Podcast: How to Build Psychological Safety in Professional Development
In this podcast episode, Jennifer Gonzalez, the host of The Cult of Pedagogy podcast, interviews Elena Aguilar, the author of The PD book: 7 Habits that Transform Professional Development.
In their conversation, Elena shares five specific things PD facilitators can do to build psychological safety for participants. You can listen to the interview or read the full transcript linked below.
This was a great episode, and our team is excited to dive into Elena's book for more tips on how to make PD meaningful and engaging for all teachers.
PEERS Goals vs. SMART Goals
It is that time of year when we are all reviewing goals or setting new goals for ourselves, both personally and professionally.
Many educators are familiar with SMART goal tools, but Jim Knight encourages teachers and coaches to consider using the PEERS goal setting checklist. This tool incorporates a student performance component in the goal setting process which can address a student achievement, behavior or attitude.
The PEERS goal checklist can be used when starting an impact cycle with a teacher or even when supporting teachers with more direct coaching.
https://resources.corwin.com/sites/default/files/Checklist_PEERS_Goals.pdf
Leading Impact Teams
Our instructional coaches are continuing to learn and grow from our Impact Teams REN project, in partnership with Katie Smith from the Core Collaborative. If you are tasked with supporting your district PLCs, the impact teams model provides a new take on developing collective teacher efficacy, as well as a more student focused PLC model which differs from the traditional PLC models.
We are excited to have Katie Smith join our regional coaches huddle on February 8th to provide a more in depth look at the strategies and protocols which can be used to have the greatest impact on student learning in the classroom.
Check out more about the Core Collaborative and the professional development they provide:
https://thecorecollaborative.com/pathway/professional-learning-communities/#impact-teams-plcs
IMESD Instructional Coaches
The instructional coaches (Beth, Ayla, and Jennifer) are part of the Instructional Services Department at the InterMountain Education Service District. Our three focus areas this year are:
- Professional Development
- Educator Huddles (Content-Specific, GROW- Beginning Teachers, EdTech, Regional Coaches)
- One-on-one or small group coaching cycles
We work closely with the Oregon Trail Regional Educator Network (REN) and have projects in each of these focus areas.
Email: instructionalcoaches@imesd.k12.or.us
Website: https://sites.google.com/imesdapps.org/instructional-coaching/home
Location: Eastern Oregon
Phone: 541.966.3100