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Runninghead:WestCentralProject

TheWestCentralProject:ATeacherResearchManifesto RyanAnderson WestCentralHighSchool WildRosePublicSchools March26,2013

Introduction Professionaldevelopmentisanobligatoryaspectofourprofessionalobligationsas teachersinAlberta.AccordingtotheMinisterialOrderNo.16/97,Teachersengageinongoing professionaldevelopmenttoenhancetheir:understandingofandabilitytoanalyzethecontextof teachingabilitytomakereasonedjudgmentsanddecisionsand,pedagogicalknowledgeand abilities.Theyrecognizetheirownprofessionalneedsandworkwithotherstomeetthose needs.Theysharetheirprofessionalexpertisetothebenefitofothersintheirschools, communitiesandprofession.Despitethisrequirementtoengageinprofessionaldevelopment asateacher,however,therearenoprescriptivenotionsofwhatprofessionaldevelopmenthas tobe. Oneofthefrustrationsthatteachersseemstostrugglewithisthedifferingapproachesto professionaldevelopmentintheirteachinglives.Thereareprovincialmandates,suchasthe nowdefunctAISIproject,jurisdictionalfocuses,schoolplans,andthenindividualPD.Withina schoolcalendaryear,teachersareoftenrequiredtoattendanumberofjurisdictionalPDdays wheretheyaretoengageinsessionsoractivitiesthatonlytangentiallyrelatetowhattheyare actuallytryingtoachievetheirclassrooms.Inaddition,schoolbasedadministratorscomeat teacherswiththeirownvisionsofwhatprofessionaldevelopmentshouldbeattheschoollevel. TheyoftenuseupallofthesitebasedPDtimethatisallocatedtoprofessionaldevelopmentwith sitebasedworkshopsormeetings.Theendresultofthisscenarioisthatteachersareleftwith nocontractedtimetoworkonanythingthatintereststhemorthatismeaningfultotheirindividual practice.Iftheyaregiventimetoworkintheirclassrooms,whichmayadduptooneortwodays intheschoolcalendar,thattimeisusedtoaddresslongandmidrangeplanningandnotto engageinprofessionaldevelopment. Overthecourseofmycareerineducation,thebestPDthatIhavedonehasbeenonmy owntime,totallyapartfromanythingthatmydivisionorschoolwasgettingmetodo.Ithasbeen comprisedofcompletingmymastersdegree,workingforAlbertaEd,anddoingauthentic teacherresearchrelatedtomyownclassroompractice.AndIhatetosaythis,butitistrueI havebenefitedfarmorefrommyindividualpursuitsthanfromanythingthatIhaveeverdoneas partofadivisionorschoolbasedPDactivity. Thatsaid,IwanttobeclearthatIhavebeenveryhappywithcertainaspectsofPDatall levelssincecomingovertoWildRosePublicSchools.Forthefirsttimeever,IfeltthattheAISI projectatthedivision,school,andindividuallevelswerealignedandstructuredinawayforallto benefit.HadtheprovincenotcutthefundingtotheAISIprogram,butinfactinvestedinitforwhat itcouldhavebeen,wecouldhaveseenhugeadvancementsinprofessionallearningatalllevels intheeducationalhierarchy.Thedivisionhadasoundresearchquestionthatfunctionedasa guideforallschools.Wewereabletocreatearelevantquestionattheschoollevel,andthen throughoursitebasedPDwewereabletocreatesolidindividualresearchprojects.Theonly problemwasthatitwasinadditiontowhattheotherdivisionandschoolbasedPDfocusesthat therewere.Inmyopinion,inorderforPDtobetrulyfocusedandeffective,thereneedstobea

