Educational leaders evaluate and follow-up with teachers to assess professional learning objectives.  Systematically evaluating professional learning provides evidence that the educational leaders’ planning, funding, and choices in resource allocation are producing results (Learning Forward, 2014).   An evaluation provides data to determine measurable gains in teacher knowledge and to determine opportunities to improve the professional learning opportunity (Blank, 2008).

Guskey (2016) provides a hierarchical five-level model as a tool to evaluate the effectiveness of professional learning.  This model provides data to focus on teachers’ reactions, learning, organizational support and change, their use of new knowledge and skills, and student learning outcomes.  Evaluating the effectiveness of professional learning involves more than filling out an “exit ticket” after a workshop.  An effective evaluation provides opportunities to gather data to determine whether the teachers change their classroom practices and to measure the impact professional learning has on student learning (Guskey, 2016; Learning Forward, 2014).

Instructional design for professional learning must include an evaluation.  An evaluation provides the educational leader with a roadmap to improve the instructional design, implementation, follow-up, and overall impact of the professional learning session (Guskey, 2013).  Evaluation come in multiple forms, as questionnaires, structured interviews, personal reflections, classroom observations, classroom assessments, student surveys, or digital recordings.   An evaluation immediately following a learning session provides instructional leaders with timely data for reflection.  Analysis of collected data informs educational leaders about teachers’ beliefs.  Did teachers believe their time was well spent, was the information presented was useful?   Did teachers believe they acquired the intended knowledge and was the presenter knowledgeable or helpful?  Was the learning environment comfortable and did the teachers feel supported during the learning process?  Educational leaders must also use the evaluation to ascertain the type of follow-up needed to help implement the ideas presented.  Lastly, questions on an immediate evaluation can provide insight on how teachers’ believe their learning may have been improved (Guskey, 2013).  Evaluation of the teachers’ reactions and learning can further improve the design and delivery of the professional learning session (Guskey, 2013). 

After teachers have had time to implement the new concepts into their lessons, further evaluation is necessary to determine the effectiveness of their professional learning.  Data collected after time has passed can determine whether teachers have been applying their new skills and knowledge in the classroom.  The questions can provide information about how to improve classroom implementation.  Teachers can explain whether they had sufficient resources, support from their district, administration, parents, and students to support the implementation.   Follow-up evaluations also provide information about the potential impact teachers’ professional learning had on student performance, achievement, students’ physical or emotional well-being, and confidence as learners.  Teachers can provide further information about how their learning may be improved and what further follow-up is necessary to ensure implementation of the new skills and knowledge. Evaluating how teachers use their new knowledge and skills, how teachers have implemented the material, and changes in student learning outcomes can further improve the effectiveness of the professional learning session (Guskey, 2013).

Teachers need follow-up on professional learning content to extend their newly acquired knowledge and gain confidence in content application.  This follow-up can include further access to the educational leader and as well as to the research, documents, websites, models, and digital tools presented during the session.  Utilizing both follow-up and an evaluation of the professional learning session can increase the effectiveness of professional development (Guskey, 2016; Learning Forward, 2014).

Conclusion: Developing teacher capacity for writing student-centered and engaging lessons infused with technology is both essential and challenging.  ISTE Leadership Standards provide a guide to help educational leaders; however, the instructional design of effective professional learning is complex.  Modeling TPACK provides opportunities for teachers to observe, evaluate, discuss and create lessons infused with technology during professional development.  Teachers experience the lesson as a student would and can reflect on how to incorporate similar ideas and practices into their lessons.  The purpose of this series was to provide educational leadership insights on the content, structure, and strategies necessary for developing effective professional learning to support their teachers learning to integrate technology.   Educational leaders have a responsibility to provide effective professional learning to support teachers learning to design engaging lessons and curricula that incorporate technology and 21^st Century Skills.

Five Part Series on Insights for Educational Leaders on Providing Professional Learning on Integrating Technology into Classroom Lessons and Curricula

Part 1 Educational research confirms that the content of the Professional Learning Sessions should include clarifying “why” integrating technology is important. 

Part 2 Educational research confirms that the professional learning sessions should include content related to understanding the changing role of the classroom teacher, instructional design, and strategies on coping with changing technology.  

Part 3 Educational research is used to show that the professional learning sessions should be structured to focus on content specific to the teacher’s needs, have coherence, allow for sustainability, involve active learning strategies, and allow for collaborative participation. 

Part 4 Incorporates educational research to show that for teachers to learn TPACK, educational leaders should strategically design their Professional Learning Sessions to model the use of digital tools and an evaluation for improvement should also be incorporated.

Part 5 Challenge for professional leadership to create and model 21^st Century Professional Development.

Diane H. Zack is currently completing a Certificate in Administration through the Pennsylvania State World Campus and recently earned an Ed.D. from the University of Delaware in Educational Leadership with concentrations in Curriculum, Technology and Higher Education.  Diane has worked for years as a public high school math teacher, curriculum writer & coordinator, and as a writer and presenter of teachers’ professional development. Diane is dedicated to providing teachers with professional development to increase students’ opportunities to learn 21st Century Skills.

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