Agenda

What is Peer Connection? Marcia Foster

What Have we Learned? Barb Storandt/ Hezel Associates

What’s New? Elizabeth Wolzak &Marcia Foster

Sales Support and Process Marcia Foster & Donovan Goode

Q&A All

PD Trends

• “Although pd may help teachers understand and even embrace research-based instructional strategies, it usually stops short of actual practice of those strategies in the classroom.”

• “Coaching helps teachers actually implement effective practices. Coaches can help by providing another set of eyes on student interactions, as well as content knowledge and expertise.”

Target Audience

Provide sustained, job-embedded professional development to teachers:

• Instructional Coaches• Teacher Mentors• Mathematics, Reading, Technology

Coordinators/Specialists• Teacher Leaders

Work they do:

• Model instructional practices

• Co-teach

• Co-plan lessons

• Provide resources

• Observe and provide feedback

• Collaborate

• Change Agent

PBS TeacherLine Peer Connection

What How

Provides instructional coaches/teacher mentors with resources to share with teachers

•Coaching modules and vetted resources improve teacher practice•Facilitates communication

Helps coaches/mentors become better coaches/mentors

•Professional development modules improve coaching/mentoring practice•Facilitates communication

What Have We Learned?Barb Storandt

Trends & Research which led to the development of Trends & Research which led to the development of Peer ConnectionPeer Connection

Professional development for teachers is a cornerstone of school reform.

Traditional methods of professional development such as the 1-day workshop approach have been criticized as not typically leading to sustainable changes in teaching practice and related gains in student achievement.

What does an Instructional Coach do?What does an Instructional Coach do?

• works at the school level with teachers and administrators

• plans lessons with the teacher

• models lessons in the classroom

• gives advice on curriculum alignment and assessment

• helps to identify teachers in need of assistance and tailors professional development opportunities for them

(Instructional Coaching Literature Review, 2006; National Survey of Teachers and Administrators, 2006)

Instructional Coaches, however, often do not have the resources to properly do their jobs.

(PBS Facilitator/Coach Study, 2006)

And…And…

two thirds of educators say they would be interested or very interested in participating in online activity as part of their professional development.

(National Survey of Teachers and Administrators, 2006)

PBS Teacherline had already produced approximately 100 online, facilitated courses in reading, mathematics, science, instructional strategies, instructional technology, and curriculum mapping.

Participants suggested that these well received courses be re-purposed and customized into an online suite of tools for Instructional Coaches to use with teachers.

(PBS Facilitator/Coach Study, 2006)

• By October 2006, the basic concept for Peer Connection was in place.

• Hezel Associates began multiple rounds of nation-wide research to test the evolving concept with coaches, teachers and administrators.

What did this concept look like?What did this concept look like?

Instructional Coaches would be able to:

• search for professional development resources for use with teachers.

• save resources.

• send resources and resource-related recommendations to teachers through an embedded communication and coaching group management system.

• use the tool’s online discussion spaces to build learning communities.

How did Instructional Coaches, Teachers and Administrators How did Instructional Coaches, Teachers and Administrators across the country react to this concept?across the country react to this concept?

• positively

• loved the idea of “vetted” professional development resources

• reception to the communication and management functions was related to whether or not a district had a well-functioning intra-district email system.

By November 2006, PBS had responded to the October research findings and the product was taken out once

again to Instructional Coaches, Teachers and Administrators across the country.

The tool now:The tool now:

• Had many more stand-alone resources

• Was much more advanced technologically

• Had the capacity for users to rate resources

How did Instructional Coaches, Teachers and Administrators How did Instructional Coaches, Teachers and Administrators across the country react to this iteration?across the country react to this iteration?

• Very positively but more critically (in a helpful way!)

• Wanted more, more, more stand-alone resources

• Wanted fewer academic articles and more interactive resources

• Also wanted professional development modules on “how to coach”

• Liked how the system was developing in a user-friendly intuitive way!

Pilot Testing of Coaching ResourcePilot Testing of Coaching Resource

• Response to resources was generally positive

• But use by coaches was low

• Coaches said they needed professional development in order to use the tool

PBS Response to Pilot Study FindingsPBS Response to Pilot Study Findings

• The development of Peer Connection training sessions

• Two facilitated, online training sessions for coaches/mentors that:• Explain how to use Peer Connection• Discuss professional development practices• Model effective use of Peer Connection

• Provided “examples” of good online communication• Suggestion • Rating comments• Discussion board posts

With a very positive reception to the content and functionality of Peer Connection for coaches, PBS

then began work on extending and refining the online tool for use with teacher mentors – another growing

segment of the education market.(Mentoring Literature Review, 2007)

What did this concept look like?What did this concept look like?

