ISTE Coaching Standard 4: Professional Development & Program Evaluation Indicator 4b

Design, develop, and implement technology rich professional learning programs that model principles of adult learning and promote digital age best practices in teaching, learning, and assessment

ISTE Coaching Standards (2014)

Resonant Idea: Professional development that models best practices of adult learning

The key word in “Principles of Adult Learning” is “adult” because that’s how educators want to be treated when taking part in professional learning programs. In my post  Online Methods Support Effective Professional Development, I explored what research has indicated are “must-haves” for successful professional learning, much of which has to do with autonomy and gaining practical skills for the classroom. 

I also learned through this post that though there are aspects of learning that are specific to adults, some educational best practices apply no matter what age you are: hands-on learning, modeling, collaboration, and taking time for feedback and reflection.

I tried to incorporate some of these best practice elements in the workshop I designed on Pair Programming, including: 

  • Research on why pair programming is an effective method, honoring the “why” adult learners demand to know
  • Timely and specific content
  • Hands-on experience coding in Scratch as a team
  • Collaboration, both in terms of the topic itself and to facilitate learning (experienced Scratch users help beginners)
  • Built-in time for reflection
  • Resources for support after the training

The workshop format however doesn’t address mentoring, coaching, or the sustained duration which I learned are the most enduring of the professional development best practices.

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