Reflections

A Professional Development School is a collaboratively planned and implemented partnership for the academic and clinical preparation of interns and the continuous professional development of both school system and institution of higher education faculty. The focus of the PDS partnership is improved student performance through research-based teaching and learning. A PDS may involve a single or multiple schools, school systems and IHEs and may take many forms to reflect specific partnership activities and approaches to improving both teacher education and PK-12 schools.

PDSP Mentor Training, February 4, 2009

Teachers from around the county participated in the 2009 Mentor Training at Loyola-Columbia in February. Looking at Today’s Intern, Communication Skills for Effective Mentoring, and Co-Teaching with Your Intern were just a few of the topics covered.

A Look at Today’s Intern
Teachers divided up into generational groups and then reminisced about movies, music, and education trends that were around when they were in high school and college. This discussion led into a closer look at some similarities and differences between the different generations of interns that exist in our PDS Partnerships.

Communication Skills for Effective Mentoring
Teacher Development Coordinator Corinne Gorzo worked with the PDSP office to discuss ways to effectively communicate with interns. The discussion began with a look at consulting, collaborating, and coaching and how each fit into their role as mentor. Information was also shared about unproductive patterns of listening that can affect a person’s ability to really listen. It was an eye opening experience as the mentors participated in an active listening activity and reflected on the experience. The discussion that followed included many insightful comments and perspectives. As a culminating activity, groups created posters to visually represent the learning and understanding gained about communicating effectively with interns.

Co-Teaching with Your Intern
Jocelyn Miller, mentor, and Jennifer Gannon, UMCP intern, from River Hill High School shared their own personal experiences co-teaching together. Co-Teaching is an excellent way to meet the needs of students and allows the teacher to maximize their instruction to enhance student learning. Jocelyn and Jennifer shared co-planning strategies and different types of co-teaching models they use and also discussed the positive impact of co-teaching for the students and them as teachers.

PDSP Site Liaison Training, January 29, 2009

Site Liaisons from our PDS schools attended their second training of the year.


PDSP office shared updates with the Site Liaisons regarding upcoming events and budget items.






The Site Liaisons also worked in their partnerships to discuss PDS sponsored professional development events happening within their schools and partnerships. They then shared their plans with the group.

PDSP Points of Contact

With the changes in the PDSP, the PDSP point of contact for some PDSs has changed. Listed below are the PDSP staff members and the PDS partnerships for which she is the point of contact.

Donna Culan:
ELMS, PRES, WavES, WoES, WLHS, Peabody
RES, VES, Towson
GES, LWES, THES, UMBC
MHHS, UMBC
BWES, EES, UMCP
AHS, RHHS, WLMS, UMCP

Jenny Mascott:
GCES, PRES, SES, JHU
BBMS, OMMS, OMHS, JHU
AES, BBES, Loyola
MVMS, Loyola
EMMS, HCMS, WLHS, Towson
HaHS, MHMS, PVMS, RHS, Towson
BBES, DRES, FES, GCES, RBES, TRES, WatES, UMCP

Patty Otero:
CCES, FRES, JHES. Towson
HSES, SJLES, WavES, Towson
CLES, LoES, PLES, Towson
BSES, IES, WatES, Towson

The PDSP strives to provide the highest level of support to all PDS partnerships in HCPSS. The PDSP staff works closely and collaboratively to ensure this support. By designating a point of contact, we hope to provide a more efficient way for stakeholders to connect with the PDSP, have questions answered, and have needs met.

Where in the World is PDS?

PDS turns up in many different places...including Antarctica! Kim Bodin, PDS Site Liaison took PDS with her on her trip to Antarctica over winter break. Thanks Kim for Sharing!



The PDSP community would love to see where you find - or bring - PDS! Please share your sightings with the PDSP for sharing in Reflections.

BSES/IES/Waterloo ES TU PDS After School PD
Contributed by Erin Sloan, Waterloo ES PDS Site Liaison

Technology Training at Bonnie Branch MS
Contributed by Becky Romans, BBMS PDS Site Liaison

PDS sponsored two workshops at Bonnie Branch Middle in December and January. Our Media Specialist, Adam Yeargin, collaborated with Krissie Wisniewski to present these technological offerings. Google Earth was held on December 16, 2008. Participants extended their knowledge of this free program and were given ideas on how to implement it into their lessons. On January 13, 2009, we held Wiki Sessions. Teachers learned the benefits of Wiki Spaces and created them for their classrooms. Both sessions were very informative and appreciated by staff.

Towson SCED MAT
Contributed by Maria Tolson, RHS PDS Site Liaison

"Meeting our Students’ Needs Through Professional Development"

The Towson Secondary Education Cluster (Hammond High School, Patuxent Valley Middle School, Murray Hill Middle School, and Reservoir High School) spent part of last year focusing on our needs as a community and figuring out ways to address our needs. It began with a frank discussion on assessment scores. All schools realized the students were not achieving the high scores that they are capable of achieving. The question was why?

As we looked at all our school demographics one item which became apparent was all schools had a growing number of students receiving ESOL services or students who had recently exited ESOL. These students seemed to struggle with the county assessments, MSAs, and HSAs.

Once we had a target student subgroup, the next question was how to address this need. As we brainstormed we realized that the resources were right at our fingertips. Through the county ESOL office and the Office of Professional Development, Jenny Mascott helped to create a two-hour workshop for our teachers. The workshops were to be led by ESOL instructors from the individual schools, people we knew and trusted.

