6Rs Planning Guide

R

Introducing the model

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planning guide for Successful Professional Development

Primary Goal: Positive Impact on Student Achievement An Overview: The field of teaching is undergoing unprecedented challenges in incredibly difficult economic times.

The importance of improving the quality of teaching and instructional practice is essential to implementing standards-based educational reforms at the heart of school improvement initiatives today.

The 6Rs Model for Successful Professional Development frames questions that will guide your planning, while keeping the focus on bringing about improvement. Steps in the 6Rs describe the thought process needed to make sure our programs and professional learning opportunities will lead to improved student achievement.

Turn the page to begin.

Result

R 1

Focus: • What is the result we seek to achieve?

• What is the overarching need that will be met?

Student Learning: · What result (in terms of student learning) do we want to influence or improve? · How did we determine the instructional need? (examples: annual test results, teacher grades, formatives, other?) · How will the learning need be described? What aspect of content knowledge or skills do we want to influence?

Adult Learning: · What do they already know? · How ready are they for the new learning? · What are the organizational initiatives and strategic goals these results will address?

Requirements

R 2

Focus: • What are the learner outcomes we hope to achieve?

• What are the required learnings for participants of this professional learning experience? · How much learning is “enough” for participants to gain by the end of this professional learning experience? · What changes or improvements should be evident in students? · Are there special theories in pedagogy or content knowledge that have implications for the type of student learning outcomes involved? · What “best practices” in teaching, specifically for this topic area, are involved? · What school and district resources will be needed to implement successfully?

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Resources

R 3

Focus: • What instructional strategies and materials do we need to accomplish these results?

Delivery: · What is the appropriate delivery method(s) for this program or professional learning event?

For example: ·W hat timing would be best? “same time” or “different time”? · Should this be “face to face” or online? · What level of interactivity is necessary for the learners? · What is the impact of variables such as geographic location, ability to travel, number and frequency of meetings, and delivery method?

Strategies: · What learning strategies would be appropriate to use with the selected delivery method?

For example: · How can we include the necessary elements to incorporate from adult learning theory?

Engagement: · How do we effectively engage our adult learners?

For example: ·W ill group activities engage the participants? · How will learner reflections be captured? · What experiential learning will be used?

Realize

R 4

Focus: • How do we implement the program or professional learning experience to accomplish the desired results?

· How will you ensure consistent implementation to guarantee the highest quality outcomes?

For example: · What do we need to do to ensure that what we planned in the learning experience is taking place? · Is it happening the way we envisioned?

Implementation focuses on results – keeping the “end in mind” – what follow-up with participants is needed? · How will this be done?

Organizational support: · What school and district policies are in place (or needed) to sustain and ensure success?

For example: · Will coaches be provided? · Will follow-up training be provided?

FLDOE includes this as FOLLOW-UP in their planning model.

STOP

Next: launch your program.

Be sure to be thinking NOW about how you will evaluate! After first implementing your program, you may need to “tweak”, modify or improve it for the best results. This is an important part of formative evaluation.

Then: Full implementation with program improvements!

Be thinking now about how to evaluate your program for effectiveness and impact.

Evaluation Methods: · Kirkpatrick’s Four Level Model measures attitudes, knowledge, behavior, and organizational impact1 · Guskey’s Five Levels of Questions for Evaluating Professional Development determines participant reactions, learning, organizational support, use of new knowledge and skills, and student learning2

Review

R 5

Focus: • What worked and what did not?

After sufficient time is given to implement the planned program or learning event, it is time to review and ask: · Did we deliver the planned program/event in a high-quality manner? · What did the participants (adult learners) say about their experience? · How useful and relevant was the learning to the needs of participants? · What was the impact on teachers’ knowledge and skills? · How did the learning influence and improve teacher practice? · What was the impact on student learning? · What was the program’s ‘return on investment’?

1

irkpatrick, D.L. (1996). Great Ideas Revisited. Techniques K for Evaluating Training Programs.

2

Guskey, T.R. (2000). Evaluating Professional Development.

React

R 6

Focus: • What’s Next?

Based on the answers to questions in the Review step (R5), we will decide: · What aspects of the planned program/event worked well? · What changes should be made? · Should the program be maintained?

Once these decisions are made, make any changes necessary, and: • REPEAT (steps R1–R4) • RE-EVALUATE (steps R5–R6) Ongoing Continuous Improvement

For more information on the 6Rs Model or other educational resources, please visit the Schultz Center for Teaching and Leadership at www.schultzcenter.org.

4019 Boulevard Center Drive Jacksonville, Florida 32207 904 348 7239 www.schultzcenter.org