Alternative Professional Learning Strategy

Elevating Professional Development for the ESL Instructor

Overview

The plan outlines a 24-month intensive course schedule designed to empower educators to create engaging, interactive lessons while implementing e-portfolios. The program aims to enhance student learning outcomes and foster innovation in the science classroom. It follows key principles of effective professional development, including significant duration with ongoing support, implementation assistance, active learning approaches, modeling of best practices, and discipline-specific content. The course structure includes monthly synchronous sessions, asynchronous learning activities, and continuous ongoing individualized support. Participants participate in interactive workshops, project-based learning experiences, and collaborative problem-solving sessions. The program highlights the importance of peer learning through professional learning communities (PLCs) and a peer mentoring system. Content is tailored to 7th and 8th-grade science levels in middle school. The instructional team includes a lead instructor, ESL science teachers, technical support staff, and a science specialist. Assessment methods include project-based evaluations, peer reviews, and long-term impact studies. The plan outlines resource requirements, sustainability strategies, and processes for continuous improvement to ensure the program's long-term success and adaptivity. For a more in-depth understanding, please refer to my innovation plan.

Audience

This professional learning course is tailored for middle school ESL teachers in Alief Independent School District. It focuses on integrating e-portfolios into sheltered science classrooms. Educators will explore strategies to actively engage ESL students, promote collaboration, and enhance science comprehension through digital portfolios.

Needs

The course equips teachers with practical strategies to facilitate peer assessments and feedback among multilingual students, fostering cross-cultural communication and deeper learning through e-portfolios. Participants will engage in hands-on activities to design and create e-portfolios, enabling them to model best practices and guide students in showcasing their individuality and academic growth.

(Gulamhussein, 2013)

Course Goals and Outcome

Integrating a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) with Fink’s Three-Column Table when designing my professional learning course allowed me to establish a clear and ambitious vision. This approach is paired with a structured instructional plan that promotes meaningful learning for educators and positively impacts students.

This method goes beyond basic content coverage by focusing on deeper learning. It emphasizes the importance of application, reflection, and real-world practice, equipping teachers with actionable skills they can implement in their classrooms.

Combining BHAG with Fink’s Three-Column Table creates an innovative, organized, and impactful professional learning experience. This collaboration fosters sustainable improvements in ESL instruction, ultimately enhancing the educational experience for both teachers and students.

Big Hairy Audacious Goal

This course aims to equip ESL-sheltered classroom teachers with the knowledge and skills to create, model, and implement e-portfolios that enhance student engagement, support language development, and showcase academic growth.

Fink's Three Column Table

Course Timeline

As classrooms become increasingly diverse, providing high-quality education for all students—regardless of their linguistic background—requires well-equipped and well-supported ESL teachers. In my reserach I have discovered that effective professional development goes beyond skill-building; it enhances students’ language proficiency and academic success by ensuring teachers receive structured learning experiences that include theory, skill demonstration, guided practice, and ongoing coaching (Gulamhussein, 2013). To foster lasting instructional change, a constructivist approach that emphasizes continuous support and engagement is essential (TNTP, 2015). As a professional learning developer, my goal is to ensure that mentors and instructional leadership coaches use guiding questions to drive collaborative discussions, as research shows that structured inquiry leads to more productive and impactful coaching sessions (Goodwin, 2015).

Resources Needed for Professional Development

Schoology Learning Management System (LMS)
- A digital platform for course materials, discussions, collaboration, and e-portfolio submissions.
- Allows teachers to organize resources, track progress, and provide student feedback.

Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools (Christensen, Horn, & Staker)
- Explores how blended learning can transform traditional teaching and enhance student-centered instruction.
- Provides strategies for integrating e-portfolios into a blended learning environment.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (Carol S. Dweck)
- Highlights the importance of a growth mindset in learning.
- Helps teachers foster resilience and motivation in ESL students using e-portfolios.

Article: Student Perceptions of the Influence of the COVA Learning Approach on Authentic Projects and the Learning Environment (Thibodeaux, T., Harapnuik, D., & Cummings, C)
- Examines how choice, ownership, voice, and authenticity (COVA) impact student engagement.
- Supports teachers in designing meaningful, student-driven e-portfolio experiences.

The ELL Teacher’s Toolbox 2.0: Hundreds of Practical Ideas to Support Your Students (Larry Ferlazzo & Katie Hull Sypnieski)
- Provides strategies, lesson plans, and best practices for ESL instruction.
- Helps teachers scaffold learning and implement e-portfolios effectively in the science classroom.
Video: Google Sites for Students Portfolios
- Step by step video on how to create e-portfolio.

These resources will equip teachers with the knowledge and tools necessary to successfully integrate e-portfolios in their ESL science classrooms, fostering deeper student learning and engagement.

References