For this assignment, refer to the two articles listed in this weeks reading assignment, ‘Teacher professional learning communities: going beyond contrived congeniality toward challenging debate and co

For this assignment, refer to the two articles listed in this weeks reading assignment, ‘Teacher professional learning communities: going beyond contrived congeniality toward challenging debate and collegial learning and professional growth’ and ‘Using student assessment to improve teaching’.  Then, write a short paper on ‘teacher reflective practice’ addressing the following:

• Examine the value of reflecting on a teaching practice
• If you are part of a Professional Learning Community (PLC) at your school, analyze the benefits it has provided you as a teacher.
• If there are no PLCs in your school or you are currently not teaching, examine whether or not you would like to start one

 Submit a paper which is 2-3 pages in length, exclusive of the reference page, double-spaced using 12 point, Times New Roman font. The paper must be well written and cite at least 2 outside sources in APA format.  Check all content for grammar, spelling and to be sure that you have properly cited all resources (in APA format) used.

Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) is a free website that provides excellent information and resources for understanding and using the APA format and style. The OWL website can be accessed here: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Papers will be assessed using this rubric. https://my.uopeople.edu/pluginfile.php/1548266/mod_workshop/instructauthors/5440WA7-Rubric.pdf

References

1. Assessing your teaching effectiveness. (n.d.). British Columbia Institute of Technology.  https://www.bcit.ca/files/ltc/pdf/ja_teacheffect.pdf

• ‘Assessing your teaching effectiveness’ is a straightforward guide to help teachers assess their effectiveness.

2.  Bovell, M. (2014, February 4). Using student assessment to improve teaching.  Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).  https://rd.acer.org/article/using-student-assessment-to-improve-teaching

• ‘Using student assessment to improve teaching’ in this article the author examines how monitoring the learning progress of students also enables teachers monitor and improve their own teaching.

3. DuFour, R. (2014).  What is a professional learning community? Educational Leadership. http://www.allthingsplc.info/files/uploads/DuFourWhatIsAProfessionalLearningCommunity.pdf

• In ‘What is a professional learning community’ the author the benefits of professional learning communities (PLCs).

4. Marshall, K. (2018). In praise of assessment (done right). Marshallmemo. https://marshallmemo.com/articles/Assessment%20March%202018.pdf

• ‘In praise of assessment (done right)’, the author argues that assessment ‘done right’ helps teachers improve learning in real time.

5. Owen, S. (2014). Teacher professional learning communities: going beyond contrived congeniality toward challenging debate and collegial learning and professional growth. Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 54,(2), pp 54-77.   https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1033925.pdf 

• ‘Teacher professional learning communities’ offers valuable insights about nurturing more learning-focused PLCs, with significant benefits for teacher professional growth and ultimately for student learning.

6. Rethinking classroom assessment with purpose in mind.  (2006). Western and Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Education. https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/assess/wncp/full_doc.pdf 

• In this Unit you may need to review Chapter 4, ‘Assessment AS Learning’, pp 41-54, and
• Read Chapter 7, ‘Building Capacity for Enhancing Classroom Assessment’, pp 75-81. This chapter analyzes how effective professional development occurs in a) daily attention to classroom assessment practices, b) assessment study groups at school, c) assessment learning walks, d) assessment collaboration, etc.  It also argues that the aforementioned professional learning practices require effective leadership in schools and districts.

7. Timperley, H. (2009) Using assessment data for improving teaching practice.   Research Conference. Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).  https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1036&context=research_conference 

• In ‘Using assessment data for improving teaching practice’ the author argues that teachers can improve their teaching practice by using assessment data.

Optional Videos

1. Classwatchuk. (2012, March 22). Self-evaluation and training of teachers - improving the quality of teaching in schools   & colleges [Video]. YouTube.  (3:13) https://youtu.be/RCZai6fSeRE

• 'Self-evaluation and training of teachers’ is about teachers using the software ‘classwatch’ to video their classroom teaching and how much they and their students learned through their self-assessment and reflection.

2. Rose Garofano. (2014, March 28). Teacher reflective practice [Video]. YouTube.  (3:53) https://youtu.be/0glFJMYv1JY

• In ‘Teacher reflective practice’ Dr. Wiliam argues that the teaching profession is the most difficult and the best of professions because you can always improve.

3. Solution Tree. (2014, May 31). Using common formative assessments to help teachers reflect on their practice [Video]. YouTube.   (8:49) https://youtu.be/FldnHUgjTcM 

• In ‘Using common formative assessments to help teachers reflect on their teaching practice’, Kenneth William shares his experience of reflecting on this teaching practice with a Professional Learning Community (PLC) at his school.