Included everything that would be available for coaches plus professional development modules

Professional development modules were then field tested

Research Participant ResponseResearch Participant ResponsePositive!

Recommendations from participants:

• easier to navigate

• less text

• more icons

• resources embedded within the text

• a roadmap developed so that users know where to start

PBS Response to Research FindingsPBS Response to Research Findings

• A major reconfiguration of each professional development module on each of these dimensions:• easier to navigate• less text• more icons• resources embedded within the text• a roadmap developed so that users know

where to start

Conclusions According to Hezel Associates’ ResearchConclusions According to Hezel Associates’ Research

• PBS TeacherLine identified a market need

• Worked to meet that market need through product research and development

• Has developed the product within an online environment – which according to participants in our 2006 National Survey of Teachers and Administrators is an environment which 66% of all educators surveyed say they wish to utilize…We know this market is growing…

What’s New?

What is a Professional Development (PD) Module?

A PD Module:

• Consists of a contextualized collection of resources relevant to instructional coaches and mentors own performance

• Allows PD providers to design their own professional development according to their individual needs

• Allows PD providers to improve their knowledge, skills and abilities to perform their jobs.

How can it be used?

PD Module flexible design allows PD providers to:

• Identify and select the skills that they need or want to develop

• Plan how long it would take to learn about a skill

• Work at their own pace but not in isolation

• Receive immediate feedback using the Reflection tool

• Receive feedback from other coaches/mentors in Peer Connection

• Select, suggest and discuss resources with other PD providers at their charge

How is the content organized?

• Introduction and Objectives

• Road Map: Design Your Own Professional Development

• Reflections

• Resources

• Optional Resources

Some titles include:

• The Data Coach: Facilitating Data-Driven Instruction

• Roles and Responsibilities of School-Based Mentors

• Creating a Culture of Caring and Support for Novice Teachers

• Establishing a framework for supporting new teachers: consultation, observation, coaching

• Cognitive Coaching: Introducing Novice Teachers to Mindful Data-Based Decision Making

More Partners and Functionality

• Securing Critical Partnerships • School Improvement Network• New Teacher Center Santa Cruz• Just Ask Publications• Solution Tree• National Staff Development Council (NSDC)

• Direct access to Peer Connection from My Courses on TeacherLine website

• Uploading Personal Resources

• Videos

What’s to come?

• Build-out core infrastructure so that more users can manage more content more effectively

• More flexible networks and groups

• More flexible roles and permissions

• Sharing of user tags

• Suggesting personal resources

• Additional functionality to support professional learning communities

Key Milestones

• Spring 09 formative research on new functionality

• Fall 09 release version that supports professional learning communities

Sales Support and Process

Sales Support

Before the Sale

• Captivate on TeacherLine at http://www.pbs.org/teacherline/peerconnection/

• Self-assessment

• Hands-on activities

• Power point presentation

• Sell sheets

• Pricing Sheet

• FAQs

Sales Support

After the Sale:

• Implementation kit

• Information on training sessions including syllabi and schedule

• Sample bath enroll file

TL Admin:

Marketing Sales/Sales Information/Peer Connection Sales Guide

Marketing Sales/Sales Information/Peer Connection Information

Sales Process

Student Achievement

Mentors and Coaches

Lead Mentors and Specialists

Professional Development Curriculum and Instruction

Assistant Superintendents

Supt.

Building Level

District Level

Classroom Teachers

Building Administrators

Professional Development roles

in districts

PD Modules

Coaching ModulesCoaching Modules

When someone asks you about Peer Connection

• How do you answer?• Answer with questions. Why?

• What questions?• How many coaches do you have in the district?• Do you have a mentoring and induction program?

Tell me a little about that.• Besides email and face-to-face meetings, how do

your coaches/mentors interact with their supported teachers and how often?

• “Guide on the side”

• On-going, job-embedded, long-term, customizable

• Search, Save, Suggest• NOT - Know, Assign,

• Effective time between meetings

• Works directly with their email

• Content providers

As you as questions, what speaks to them?

Evaluate

• Subscription pricing

• Complimentary Subscriptions (next slide)

• 30-day trial• On website in December

• Collateral

• New Brochure• Explains coaching modules and PD

modules• Lists key assets in Peer Connection• Benefits of tool

What resources should I share?

Number Annual Cost

of coaches

1-2 $799.00

Each Additional Coach Fee

3-10 $189.00

11-25 $159.00

26-50 $129.00

51+ $99.00

• Guidelines for promoting/offer the comps• Not a giveaway!• District must have a coaching or mentoring model in

place• Ensure a small implementation - 10/50• Create a simple follow up plan with the district to

check their progress (monthly?)• While we have the USDOE grant, we want to

promote growth of the tool

What about those 2 complimentary subscriptions?

Questions?