LEARN Like a PRO
What's NOW & NEXT for Professional Learning in Knox County
October 2016
- Coming Up: Professional Learning Pilots
- November District Learning Day
- Framework Focus: Visual Arts Peer Mentoring Program
HERE'S What's Coming Up
Personal Learning Plan
The Personal Learning Plan (PLP) is a cycle of inquiry aimed at supporting educators in leading their own learning around a personally relevant goal. Educators will select their own goal, choose the learning that will be most beneficial to support them toward their goal, and select artifacts from their classroom/school practice that provide evidence of their progress. Educators are even encouraged to work collaboratively with a colleague to design and implement their PLP. Educators who complete the 9 to 12 week cycle will earn 4 of their 12 required Personal Learning Hours (formerly Unscheduled Inservice).
For more information and/or to express your interest in being in the initial pilot group follow the link found HERE.
Our first Information Personal Learning Plan information session is scheduled for October 25th from 4:00 to 5:00 in Room 219 at SSPDTC. Registration is available in Randa. Additional information sessions will be scheduled based upon interest.
Educator Micro-Credential Pilot
Digital-Promise and Knox County have partnered to bring another unique opportunity to KCS educators through our micro-credentialing pilot. Micro-credentials are like "mini-certifications" that allow educators to dig deeply into areas where developing their skills and talents are likely to impact their practice. More than 120 micro-credentials currently exist ranging from effectively using wait-time to data-literacy. Unlike an online course, the educator drives the learning process, selecting resources and demonstrating their learning through classroom practices.
For more information and/or to express your interest in being in the initial pilot group follow the link found HERE. You can also check out the brief video below for additional details.
Our first Information micro-credentialing information session is scheduled for October 27th from 4:30 to 5:30 in Room 215 at SSPDTC. Registration is available in Randa. Additional information sessions will be scheduled based upon interest.
District Learning Day #2 - November 8, 2016
- Our elementary and secondary teachers will continue the focus on content standards, which began during our August DLD. Teachers will also have the opportunity to engage in sessions of their choice at each site.
- In most cases, sessions will be available for pre-registration in Randa PD/MLP prior to November 8th to ensure adequate seating is available in each session.
- Teacher groupings will be similar to August and will be organized by content area and grade band (elem/sec).
- November 8th is also the date of the presidential election. In an effort to prevent conflicts with Knox County polling locations, the district will be required to use a few outlying schools to accommodate some of our larger educator groups. Please make sure you note your site location (which may have changed) and plan accordingly for this day. We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we share space with the Knox County Election Commission and Knox County citizens.
The Professional Learning Framework in Focus: TEACHER LEADERSHIP
The Visual Arts Peer Mentoring Program
The Knox County Schools Visual Arts department is reaping the benefits of a completely teacher-led mentoring program that is changing the way that teachers interact and support one another across the district. The premise of the program is to pair experienced KCS art teachers with those who are new to the district or new to teaching as a support during their first year. The mentor is someone who can answer questions related to policies, curriculum, managing the professional portfolio, and a variety of other issues. Time and resources are allotted during the year for the mentors and mentees to visit each others' classrooms for planning conversation and informal observations. Heather Casteel, KCS Art Specialist, has seen this program create professional relationships that span well beyond the single-year that teachers are paired together. She stated, "Our best resources are our colleagues, and that sentiment is at the heart of this program." Heather works closely with the peer mentor committee and the chair of the committee, Erin Mullenex.
Mullenex, a 6th- year art teacher at Norwood Elementary, serves as the chair of the Peer Mentor Committee. She coordinates multiple facets of the program, working with mentors to provide and adapt resources. The mentoring committee, comprised of 5-6 teachers, sets guidelines for the mentors and mentees and evaluates the effectiveness of the mentoring program. Erin believes the program has been a success because of the role teacher leaders play in its design and implementation. She states, "There could be no program without amazing teacher leaders who are willing to give up their time and energy. Because teachers are involved in every step of the process, the program focuses on the specific needs of teachers and provides the targeted support that they need." Erin was surprised by how much she learned about her own practice when she mentored another teacher, "I expected to help other teachers reflect on their practice… but in talking through other teachers' challenges, I found ways to improve issues in my own instruction. In celebrating the achievements of other teachers, I was inspired to refine areas that I saw as my strengths." One of the teachers she mentored previously is now serving as a mentor, another indicator of the program's success and the impact it is having on developing future teacher leaders.
Mandy Baynes teaches art at Chilhowee Intermediate and Sunnyview Primary. Even though she had several years experience outside the district, as a new KCS art teacher last year she was assigned a mentor. She saw great benefit in the program and felt that it supported her in growing professionally. Erin Mullenex was her mentor in that first year, and Baynes quickly recognized the value of this program in orienting new teachers to the department, and developing the professional relationships that drive classroom improvement. This year she decided to continue her professional growth by supporting new KCS art teachers as a mentor. She believes being a mentor gives her the opportunity to welcome others into the department and refresh her skills in the classroom through collaboration with her mentee and the other mentors. Baynes cited professional learning opportunities, like the Peer Mentoring Program in the Visual Arts department, as motivation for moving to Knox County as a teacher. She states, "I am thankful everyday for the chance to teach in a county that values art teachers. I have the resources and support I need, and when I feel like stepping out in a leadership position, I'm encouraged."
Thank you to the teacher mentors in the Visual Arts Department and special thanks to Heather Casteel, Erin Mullenex, and Mandy Baynes.