consolidationoffocireducingtheoverallgoalsandobjectivesfromthetopdown.Thatwill facilitatealignmentingoalsandobjectivesatalllevels,andhopefullyreducethefeelingof fragmentationofPDthatisintheheartsandmindsofteachers. ThechallengethatIamfacedwithnowishowIcanovercomethisasaschool administrator.Iwant,maybemorethananything,todispelthedistasteanddisdainthatteachers feeltowardsprofessionaldevelopment.Iwanttocreateamodelthatwillallowforablendingof jurisdictionalandschoolbasedapproacheswiththatofindividualteacherpursuits.Iwantto createopportunitiesthatwillallowtheteachersatmyschooltolearnandgrowandactuallyfeel thattheyareworkingtowardssomethingreal,meaningful,andultimatelybeneficialforthe studentstheyteach. Inanattempttodothis,muchofmyreadingasoflatehasbeendedicatedto professionaldevelopmentandhowwecanstructureourprofessionaldevelopmenttimeatthe individualteacherlevelandtheschoolleveltoeffectivelymeetthelearningneedsofteachers andstudentsalike.Myperceptionisthatweneedtodevelopavisionforourfutureasitrelatesto ourschoollearningplanandourprofessionaldevelopmentonethatbuildsonpreviouslearning andsuccess,andonethatleadsusdownanevidencedbasedpathtoreallearningand improvement.SinceIstartedteachingatWestCentral,Ihavecomeacrosssomeinteresting booksthathavegivenmeasenseclarityastohowwecould/shouldstructureourschool learningplaninthecomingyear.Ihavecitedsomeofthisliteraturebefore,throughblogpostsor PDsessionsrelatedtotheWestCentralProject,andsomeofitIhaveonlyreadwithinthelast coupleofweeks.WhatIhavefoundisinformationthat,whencombined,contributestoa professionaldevelopmentplanthatwouldachievemygoalsasitrelatestothistopic. IampresentingthisinformationasateacherresearchmanifestoadeclarationofwhatI havelearnedandhowIthinkwecouldapplyittocreateaschoollearningplanthatwillsolvethe problemofhavingschoolbasedPDbeatoddswithwhatteachersneedand/orwanttodowith theirownprofessionaldevelopment.Ihaveacoupleofdisclaimersthough,andtheyarethatthis willinnowayaddresstheteacherconcernsrelatedtothenumberofdivisionPDdayswehave andwhatwedoonthosedays,norwillitsolvetheproblemofhavingsufficienttimewithinour contractedtimetoengageinthiswork.Someofwhatwewilldo,shouldweaccepttomove forwardinthisway,willrequireustogiveofourtime,talents,andeffortsoutsideoftheschool dayinordertomakethisareality.Myhope,however,isthattheteachersofWestCentralwill embracethisasameaningfulproject,andwillthereforenotfeelthatthisisanadditionalburden totheirprofessionalpracticebutwillembracethisasawaytomakeourprofessionalpractice moreinvigoratingandexciting. Thefollowingisadiscussionorrelatedtopicsastheyrelatetolayingthefoundationfor theWestCentralProjecttoaddresstheprofessionaldevelopmentconcernsoftheschoolandto facilitateacollaborativeinquiryprojectthatwilltransformthewayweengageinPDattheschool.

ProfessionalDevelopment Individualprofessionaldevelopmentphilosophyseemstobeinseparablyconnectedto onesownparadigmofeducationandlearning.WhatIhavelearnedoverthepastfewyears, throughreadingandthroughresearchIdidoverthecourseofmymastersdegree,isthat effectivePDneedstobeauthenticandbasedoninquirytheidentificationoflearningneeds (personalneedsasateacherorcollectiveneedsasadistrict,school,class,etc.)andsome sortofinquiryastohowtomeetthoselearningneeds. Ihavealsocometoappreciatethatweareinaneducationalrevolution.Theexisting educationalparadigmsarebeingchallenged,andweareinevitablymovingdownapathtowards educating21stcenturylearnersfora21stcenturyworld.Assuch,teachersseemtohavebeen challengedtotakethebruntwhenitcomestoachievingtheexpectationsplacedonusbysociety somethingthatisoftenperceivedasteacherstakingonagreaterworkload,beingmore transparentinhowtheyassess,andbeingmoreaccountableforwhattheyaredoing professionally. Icanunderstandandappreciateacertaindegreeofapprehensionwhenitcomesto transparencyineducationnevertheless,Ithinkthatitisourprofessionaldutyasteachersto embracelearningandchangeasaprofessionsoastoimprovethequalityofeducationwecan offertostudentsstudentsthatnolongerfitwithintheoldparadigmsoflearningandeducation. AccordingtoTownsendandAdams(2009),professorsattheUniversityofLethbridge,If thereeverwasatimewhenteacherscouldbecontentwiththeirlevelsofknowledgeandskills, andpayscantheedtotheneedforcontinuouslearning,thattimehascertainlypassed. Teachershavejoinedalltheotherleadingprofessionsinhonoringthevalueoftimelylearning thatallowsaprofessionsmemberstomaintaintheirusefulness,andsustaintheirprofessional expertiseoverthecourseofawholecareer(p.84). Assuch,thenatureofwhoweareasprofessionalsisnolongerwhatitoncewas.We cannolongerworkinisolation,hideinourclassroomswithindividualautonomy,andsimply teachclassesandgohome.Weneedtobeengagedinprofessionalpracticesthatincreaseour professionallearningespeciallyasitrelatestostudentlearningatthegrassrootslevel. TownsendandAdamsfurtherthat,Effectiveteachingisincreasinglybeingviewednotonlyas competentpractice,butalsoasprofessionalreflectionandinquiry,willingnesstolearnandgrow, andanunshakablecommitmenttostudentlearning(p.84). Basedontheresearchthattheyhaveconducted,andtheworkthattheyhavedonein schoolsacrossAlbertaforthelast25years,TownsendandAdamssuggestthatGrowing numbersofteachersarespendinggreateramountsoftheirprofessionaltimeengagedinforms ofinquirybecauseoftherewardssuchthingsasincreasedprofessionalskillsandknowledge, enhancedsenseofefficacyandimprovedresultsmorethancompensatefortheeffort (Townsend&Adams,2009,p.42).

