What is...
According
to Cole (2012, p. 5), professional learning is the ‘formal and informal
learning experiences undertaken by teachers and school leaders that improve
their individual professional practice and the school’s collective
effectiveness as measured by improved student engagement and learning
outcomes.’
Professional
learning has been the subject of extensive research in recent years, and is
conceptualised more broadly than earlier ideas of training and professional
development (Wenger, 2010). Moreover, professional learning is inherently
connected with professional standards and professional evaluation (AITSL,
2016). Professional learning can be seen as part of an integrated human
resource system (see the diagram below), and intercultural understanding is
central to its development. Contemporary
understanding of professional learning grew out of traditional efforts to build
employee capacity. Traditional efforts occurred through ‘training’, a system
that involves providing specific instructions for completing specific tasks.
This system is essential for certain activities that require precision, such as
the testing of batteries on a smoke alarm, or meeting governmental standards
for food hygiene. However, the same approach is far less suitable when
activities require creative thought.
Through
time, ideas of ‘professional training’ morphed into ‘professional development’
(PD) which is defined as learning designed to earn or maintain professional
certifications, credentials or academic degrees, including activities such as
passing required courses, completing formal coursework, and attending
conferences (Speck & Knipe, 2005). This focus encouraged employees to seek
career growth, and is still vital for ensuring that employees meet minimum
professional requirements.
However,
the high standards required by modern education require complex professional
skills. These skills are embedded in unique contexts, which standardised
courses and testing fail to incorporate (Cole, 2012). By the 21st Century, an
expanded notion of employee development had emerged, termed professional
learning (PL). The figure below represents an adapted ‘hierarchy of needs’
showing this evolution. Compared to earlier forms of employee capacity
building, professional learning is characterised by:
• greater individual agency
• enhanced critical reflection
• a focus on learning outcomes
• evidence-based practice
The
importance of professional learning to schools is widely accepted (Hargreaves
& Fullan, 2012). Professional learning is central to improving student
learning outcomes and wellbeing (AITSL, 2016). It is associated with building
staff efficacy, pedagogies, and leadership (Cole, 2012). While PL’s benefits
are well publicised, challenges remain, and evidence suggests that “most
professional learning is ineffective in bringing about improvements in teaching
and student outcomes” (Cole, 2012, p.5).
Understanding
the distinction between the three forms of capacity building is important for
ISAIEG because successful professional learning helps educators to improve
professional standards in order to deliver and improve learning outcomes and
student wellbeing. This is central to ISAIEG’s long-term strategy. Systems that
help educators improve their professional skills, and develop new ones, would
likely boost learning outcomes, employee satisfaction, and customer
satisfaction.
Unfortunately,
employee capacity building in schools is largely ineffectual (Speck &
Knipe, 2005). Most planned ‘training’ and ‘professional development’ fails to
help teachers develop, and fails to improve student learning outcomes (Cole,
2012). However, we know that successful professional learning can have a
dramatic effect upon these learning outcomes (Shulman & Shulman, 2004).
Accordingly, we need to develop an evidence-based approach. This involves
looking beyond traditional seminars which focus on core skill development, and
instead focus on results-oriented practices (Speck & Knipe, 2005).
Our
professional learning approach needs to conceptualise the needs of ISAIEG and
how professional learning can be achieved. It needs to foster employee
engagement and the development of a positive and collaborative learning
culture. Professional learning can nurture teacher agency and provide a sense
of personal purpose and mission. It can foster organisational unity and
harmony, and the alignment of personal goals and practices with ISAIEG’s
strategic plan. Professional learning can assist with personal, departmental,
and school development as we strive towards ISAIEG’s vision and mission.
Modern
understanding of professional learning is rooted in inquiry, critical
reflection (Schön, 1983), and professional collaboration. Professional
collaboration can occur within professional learning communities, communities
of practice, or professional learning networks (Brown & Flood, 2019).
Learning is a process of meaning making in which individuals participate to
create meaning through negotiation and renegotiation. Passive participation is
insufficient for learning (Wenger, 2010). A comprehensive statement of teacher
learning, Shulman & Shulman (2004, p. 267) states:
‘Learners
at any level need to develop a vision of the possible understandings and
learning they can accomplish, the motivation to initiate and persist in that
learning, the understanding to pursue such learning (as both impetus and
outcome), and the skill at negotiating the complex participant structures of
any serious and organized approach to instruction that are all necessary for
accomplished learning. The learning proceeds most effectively if it is
accompanied by metacognitive awareness and analysis of one's own learning
processes, and is supported by membership in a learning community.’
The
need for ‘Vision, Motivation, Understanding, Practice, and Reflection’ (ibid)
in teacher learning should guide our development of professional learning
systems. An integrated professional learning system must foster professional
learning communities (Hord, 1997). We should develop professional learning
networks which bring together different communities of practice (Brown &
Flood, 2019) because learning is a social product, and appropriate social
contexts are crucial (Wenger, 2010).
