Understanding Teacher

GrowthVicki Weseman

Learning Coach, Lawrence Public Schools

TEACHER GROWTHIt takes a deep commitment to change and

an even deeper commitment to grow.- Ralph Ellison

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TEACHER GROWTH

Teacher

Student

Teacher

In a learning organization, one person’s growth influences the

growth of another.

In a learning organization, everyone grows together.

A Model Of Growth

Comfort Zone

Zone

of p

roxi

mal

dev

elop

men

tZone of proxim

al development

You do not experience growth

within your comfort zone.

Within your comfort zone, you feel success.

Emer

ging

Be

liefs

Emerging

Skills

Within your zone of proximal development are skills and understandings that have

not yet emerged but could if you engaged with

knowledgeable others.

Curre

nt

Belie

fsCurrent Skills

LIMITS TO GROWTH

Current

Beliefs

Current Skills

Comfort Zone

Your growth is restricted by your current beliefs and your current skills.

A Closer Look Within the comfort

zone…Be

liefsSkills

Teacher Comfort Zone

Student Learning

Security

Complacency (often while unaware of some potential weakness)

Sense of well being

Present State

Satisfaction with an existing condition

Status Quo

No Change

Students

A Closer Look Outside the comfort

zone…Cu

rrent

Bel

iefs

Current Skills

Comfort Zone

Student Learning

Teacher Zone of disequilibrium

Hesitation

Inconsistency Uncertainty

Anxiety

Unreliability Ineffectiveness

Students Students

Personal GrowthExpanding the Comfort Zone

Examining

BeliefsNurturing Skills

Nurturing Your Skills

Develop Expertise

Increase Compete

nce

Expand Capabiliti

esWhat does it mean to nurture skills?

Examining Your Beliefs

Inquire

Reflect

Dialogue

What does it mean to examine beliefs?

Rock Your World…

Comfort Zone

Student Learning

Challenge what you believe about your students and about

yourself.

Increase your skills and the precision with which you

apply your skills.As you grow, you increase your realm of influence, your success, and therefore, your impact on student learning.

Misc

once

ptio

nsFear

As you push against your beliefs and skills, your fears and misconceptions will push

back-----you will feel resistance, but remember…

Examining Beliefs

Nurturing Skills

Profound ChangeBeliefs Skills

Through multiple opportunities to:• Demonstrate

skill• Interact with

feedback• Revise

performance

Through multiple opportunities to… • Examine multiple

perspectives• Reflect • Revise thinking

What am I doing?

What are others doing?

What am I thinking about what I am

doing?What are others

thinking?

How does that change what I am doing?How are others

changing?

What am I now thinking?

What are others now thinking?

How are reflective practitioners developed?

How are skillful practitioners developed?Through

conversations based on…• Dialogue• Inquiry• Theory• Considerations

Through a gradual release of support:• Modeling• Shared practice• Guided practice• Independent practice

The potential for growth in your practice depends on the quality of interaction between

what you are trying in your practice and how you are

thinking about it.

Quality Interaction

Quality InteractionsPeople

• Learning Coach

• Principal

• Grade Level Teams (school and district)

• Professional Learning Community

Practice

• Action Research

• Peer Observation

• Dialogue, Feedback, Reflection

• Curriculum

Professional Learning Network

• Share documents, presentations, ideas via services like google docs or Tumbir

• Find new blogs and resources to connect with other by leaving comments and starting conversations

• Social Media Tools:

• Google reader, Classroom 2.0, Twitter, Quora, Google+, AddThis, Slideshare, Facebook, LinkedIn

Teaching and Learning Together

It’s a journey not a destination