IpersonallybelievethatWildRoseSchoolsandWestCentralHighSchoolarecutting edgewhenitcomestocertainaspectsofprofessionaldevelopment.Ithinkthatweareyears aheadofmostschooljurisdictionsintheprovincewithregardstotheinfusionofeducation technology.Yes,ourSmartboardswillnotbeevergreened,butwearecurrentlyexperimenting withnewerandbettertechnologythatcouldimprovelearningforstudents.Anexampleofthisis theChromebookpilotprojectthatwearecurrentlyimplementingatthedivisionandschool levels.WehavebeenabletoacquireanumberofChromebooksthatarenotavailablefor consumerpurchaseinCanada,andareworkingtohaveourstudentsusingtheminourschool betweennowandtheendoftheyear.Thisallowsforthedevelopmentandsharingofdocuments andassignmentswithouttheneedforaschoolserverorstudenthardwaresuchasUSBs.All workissavedandtransmittedintheGoogleCloud.Additionally,thesedeviceshavethepotential toactasonetoonelearningtoolsinmanyhighschoolclassesthroughthevariousGoogleApps thatarebeingdevelopedfortheChromebook.Welookforwardtoourtechdepartmentcoming andprovidingtrainingonhowwecanstartusingthesedevicesinourclassrooms. TheotherareathatIthinkthatweareexcellinginisourindividualteacherresearch.Our WestCentralProjectistotallyinlinewithalloftheliteraturethatIhavebeenreadingintermsof effectiveprofessionaldevelopment.AsastaffIthinkthatwearestillintheinitialphasesof conductingteacherresearch,butwehavedefinitelycomealongwayfromwherewewerein Augustoflastyear.IdefinitelythinkthatweshouldcontinueonthispathbecauseIthinkthatit hasthepotentialtoenrichourlearningasprofessionals,helpusbemorecollaborativeas departmentsandasastaff,andhelpusallworkmoreeffectivelytoimprovestudentlearningin ourclassrooms.

CollaborativeInquiry Inconsideringourschoollearningplanfornextyear,Ithinkthatweneedtoevolvethe WestCentralProjectsothatitfacilitatescollaborativeinquiryattheschool.Thecollaborative inquiryprocessbeginswhenagroupofeducatorscommitstoexploringandansweringa compellingquestionaboutachosenelementofprofessionalpractice,followedbyacycleof examination,experimentation,exploration,andpublicreflection(Townsend&Adams,2009,p. 43). Thismeanswewouldhavetotakealookatwhatourschoolquestioncurrentlyisand whetherornotitwillneedtobechangedormodifiedfornextyear.Indoingthis,wewillneedto makesurethatwhateverwecomeupwithremainsinlinewithwhatthedivisionfocusis/willbe, andwillbeonethatwillfacilitatethedevelopmentofnewresearchquestionsbydepartmentsor teamsattheschoollevel.Iwillsay,however,thatourschoolbasedquestionisinlinewithwhat effectiveprofessionaldevelopmentshouldbeafocusoninstructionalandassessment practicesthatwillimprovestudentlearningandstudentachievement.NomatterwhatformatPD takeson,itshouldbefocusedonexplicitlybenefittingstudentlearningandperformance.

