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Three Concepts for Framing Professional Learning

By Diane Cunningham

When we work in schools, we are often asked to support the design of professional learning experiences and find that leaders benefit from thinking about alignment, congruence, and outcomes at the start of the design, before planning the learning. These three concepts can ensure that we frame the work with clarity, rationale and thoughtfulness, before we enter the more specific design phase.

Alignment

We all know what alignment is, but we may take for granted the benefits of strong alignment.  Simply said, when our practice is aligned with our vision and priorities for learning and well-being, we feel greater purpose, are more efficient and are far more likely to see the results we hope for. In the context of framing professional learning experiences for educators, alignment can be thought about using the following questions:

  • What will the adult learning focus be?
  • What high priority needs, challenges or opportunities for improvement are we expecting the professional development to help us to address?
  • How does this work support the overall vision for adults in the organization?
  • How is this focus connected to the school/district vision for student learning?
  • What adult (teacher and/or leader) knowledge, skills or dispositions are necessary to support students’ attainment of the learning priorities evidenced in our vision?
  • How does it address identified gaps in learning and work?

Alignment to vision and priorities is not the only type of alignment to think about and make explicit when framing new professional learning.  We, and the adults we will work with, can benefit from stepping back to examine alignment between and among the professional learning that has happened or is currently happening.  Considering the questions below can help us to avoid repeating and overloading adults who already have full plates and making explicit connections between initiatives can counter the fragmentation that many educators feel as a result of initiative overload.

  • How does this work build upon prior professional learning and development?
  • How is it connected to the work that is currently underway?
  • What is the added value of this new work?

It is quite possible that considering these questions will cause you to re-think the focus, timing or need for the work you are trying to frame. In that case, they will provide rationale for these decisions and next steps you may decide to take instead.

Congruence

Thinking about congruence while framing is also important.  The general definition of this word is “compatibility” and in the realm of mathematics it may be defined as “roughly the same size and shape.”  What this means is that the “size” and “complexity” of the outcomes we are working toward with the adults should match the “size” and “complexity” of the learning experiences we design for them. Often, we are so eager to make change in our schools that we set unrealistic expectations for the professional work we will engage in. When we are thinking about congruence, these questions can help:

  • How complex and challenging are the participant knowledge and practices we will design for?
  • What will be the scope of the professional learning be (breadth, depth)?
  • How much time will we work toward these specific outcomes (one hour, one day, 6 days, one year, multiple years, etc.)?

The following PD typology provides helpful guidelines for the framing phase of professional development design.

PD type

Designed to

Approximate time needed

Awareness
  • share information
  • deepen knowledge base
  • build understanding

1-3 hours

Skill building
  • build discreet skills
  • provide opportunities to apply knowledge

up to 8 hours

Design (curriculum, instruction, and/or assessment)
  • support the creation or re-design of new learning opportunities
  • build educator capacity for design processes

15-30 hours, depending on the scope of the design

Leadership & inquiry
  • build capacity to lead others
  • foster school/district improvement
  • engage in research to inform the school, district and/or the field

60 to 200 hours

 

 Outcomes (and indicators)

Once we have a focus that clearly aligns to our vision and goals, and we are clear about the type of experience we are designing, we can frame the work, more specifically, by writing the congruent outcomes that will guide the design of the professional learning.  Outcomes are used to articulate the desired results of a professional development experience in terms of what the adult learners will know, be able to do, and/or be like. They are supported by indicators that describe what it looks like when these outcomes have been met.

The importance of writing clear outcomes for adults cannot be understated. These outcomes are the blueprint that guides the program design decisions.  They allow us to determine the best model and which learning opportunities the educators will engage in, identify the nature and type of formative assessment to embed so that we can monitor learning, and plan for evaluating the impact of the professional learning.

There are three different types of outcomes we may write for professional learning.  They connect to knowledge, processes and dispositions.  Each type has value, each answers a different question, and each can be used in combination with the others.

 

Writing outcomes and indicators clarifies our intent and allows us to test our own understanding as it relates to the focus of the work.  When writing outcomes we ask, What do I want participants to know, be able to do and be like by the end of this experience? And behind that question, to be congruent, we need to also be asking, What is reasonable and doable, given the amount of time we will be learning?  As we answer these questions, we develop statements that reflect the following attributes of outcomes:

  1. observable / assessable
  2. reflect goals that are broad enough to allow flexibility in the way we work toward them
  3. reflect goals that are broad enough to allow for specific indicators

When developing indicators, we have to ask, How will we know that participants are achieving this outcome? What will we hear from them, see them doing, see in their work? It helps to think of the indicators as evidence of meeting the outcome.  For example, if an outcome states Adults will collaborate effectively (observable), we should be able to identify specific indicators that evidence effective collaboration, such as:

  • sharing different viewpoints
  • integrating different ideas to create solutions
  • solving problems together
  • managing work materials and time
  • accessing and using the expertise of team members

As we write indicators, what becomes clear is just how much we know or don’t know in reference to the outcome, as well as what we value.  When we deeply understand the outcome, we likely need to prioritize to identify the most important indicators, the indicators that will best align to the work at hand, or the ones that the adults we are working with need support in (assuming we have evidence of their needs) to develop most strongly.  And so, for example, when we look at the list above, we may decide to remove an indicator or two that is less important for the adults we will work with and emphasize those that align to our vision and goals for both student and teacher learning.

Writing outcomes and indicators takes some practice. Examining examples (article appendix), drafting, and then revising, with feedback from a peer, supports the process.  The time we take to craft them carefully is well worth it.  Clear and precise outcomes and indicators are key supports for the design work – they make the selection of learning opportunities, formative assessments, and data sources more strategic and will result in coherence that supports adult learning.


Further Learning Opportunities

We invite you to use LCI’s framing template to frame a professional learning project. Then, use the reflection questions in the article appendix to reflect upon your understanding of the concepts of alignment and congruence and your ability to write outcomes. Reach out to the author with questions at dianec@lciltd.org.

LCI is holding a conference on Designing and Facilitating Adult Learning, on October 25 in New York City. Designed to hone the skills of educators who design and lead professional learning experiences, the one-day conference includes practical strategies, hands-on practice, and opportunities to discuss and learn with others.  To learn more about the conference and register, visit https://bit.ly/2p0QmjF.

 

Appendix 1: Additional examples of outcomes and indicators

Knowledge Outcomes: identify the knowledge we want educators to know to know and understand

Example: Participants will know the various ways that instruction and performance assessments can be differentiated. They will:

  • distinguish between product, process and content differentiation
  • describe instructional strategies and scaffolds that allow for differentiation

Process Outcomes: identify the skills, strategies and processes that allow educators to use what they know to design, solve problems or make decisions

Example: Participants will be able to use classroom assessments to plan for differentiated instruction. They will:

  • analyze results of an assessment to identify the various needs of students
  • group students for differentiated experiences
  • design lessons that differentiate product, processes or content as necessary
  • implement differentiated lessons
  • use resulting student work to reflect on successes and identify needed improvements

Dispositional Outcomes: identify educators’ attitudes, affective traits, and approaches to learning

Example: Participants will be courageous.  They will:

  • use instructional strategies that are out of their comfort zone
  • share their successes and struggles – ask for help
  • reveal confusion
  • ask difficult questions

Appendix 2: Reflection Questions

  1. Which of the framing concepts (alignment, coherence, outcomes) will you benefit most from using? Why do you think so? 
  1. What questions does this article raise for you? 
  1. What part of writing outcomes and indicators is easy for you? Challenging?