Practitioners advise state, regional, and local planners of staff development activities. Advisors help planners of staff development activities arrive at decisions which will effectively meet practitioner needs. In some cases they may conduct evaluation activities or become involved in the actual implementation of project activities.
Each 353-funded staff development project in Virginia is currently guided by a representative advisory committee of adult education practitioners.
The Specialist directs the daily operation of the Centers for Professional Development, facilitates communication and collaboration among the various staff development projects operating throughout Virginia, engages in long-range planning, and compiles and reports evaluation data and suggests modifications to the system when appropriate. Additionally, the Specialist keeps abreast of current staff development theory, research, and national trends.
This position has been in place since July 1992. The Specialist position is currently funded through a 353 special projects grant housed at Virginia Commonwealth University. As a staff person with the Centers for Professional Development, the Specialist works closely with the Office of Adult Education, Virginia Department of Education, and the Virginia Council for Adult Education and Literacy. The Centers for Professional Development provide technical and financial support for learning plan activities and regional workshops. They also coordinate the development of new practitioner training and house the Office of Training for Volunteer Literacy Providers.
The Staff Development Planning Team recommends that all adult literacy educators participate in some form of consistent pre-service training. The training might address the core of knowledge, skills, and competencies that are relevant to adult literacy educators across contexts -- including development of a personal adult education philosophy, orientation to the mission of adult education in Virginia, planning for ongoing professional development, adult learner characteristics, and other adult education topics. The team suggests that this phase of training be delivered periodically at various locations throughout Virginia. Because of the diversity in knowledge, skills, and competencies required by various programs throughout the state, a second phase of training would need to be negotiated between the new practitioner and an administrator (or designee) of the employing program. Individual professional development plans incorporating a variety of learning strategies would guide the new practitioner's learning. Learning strategies may include workshops, mentoring, peer coaching, professional reading, video, teleconferencing, and more. The team suggests that such training be completed in a specified period of time in order to maintain employment.
A coordinator for the new practitioner training has been hired as of July 1, 1993 through the Adult Education Centers for Professional Development. The coordinator will work with an advisory group and the State Office of Adult Education to further conceptualize, develop, and field test the content, delivery methods, and policies and procedures for new practitioner training. Implementation is targeted for phase-in during 1994-1995.
Learning plans are used to capture the inquiry activities of both new and experienced practitioners. The Centers for Professional Development have designed forms and processes to facilitate the development of learning plans. Phases of the inquiry process articulated through learning plans include the following: 1) Reflecting on practice and identifying a problem, issue, questions, or concern. 2) Gathering information through observation, study groups, interviews, study of records including student work, test scores, lesson plans, etc., case studies, video and audio recordings of classroom life, professional reading, workshops and conferences, and more. 3) Studying the information gathered. Explaining, interpreting, or critiquing the information. 4) Planning some action to be taken such as a new approach, strategy, or other intervention. 5) Implementing the action. 6) Monitoring and evaluating the changes that occur and judging the quality of the changes. 7) Sharing one's learning with others through informal sharing sessions, workshops, writing or publishing.
Administrators sign off on plans as an indication of commitment to the practitioners' growth and to follow up on plans throughout the year. Learning becomes an ongoing process; when projects are completed, new plans for inquiry and action are formulated. Plans can be modified at any time. Learning plans afford practitioners freedom to learn in ways that are most productive and meaningful for them. Also, learning plans create a means for practitioners to draw attention to critical issues in adult education practice and to contribute to the knowledge base surrounding those issues.
Funding from a 353 Special Projects grant has been set aside at the Centers for Professional Development to reimburse practi-tioners for expenses that arise from their learning plans. After designing learning plans, peer groups within a program negotiate how funds allocated to that group could best be spent. Reimbursable expenses include mileage to visit other program sites, books and other materials for study groups, fees for workshops not funded through the Department of Education, and materials and supplies for projects related to professional development. A copy of all learning plans are filed with administrators and with the Centers for Professional Development. In turn, the Centers will offer material and human resources and support, administer reimbursements, encourage networking throughout the state among practitioners with similar learning goals, and inform other staff development projects of the type of learning projects being undertaken. Information gleaned from learning plans will assist planners of summer institutes, the Resource Center staff, and others to respond effectively to practitioner needs.
If learning plans are to be successfully implemented, practitioner-learners must have effective support within their work environments. Program administrators ultimately must be responsible for assuring this support although they may choose to delegate these functions to a "staff development facilitator." Staff development facilitators may be regional specialists, lead teachers, or volunteers working within the local program. Administrators or staff development facilitators are responsible for promoting the learning plan approach within a program, orienting practitioners to the staff development system, providing a process for persons to develop their learning plans, reviewing plans to see that they are complete, recommending learning resources, meeting regularly with learners to review progress, share ideas, and motivate. The administrator plays an important role in providing a programmatic context in which practitioners can develop their own learning plans.