Onceourschoolbasedquestioniscompleted,wewouldeitherassemblethestaffinto teams,orseparatethemintodepartments.Basedontheliterature,eitheronewouldsuffice,butI thinkthatweshouldbaseourapproachontheuseofdepartments.Asdepartmentsas teacherresearchteams,eachteamcouldthendeveloparesearchquestion,plan,etcbased onthemodelthatweintroducedforourschoolbasedAISIprojectforthisyear.Isaythis because,Schoolbasedteamsneedsimplestructuresandmethodstohelpthemmaintaintheir focusonschoolimprovement.Events,activities,successes,andfailuresthatdonotget recordedcanquicklybeforgotten(Townsend&Adams,2009,p.46).Byhavingthestructure thesame,wecaneasilybuildonwhatwedidthisyearandtransitionitfroman individuallybasedprojecttoagroupbasedorteambasedproject.Andifweorganizeourselves asdepartments,wecouldchooseresearchquestionsthatwearepassionateaboutbecause theyrelatedirectlytowhatweteachthusmakingtheresearchprojectmoreengagingforall involved. IfweweretoevolvetheWestCentralProjecttohousecollaborativeinquiry,wecouldget atcertainaspectsofeffectivePDthatwewereunabletodowithhowourprojectwasdesigned thisyear.TownsendandAdamsmakereferencetothisbystating,Collaborationamongstaff memberscanhelpbreakdownthewallsthatoftenisolateeducatorsfromeachother.As teachersmastertheskillsassociatedwithcollaboration,theybegintofunctionmoreasateam sharing,encouraging,andsupportingeachother(p.45).Wedidattemptcollaborationthrough sitebasedworkshopsandgroupsharing,buttherealityisthatthosewerearbitraryattemptsat truecollaboration.Thecollaborationweneedattheschoollevelhasteachersworkingintandem onaskingandansweringquestionsthatariseinrelationtotheircurrentteachingsituations. InconsideringhowtodesignPDattheschoollevel,takingacollaborativeinquiry approachtoschoolbasedprofessionaldevelopmentattheschoolisonlyoneofmanydifferent directionswecouldgoasastaff.Nevertheless,Astrongteacherresearchgroupcanhelpyou bringenergybacktoyourschoolandtoyourdistrict,creatingacultureofinquirywithinthem (Shagoury&MIllerPower,2012,p.217).Ipersonallybelievethisstatementtobetrue,andalso believethatwehavealreadylaidthegroundworkforustoachieveeffectiveandcollaborativePD asastaffatWestCentral.IstillbelievethatWestCentralcanbethetipofthespearwhenit comestoconductingteacherresearchattheschoollevel,inboththedivisionandabroad.We havegreatstaffthatareextremelyknowledgeableintheirrespectivesubjectareas,whichisjust anotherreasonwhyweshouldcometogetherasdepartmentsandworktomoveour pedagogicalapproachesintherightdirectionasweembracethisteachingrevolutionthatis uponus.

TheUseofTechnology AsIstatedpreviously,theWestCentralProjectisalreadyequippedtobethefoundation forourproject.Wehavealreadyestablishedthewebsiteasatrainingtoolandasmethodof

