Module 4 Application

Differentiated, Learner-Centered Professional Development

The concepts of standards, differentiation, and learner centeredness are key to the development of teachers. Research tells us professional development can no longer be a one-size-fits-all approach. In this module’s application assignment, you will demonstrate your knowledge of standards, differentiation, and learner-centered principles as you plan a standards-based, learner-centered professional development session for new teachers based on the data you collected in the needs assessment (Module 3 Application).

You have a lot of ideas to incorporate in this professional development, so before starting, review all the resources you have available. Look back over the presentations in Modules 1-4 and the learning objects pages. The learning objects pages contain information on learner-centered principles and links to differentiated instruction and professional development websites, including the Learning Forward Standards for Professional Learning.

Also refer back to your Module 3 discussion about Marzano’s nine instructional strategies and the link on the learning objects page. How can you use these strategies as you plan the activities for your professional development? Is the performance objective you composed in the discussion still applicable? Does it need to be revised to reflect your current learning and the needs of the new teachers you surveyed?

• You will submit two files for this assignment: 1) a slide presentation, and 2) a paper.
• For the paper and presentation, use APA format for in-text citations and for the references.

Part 1: Slide Presentation

Step 1. Use PowerPoint or another slide presentation tool to create a differentiated, learner-centered professional development session as a part of the induction program for new teachers at your school. Your presentation should be 10-15 slides (not including the title and references slides).

Tutorials are available: Digital Learning Connections Resources and Tips.

Step 2. Include the following components in your presentation:

• Title slide
• New-Teacher Induction Program mission.
• Session purpose.
• Learning Objective(s) to be addressed for the session.
• Facilitator name.
• Start and end times for entire session.
• Two activities that relate to the induction program mission (Module 2) and the data-based needs (Module 3).
  • For eachof the activities you plan, you need to include:
    • The purpose
    • A description of the activity (Keep in mind the audience is the new teachers.)
    • Estimated time of the activity
  • References slide

Step 3. Adhere to best practices in developing your presentation. As the professional development designer, you should:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the Learning Forward Standards for Professional Learning(Links to an external site.).
• Demonstrate an understanding of learner-centered principles(Links to an external site.) and Marzano’s nine instructional strategies (Links to an external site.).
• Demonstrate the ability to differentiate instruction to meet learner needs.
• Create a positive environment (e.g., seating arrangement, snacks, etc.) for participants.
• Design and lead activities that require all to actively participate.

Part 2: Professional Development Reflection Paper

Compose a well-developed reflection on the professional development for new teachers you designed. Use the prompts/questions below to guide description of the paragraphs. Your paper should be 3-5 pages (not including the title and references pages).

Please do NOT copy the prompts. Instead, create a heading for each of them. Your paper will have an introduction, a heading with information for each of the nine topics below, a conclusion, and a references page.

1. Explain how your proposed professional development agenda reflects learner-centered principles. You do not have to address all learner-centered principles.
2. Explain how the professional development session reflects the data-based needs of new teachers and how the session is differentiated to meet those needs.
3. Explain how your proposed professional development agenda reflects the Learning Forward Standards for Professional Learning. You do not have to address all the standards.
4. Explain how you incorporated Marzano’s nine instructional strategies into the professional development. You do not have to address all nine strategies.
5. For this professional development session, you were asked to incorporate the Learning Forward Standards for Professional Development, learner-centered principles, Marzano’s research-based instructional strategies, and the principles of differentiation. What similarities did you find as you designed your professional development? Give an example(s) of how you were able to incorporate ideas from the different requirements into a single activity.
6. Describe how you will create a positive environment for the professional development session.
7. How will you ensure activity participation by all who attend the professional development session? Specify activities.
8. How will participants evaluate the professional development session? How will you use their evaluations to guide your next steps?
9. Based on what you have learned in this course, what types of follow-up sessions would you suggest for new teachers at your school?