4D: Participating in a Professional Community

4D: Participating in a Professional Community

Colleagues are an amazing resource and professional educators know that their students benefit when they take advantage of the wealth of expertise colleagues carry.  Danielson’s component 4D: Participating in a Professional Community looks at four different ways teachers connect with the professional community that surrounds them.

The first element is Relationships with Colleagues.  During the school year, we often spend more time with our colleagues than we do our own families!  Establishing and growing positive relationships with the members of your team enhances all of the work you do together.  Relationships are built on mutual support and a willingness to share.  On the other hand, competition has been shown to be a factor that degrades relationships with colleagues.  We are all in this together!  Adhering to established group norms builds trust between team members and nurtures these relationships.  

The second element, Involvement in a Culture of Professional Inquiry, ties directly to our PLC work. Much like we provide opportunities for inquiry for our students, teachers must engage in collaborative inquiry as we develop our practice.  By answering the PLC questions related to content, assessment and student learning, teachers design instruction that moves students forward...and then they also have the student data to prove it!

Service to the School, the third element in this component, is how teachers commit to building-wide work outside of their own classrooms.  Through participation on the Vanguard Team, PBIS or Student Engagement Teams, Building Leadership and School Improvement Teams, teachers impact all of the learners in the building and contribute their expertise and leadership.  There are so many additional opportunities that teachers jump at making happen for students and families outside of the classroom walls,  it would be impossible to list them all here.  Hawthorne and STEM both are blessed with incredibly committed teachers who step up to make our buildings amazing places for students to THRIVE!  We are fortunate to have you ALL.

Finally, Participation in School and District Projects, is another realm where teachers connect to a greater professional Community.   If you have ever worked on a summer curriculum committee, taught or taken a PSI or TDP course, joined a collegial study or district committee you know how that work adds to the greater needs of SDW but also provides new insights to bring back to your classroom.  

The Danielson rubric states the following for teacher who is proficient in 4D:

-Relationships with colleagues are characterized by mutual support and cooperation.  The teacher actively participates in a culture of professional inquiry and volunteers to participate in school events, making a substantial contribution.

A distinguished teacher is one who takes a leadership role in the activities he/she participates in.

A sincere thank you for your participation in the school and district community.  Your work keeps moving us all forward!

Today’s reflective question for the comment section below:

*What has one of your colleagues done that helped nurture relationships with the people around them?  Appreciation shout-out time!

4d: Participating in the Professional Community

We are moving on to Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities.  This week we are looking closely at component d: Participating in the Professional Community.  

Teachers need to be learners, alongside their students.  To do this, we connect.  Connect with colleagues to share strategies, plan for the success of individual learners, and discuss our latest learning.  Schools are a professional organization for teachers and we must think of ourselves as members of a professional community.  This community is characterized by mutual support and respect, as well as the recognition of the responsibility of all teachers to be constantly seeking ways to improve their practice and contribute to the life of our schools.  Inevitably, teachers' duties extend beyond the doors of their classroom and include activities related to the entire school or larger district.  These include things such as school and district curriculum committees or engagement with the parent community (PTO, Governance Board, Community Connect).

Critical Attributes at Proficient: 

• The teacher has supportive and collaborative relationships with colleagues.
• The teacher regularly participates in activities related to professional inquiry.
• The teacher frequently volunteers to participate in school events and school district and community projects.

What might this look like?

• The principal remarks that a teacher's students have been noticeably successful since her teacher team has been focusing on instructional strategies during its meetings.
• The teacher has decided to take a free online course (or BB9 module!) and share his/her learning with colleagues.
• The teacher utilizes Twitter to learn about best and next practice and implements new ideas into their classroom. 
• The teacher enthusiastically represents the school on a district science team and brings their content area knowledge to the team.

Critical Attributes at Advanced: 

• The teacher takes a leadership role in promoting activities related to professional inquiry.
• The teacher regularly contributes to and leads events that positively impact school life. 
• The teacher contributes to and leads significant district and community projects.

What might this look like?

• The teacher leads a group of mentor teachers at school.
• The teacher hosts a book study group that meets monthly; he/she guides the book choice so that the group can focus on topics that will enhance their skills.
• The teacher leads the annual Science Day, thereby involving the entire student body and faculty in science events.

Our professional community used to consist of the teachers in our building and district. At times you'd be lucky enough to attend a conference.  Today, technology has cracked our professional community wide open.  You can read the blog of a teacher in Australia, you can follow your favorite educational guru on Twitter, you can access a teacher in New York's anchor charts each day on Instagram, or you can watch a teacher's math minilessons from Alaska.  We have the ability to be more connected than ever before. 

How do you ensure you are constantly learning?  At the SLATE Conference this week, keynote speaker Rob Mancabelli posed the question: Are you a 21st century learner?  In the comments this week, share your thinking on what it means to be a learner in the 21st century and how you participate in the professional community.  Please share favorite blogs or people to follow on Twitter as well!  Engage in our professional community!