sharinginformation.Theprocessofteacherresearchbeginswithidentifyingresearchquestions onmakingplans.Wehavealreadydonethatwithourindividualprojects,whicharealldisplayed onthewebsite.Theseindividualprojectscouldeasilybeembracedormodifiedbydepartmentsif theyfeelthatthisyearsprojectwasasteppingstonetogroupworkwithinaparticular department. Fromthatpoint,teacherresearchcallsforaliteraturesearchsomethingthatwedidnot includeinthisyearsproject.ThroughsitebasedPDopportunities,however,wecouldbring departmentstogethertoreviewandapplycurrenteducationalresearchandliterature.Exposure toresearchandliteratureinthiswaycouldexposeustonewideasornewwaysofapproaching classroominstruction,dependingonwhatdepartmentresearchquestionsare.Irealizethat findingmeaningfulliteraturetoreviewcanbeachallenge,butIbelievethatisoneareawherethe leadershipteamcouldhelpoutwith.BothStaceyandIhavemembershipswiththeASCD,which wouldgiveusaccesstocurrentpublicationsplusIthinkthatIstillhaveaccesstoERICthrough theUniversityofCalgaryLibrary.Throughthesedatabases,wecouldfindwhatweneedtolearn moreandmoveourprojectsforwardinapositiveway. Literaturereview,datacollection,andreportingcouldallbesharedthroughtheWest CentralProject.Iknowthatwehaventcompletedallofthesestepsinthisyearsprojectyet,but wewillbedoingitwithinthenextcoupleofmonths.OneofthewaysthatIhavetriedto disseminateinformationregardingtheseprocessesisthroughmyWestCentralblog.NowI dontknowhowmanyofourstaffmembershavehadexperiencewithblogs,butthisismyfirst gowithoneandImfindingtheexperiencequitepositive.Bywritingaboutmyresearch,Iam gainingnewinsightsasIworkthoughwhatwearedoingandhowwearedoingasastaffin relationtoourschoolbasedAISIproject. MyvisionofthenewlyevolvedWestCentralProject,wewouldexpandtheuseofblogs throughthewebsite.NotonlywouldImaintainmineasawaytoshareinformationwiththestaff andtoexploreaspectsoftheschoolbasedproject,buteachofthedepartmentscouldmaintain ablogthatwouldsharewhattheyweredoingwiththeirdepartmentbasedresearchprojects. ThereasonwhyIthinkthiswouldbeagoodwaytogoisbecauseaccordingtoWest(2012),A metaanalysisoftenbloggingresearchprojectsfoundthattheuseofblogsencouraged reflection,criticalthinking,enhancedwritingskills,andcollaboration.Ingeneral,theauthors report,theempiricalevidencesupportstheeducationalvalueofbloggingactivities(West, 2012,p.37). Thisyearwehaveencouragedanumberofdifferentwaysofreportingrelatedtoour individualprojects.Butnomatterhowindividualschoosetoreportand/orsharewhattheyhave learned,itcouldbesharedthroughablogorwebsiteformat.Weneedtorememberthatthe bloggingprocess,whetheritbefordatacollectionorreporting,itneednotbeagrandiose endeavour.AccordingtoTownsendandAdams,Recordkeepingneednotbeonerous.Rather, itcanformanintegralpartofthecontinuouslearningoftheteam(p.46).Infact,inmeetingwith TownsendandAdamsinaPDsessionattheUofLlastyear,Townsendwasanadvocateof

teachersvideotapingthemselvesasaformofdatacollectionandreporting.Thatway,teachers wouldnthavetotakeanyextratimeingeneratingdatafortheirprojects.Andwithourcurrent technologyattheschool,oreventhroughmediastudentsdoingourlegworkforusforcredits, wecouldshowcasethiskindofdataontheWestCentralProjectwebsite. ShagouryandMillerPowerfurthersupporttheideaofusingawebbasedforumlikeour WestCentralProjectandbyhavingdepartmentsblogabouttheirprogresswhentheystated,If youwriteregularlyinanykindofWebforum,youllsoonfindthelessonsabouthowyouare changingasawriterspilloverintoyourclassroominunexpectedways(p.190).Keepinmind thatEvenifyourworkdoesntgetpublishedinatraditionalbookorjournalformat,wehopethe processofwritingitupbringsyoutoanewunderstandingofyourclassroom.Thatswhy teacherswritenottotransformthefield,ortobefamous,ortogetabookpublished.Wewrite tounderstandourclassrooms,ourstudents,ourselves(Shagoury&MillerPower,2012,p. 193).

