Making a Difference: The Value of High-Quality Professional Learning

By Laura Gabrion, Wayne RESA Literacy Consultant and Disciplinary Literacy Task Force Member, and Jenelle Williams, Oakland Schools Literacy Consultant and Disciplinary Literacy Task Force Co-Chair

As noted in the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Policy Research Brief entitled “Literacies of Disciplines'' (2011), “[i]mplementing literacies of disciplines will require significant attention to professional development for teachers.” Furthermore, effective professional development, as described in a literature review by Darling-Hammond et al. (2017), should have several key characteristics. It needs to be focused on content; involve active and collaborative learning; use models of effective practice; provide opportunities for feedback and reflection; and be of sustained duration. As such, “[t]he professional development that will provide teachers with the resources and strategies necessary to support students in acquiring plural literacies needs to be sustained and systematic” (NCTE, 2011). Therefore, in order to provide ongoing and tailored support, outgrowths of the MAISA GELN Disciplinary Literacy Task Force’s (DLTF) large scale professional development offerings have adopted several different approaches in multiple modalities.

DLTF members have kept several themes at the forefront of both statewide and regional professional learning. In fact, a small group of DLTF members including Co-Chair Jenelle Williams, Darin Stockdill, Mary Starr, and Laura Gabrion presented these themes at the 71st Annual Literacy Research Association Conference in December 2021.

1. Less is more. It is essential to slow down and chunk content in ways aligned with teachers’ planning processes.

2. Teachers need time to discuss their learning with colleagues, and protocols can help those conversations be more productive.

3. Intentionally curated resources and practical examples are key.

4. Reflection time is crucial.

5. When given time and support, teachers will come back to keep learning, so repeated opportunities to engage with the content in new ways is important. (Stockdill et al., 2021)

We strongly believe that, when applied, these themes can drive meaningful and sustained professional growth that will have a positive impact on teaching and learning. 

One particular outgrowth has been the development of self-paced courses through the EduPaths virtual learning platform (https://www.edupaths.org/ then search for “Disciplinary Literacy”). This course series is intended for all secondary educators and instructional leaders looking to learn about the Essential Instructional Practices for Disciplinary Literacy in the Secondary Classroom: Grades 6 to 12 in an effort to improve adolescent literacy in every secondary classroom. Because we value a collaborative approach, we have “designed each course in the hope that partnerships or teams of educators engage in the content together” (Gabrion et al., 2022) although individual educators are invited to enroll and join as well. Currently, the first three courses in our series are open for enrollment.

Course 1–Disciplinary Literacy: Identity and Community

Course 2–Disciplinary Literacy: Framing Problems and Setting Purpose (Practices 1 & 9)

Course 3–Disciplinary Literacy: Planning for and Implementing Assessment (Practice 8)

Course 4–Disciplinary Literacy: Identifying, Developing, and Analyzing Resources and Text Sets (Practice 2)

Course 5–Disciplinary Literacy: Planning Text-Based Activities and Discussions (Practices 3 & 5)

Course 6–Disciplinary Literacy: Planning for Writing and Communication (Practices 4 & 6)

Course 7–Disciplinary Literacy: Teaching Language in the Context of Use (Practices 7 & 10)

This series reflects the DLTF’s belief that literacy is transformational and that disciplinary literacies can help us save our democratic society. Text applies to all disciplines, and learning to communicate in content-specific ways should not be left to chance. Knowing this, and understanding that middle and high school is a critical time to establish student mindsets on literacy and learning, it is crucial to provide equitable access to systems and high-quality disciplinary literacy instruction to all students. Regardless of course, teacher, school, or zip code, students and their context, genius, and interests must be represented in the content. Academic success should not be dependent on where a student lives.

The DLTF believes that all educators can improve their professional practice, and in order for change to occur, educator efficacy must be supported. High-quality professional learning and effective systems can make a difference when implemented in a healthy, growth-oriented context. We encourage secondary educators to embrace the opportunity to engage in this learning because regardless of how and where educators engage in learning centered on disciplinary literacy and the DLEs, inherently “we are part of a wider community that is committed to the right work for students” (Williams, 2022). 

Note: Educators in Michigan and beyond, who don't currently have an EduPaths account or are not able to leverage the SSO integration, can request a personal account. Please navigate to the Account Request page: https://www.edupaths.org/account-request.

 

References

Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler, M. E., & Gardner, M. (2017). Effective teacher professional development. Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/effective-teacher- professional-development-report

Gabrion, L., Ramsey, C., Starr, M., Stockdill, D., & Williams, J. (2022). Disciplinary literacy: Identity and community, course 1 [Articulate presentation]. EduPaths. https://www.edupaths.org/

National Council of Teachers of English. (2011). Literacies of disciplines: A policy research 

brief published by the National Council of Teachers of English. https://literacysummit.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/ literaciesofdisciplines.pdf

Stockdill, D., Gabrion, L., Williams, J., & Starr, M. (2021, December 2). A work in progress: 

Designing a statewide professional learning initiative to support disciplinary literacy instruction despite pandemic pivots  [Conference session]. 71st Annual Literacy Research Association Conference, Atlanta, GA, United States.

Williams, J. (2022). Introduction. Language Arts Journal of Michigan, 37(2), 8-11.