It began with an eye-opening introduction from students who were previous ESOL students in the county. They related their experiences and feelings enabling the teachers to empathize with their experience and understand it somewhat.

From there we broke into small groups led by ESOL instructors from the individual schools. The leaders gave us ideas and handouts to help us convey meaning to ESOL students. They gave useful information that we could implement right away.

“I loved that I got materials and ideas that I could immediately take back to my classroom and use,” exclaimed Robin White, teacher at Reservoir.

This professional development was so successful that we repeated it again at the start of this year with some teachers attending both sessions.

Congratulations!!
Howard County Press Release

What is National Board Certification?

National Board Certification is a voluntary certification program that identifies great teachers and makes them better. The certification process reflects advanced content knowledge and teaching skills. It is assessment based with a portfolio that focuses on national teaching standards.

The certification is based on the following 5 core propositions:
~Teachers are committed to students and their learning.
~Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students.
~Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning.
~Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience.
~Teachers are members of learning communities.

What support does HCPSS provide?
• Kick-off Meeting: First Saturday in June (tentative)
• Launch Workshop: Last week in July
• Blog Group Listserv for candidates
• Monthly Meetings September-April (all dates tentative):
Second Saturday of the month
Location FRC
Time is 8:30-12pm

Information Meetings Schedule:
February 19, 2009 FRC: 4:30-5:30 pm
March 19, 2009 FRC: 4:30-5:30 pm

Intern Reflection
Contributed by a UMCP Special Education Intern

"Week of September 15th - I wanted to focus my first journal entry on something I witnessed in my placement that I thought was really quite spectacular. While this program has provided me with a plethora of information on classroom management, motivational strategies, etc. it is those small strategies that are learned from experience that I find, in many instances, more valuable than the lessons you learn in textbooks. In the mornings, my mentor and I go into Miss T's 3rd grade classroom to oversee and assist B and D in their morning work. Every morning, the students are responsible for copying a sentence off of the board into their journals. This particular morning, D was having a very difficult time getting started. He had his head down on his desk. When I asked him to please get started, he just sat there and whined that he didn't want to participate. I kept encouraging him, but with no avail. Finally the morning work time was over, and D had not written anything. Afterwards, I told my mentor about the difficulties I was having, and asked for any suggestions. I assumed that she would tell me about behavioral strategies I've learned in class, but instead, she suggested that should this happen again, I simply start the sentence for D, and allow him to finish the rest. Ironically enough, later that morning, another student in the 4th grade classroom was getting discouraged with copying notes off the front board. He was refusing to do anything. So, remembering what my mentor said, I asked him if I could see his notebook, and then I wrote the first part of the notes. Then I asked him if he wanted to try. He immediately took the pencil and began writing. We went back and forth until the notes were complete! It was so amazing to me to see that strategy work. Going into this program, I knew I was going to see my share of ups and downs, but this was my first opportunity to see how providing those small accommodations can change a child's outlook on education! I cannot wait to gain the kind of knowledge that my mentor has with children; the kind that cannot be learned in the classroom."

2009 Professional Development Schools National Conference

What it Means to Be a Professional Development School: Moving Forward with What We Believe
March 12-15, 2009
Daytona Beach , Florida


You can find conference information, including registration materials at:
http://www.ed.sc.edu/pds/index.htm

2009 Maryland PDS Conference

Professional Development Schools: Understanding, Reaching and Teaching a Community of Learners

Saturday, May 2, 2009
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
(Registration begins at 8:15 a.m.)

Sponsored by:
Maryland Professional Development School Network
Maryland State Department of Education

Hosted by Towson University at The University Union, Towson, Maryland

Conference sessions are designed for PDS interns, teachers, administrators, and college/university personnel. A special highlight is a gallery walk of intern action research!

Registration Fees:

Intern Registration
$20 (Received by April 6)

PreK-16 Faculty, Staff and Administrators
$40 (Received by March 2)
$60 (Received by March 3– April 6)

REGISTRATION FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.

Registration Due by Monday, April 6, 2009

For questions regarding registration contact:
Janet Martin
Towson University, College of Education
Center for Professional Practice
via email at jmartin@towson.edu;
phone (410-704-5363); or fax (410-704-2733).

Maryland is the only state in the US with standards to guide professional development schools. The standards drive the collaborative work done in PDSs in Maryland and in HCPSS. Each PDS partnership is at a different developmental level for each standard but all have the same ultimate goal - to meet each standard.

The 5 standards for PDSs in Maryland include 4 components within those standards, and numerous indicators within the components.

The Standards for Maryland Professional Development Schools :
~Learning Community
~Collaboration
~Accountability
~Organization, Roles, and Resources
~Diversity and Equity


To view the standards with the components and indicators visit the link for the MD PDS Implementation Manual in the 'Important PDSP Links' list.

NAPDS Membership
Interested in becoming a member of NAPDS? Membership benefits include:

• Access to Members section of the NAPDS website (provides links to resources and information to enhance and support your PDS work)

• NAPDS Newsletter, PDSPartners, published three times a year

• School-University Partnerships: The Journal of the National Association for Professional Development Schools, published two times a year

• PDS Listserve membership which enables you to connect with others involved in PDS work
  

And so much more!

NAPDS is the only professional organization in the U.S. dedicated to PDS work!

For more information, check out the NAPDS website at:
www.napds.org