Recommendations IngoingthroughthisprocessofreadingandwritingabouttheWestCentralProject,I havecometoreallyappreciatetheteacherresearchapproachtoinquirybasedprofessional development.Icanseethepotentialforthistypeofanapproachandhowitcouldbringourstaff togetherinawaythatithasntexperiencedbefore.Therealityisthattakingonacollaborative inquiryprojectasastaffistakingthehighroadwhenitcomestoreal,raw,andauthentic professionaldevelopment.Itwillbeharditwillchallengeallofustobebetterthanwecurrently are.Wewillexperiencefrustrationsanddoubtsthatwillstandinourwayandhaveus questioningwhetherornotweredoingtherightthingandwhetherornotitsworthit.Istillbelieve itis,otherwiseIwouldntrecommendthatweembarkonsuchajourney. Thefollowingisabreakdownofhowitcouldallplayout.Whatwedidthisyearwillactas yearoneinathreeyearplanaplanthatwillhaveusconductingwelldevelopedandeffective teacherbasedresearch.Itwillhaveuslearningasprofessionalsinawaythatisbenefittingthe studentsatourschool,andpreparingthemforthefutureabrightfutureinthe21stcentury. Aspreviouslymentioned,thisplanwillhaveusworkingtogetherindepartments.Itwill giveusachancetodevelopstrongerworkingrelationshipswithpeersthatsharethesame passionforthesamesubjectareas.Itwillmakeourworkmoremeaningfulandengaging.In orderforthistobesuccessful,ShagouryandMillerPowersuggestthatVirtuallyall teacherresearchersdependonapartneroragroupwhosharestheirpassionsandprovides reassurancewhenaprojectbogsdown(p.211). Asdepartments,wewillallcreatearesearchquestionrelatedtotheworkthatneedsto bedoneinthedepartment.Theresearchquestionwillcapturetheessenceofsomethingthat needstobeworkedonordonethatwillimprovestudentlearningasitisinkeepingwiththe

schoolbasedquestionthatwewilldeterminetogether.Anexampleofwhatthiscouldlooklike wouldbeifthesocialstudiesdepartmentcametogethertoworkonthescopingandsequencing ofwrittenresponsetestsfromgradesninethroughtwelveandhowthatcouldimpactstudent learningatourschoolandbetterpreparestudentsfortheirdiplomaexamswhentheyreach gradetwelve. Onceresearchquestionsandplanshavebeendeveloped,departmentteamswillmeet monthlytoworkontheirproject.Thiswillbeinadditiontoregularmonthlystaffmeetings.Staff willcomepreparedtoworkonwhateveritisthatthedepartmentindoinginrelationtotheir particularresearch.OnethingthatwillbeessentialisthatMonthlymeetings[will]alwaysfeature evidenceofstudentwork,studentexamschedules,studentfeedback,orstudentcentered learningactivities(Townsend&Adams,2009,p.57). WewillusesitebasedPDdaystodelveintoliteratureorworkoncertainaspectsofour projects.Ihavealreadymentionedthataliteraturereviewissomethingweoverlookedthisyear asitrelatestoourindividualresearchhowever,itwillbeimperativethatwebegintolookatwhat theliteratureissayingaboutthequestionsweretryingtoanswerasdepartments.Onethingthat Ilearnedfromcompletingmymastersdegreeisthatthereareanumberofresearchersin educationcompletingworkthatalreadyrelatestooureverydaypracticeresearchthatwewould neverotherwisecomeacrossunlesswewentlookingforit.Ialsolearnedthatthereisscant researchthatrelatesdirectlytoourparticulareducationalcontextinCanadaandAlberta.This justcreatesthatmuchmoreofaneedforustostartlookingatwhatisgoingoninour classroomsandtocreatemeaningfromwhatweseeandworkwithonadailybasis.Oneofthe mainpurposesofaliteraturereviewistounderstandwhataconversationhasbeenaboutina specificareaofresearch,gapsthathavetakenplaceintheconversation,howtheconversation hasledtoimportantfindings,andplaceswheretheconversationneedstochangeorgrow (Shagoury&MillerPower,2012,p.181).Believeitornot,wewillbegintounderstandthebigger pictureofeducationasitrelatestoourdepartmentresearch,findthingsthatwillbeofbenefitto us,andalsodiscoverthingsthathavenotbeenidentifiedbyanyoneelseyet.Thatswhatwill makethiswholethingworthitfindinganswerstoquestionsthathavebeenaskedbyother teachers,butthattheydidnthavetheanswersto. Byactuallyreadingeducationalresearchrelatedtoourdepartmentprojects,wewill comefullcircleasteacherresearchers.Itwillcompletetheprocessforusandindefinitelyinform ourpractice.Whatwereadaswedoresearchdeterminesinpartwhatweseeinour classroomsandwhoweareasresearchers(Shagoury&MillerPower,2012,p.171). Toensurethatourteamsareproductive,andthattheyhavetheproperformsofsupport, administratorswillbeassignedtoeachofthedepartments(Townsend&Adams,2009,p.98). Theywillbepartoftheresearchteamandtheprocessthatthedepartmentwillgothroughin termsitsresearch.Additionally,wewillseekoutexternalsupportssuchasdivisionoffice administratorsand/oruniversityprofessorsandotherexpertsthatcouldcontributetotheoverall successoftheproject.MaybethatmeanswebringinDr.TownsendandDr.AdamsfromtheU ofLtoprovidePDsessionsononeofoursitebasedPDdays.Maybeitmeansthatwefindand

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startcollaboratingwithotherteacherresearcherswhoareworkingonsimilarprojectsinother partsoftheprovince,country,ortheworld. OnethingthatIneedtopointoutismyfirmbeliefthatwhateverPDweaskofteachers and/orprovideonsitebasedPDdayshasadirectimpactonstudentlearningattheschool.I havebeenfrustratedatdifferenttimesoverthecourseofmycareerbecauseIhavebeen requiredtoparticipateinquoteunquotePDactivitiesthatleftmefeelingthatIcouldhavebeen doingsomethingbetterwithmytime.Thisapproachwillultimatelyputtheonusonteachersand departmentstocreatemeaningfulprojectsthattheywanttoengageinanditwillbeour responsibilityasadministratorstoensurethatthathappensonourmandatedsitebasedPD days. Thiskindofanapproachisnotnew,anditiscertainlynotrocketscience.Otherschools andschooljurisdictionshavebuiltprojectslikethisandhaveexperiencedsuccesswithit.Inone particularinstance,TownsendandAdamsstatedthatAstheprojectevolved,staffmembers wereabletoselectclassroomandprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiesthatweremostuseful andrelevanttothem,sotheyneverreachedapointwhereprojectrelatedworkwasseenas beingaddedontotheirdailyduties(Townsend&Adams,2009,p.55). Thisismyhope,ahopetocreatesomethingmeaningfulsomethingthatwillmakeus betterprofessionalsandwillbringustogetherinanewwayasweworktogethertobenefitthe studentsweteach.Ithinkthebuzzwordinbusinessissynergy.FromwhatIhavelearnedin goingthroughthisprocessisthatwehavethepotentialtohaveasynergisticexperiencewhenit comestoprofessionaldevelopmentatWestCentral.

RequestingYourThoughts NowthatIhavelaidoutmyvisionforwhereIcanseeourschoolgoingwithamultiyear schoollearningplan,Iwouldlikeyourthoughtsonit.Bywritingthisupthisway,Immakingmy ideastransparentbutwhatweneedatthispointisfeedbackontheconcept.Ifwearetomakea realgoatthisasastaff,hecantbeatopdownmandateithastobesomethingthatyouall embraceforwhatitis.Ithastobesomethingthatweareallwillingtodotogetherbecauseif werenot,itwillbealotofuphillbattles,struggling,andunnecessaryconfrontationsalongthe way.Thatsaid,pleaseletmeknowwhatyourthoughtsare.Therearemanywaystoskinacat anddespitethatIhavedonethelegworktolayoutthisparticularmethod,itisnottheonlywayto doit.Ifthereisabetterwaytoachievethesameresults,Iwouldliketohearaboutitandread aboutit.Ifnot,Ithinkthatitistimethatweembracethisway,andwriteourownnewrealityas trueteacherresearchersatWestCentralHighSchool.

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References AlbertaEducation.(1997).MinisterialOrder#16/97.RetrievedonMarch26,2013from http://education.alberta.ca/department/policy/standards/teachqual.aspx. Shagoury,R.&MillerPower,B.(2012).Livingthequestions:Aguideforteacherresearchers. StenhousePublishers,Portland:ME. Townsend,D.&Adams,P.(2009).Theessentialequation:Ahandbookforschoolimprovement. DetseligEnterprisesLtd,Calgary:AB. West,D.M.(2012).Digitalschools:Howtechnologycantransformeducation.TheBrookings Institution,Washington:DC.