The Center for Professional Development offer a 3-day training session for staff development facilitators in June of each year. The training addresses the philosophy of inquiry-based staff development and introduces all the necessary forms, processes, and procedures for effective implementation. In order to be eligible for reimbursement for learning plan activities, local staff development facilitators must submit copies of all learning plans (preferably within 30 days of their development) to the Centers for Professional Development.
Regional professional development centers can promote collaboration among practitioners, enhance support, diminish isolation, and increase the available options for professional learning. Regional professional development centers can
Establishment of Regional Professional Development Centers was a strong and consistent recommendation from the staff development planning team.
Regional professional development centers have tremendous potential for enhancing learning among Virginia adult educators. Unfortunately, current 353 funding is not sufficient to establish or maintain the Centers in the foreseeable future. Efforts are underway to explore every possible funding alternative. The functions envisioned for regional professional development centers need not be abandoned while funding is acquired. To the extent possible, the functions are temporarily disbursed among the other staff development mechanisms.
Regional specialists or administrators coordinate and promote workshops based on the expressed needs of practitioner groups in a particular area. Any practitioner may attend the workshops offered in his or her region. Individuals who use learning plans to guide their professional development may opt to attend relevant workshops outside of their region and be reimbursed for their travel expenses through the Centers for Professional Development.
Regional workshops are funded by the Centers for Professional Development. A separate ESL Cluster Training Project in Arlington, VA provides training for ESL teachers locally and at selected sites throughout Virginia. The Office of Training for Volunteer Literacy Providers also coordinates and funds workshops for nonprofit organizations involved in literacy.
The Network promotes action research and supports practitioner researchers through staff development. The Network provides stipends for practitioners and fellowships for graduate students who conduct research. In return, researchers write project reports for dissemination through the Network. They also share their results with colleagues in at least one workshop or summer conference. The Network will also assist practitioners who want to participate in some form of action research but who do not choose to publish or present their work in exchange for a stipend.
The Adult Educators' Research Network has been in place since July 1991. The Network currently operates as an independent 353-funded staff development project. The Office of Adult Education encourages widespread participation in action research as a promising staff development approach. As its popularity increases over time, some functions of the Research Network may be positioned regionally to serve practitioners. To prepare for a move in this direction, the Research Network and the Centers for Development are presently available to train learning plan facilitators in action research methods.
The statewide newsletter has the effect of diminishing a practi-tioner's sense of isolation. The newsletter provides information generated from the state level as well as from within local programs. In an inquiry based system, practitioners use a newsletter to share significant learning project outcomes and to advertise the creation of new learning networks.
Currently, Virginia's adult education newsletter, Progress for Lifelong Learning, is disseminated quarterly to all practitioners. In addition to regular columns written by state adult education staff, the newsletter highlights special projects, provides a calendar of events, and includes two articles in each issue written by practi-tioners. These writers are paid $100 each for their articles. The newsletter invites practitioners to "advertise" their knowledge and skills for the benefit of colleagues and also to solicit information and advice on particular adult education issues from colleagues throughout the state.
Once established, a statewide adult education bulletin board will electronically link all practitioners. The computer network could be accessible in libraries, homes, schools and other work sites. An electronic bulletin board would include announcements, calendars of events, teaching tips, local and regional news items, project reports, and virtually any other adult education information. Most promising is the bulletin board's ability to engage practitioners in electronic dialogue with one another. Also, users of the system will have on-line access to the Adult Education and Literacy Resource Center holdings.
The Virginia Adult Education and Literacy Resource Center is working diligently to establish the electronic communication link. All the adult education resource centers throughout the southern region of the United States are interested in establishing similar capabilities. Therefore, the states are sharing their knowledge of various bulletin board software packages and cataloguing systems. Ideally this collaboration may lead to a unified system, allowing practitioners and resources to be linked throughout the southern states. Funding to establish the electronic communication link has been received through the State Resource Centers Grant awarded to Virginia by the U.S. Department of Education. Establishment of the bulletin board is targeted for 94-95.
A state resource center provides vital support for all participants and activities in the staff development system. The Virginia Adult Education and Literacy Resource Center serves a varied clientele including adult education and literacy professionals, private companies, public agencies and adult learners. Practitioners typically borrow commercial and professional publications, videos, software, and other media from the Resource Center. Programs may also receive technical assistance in instruction, assessment, and evaluation. The State Resource Center will maintain the central computerized information data base and electronic bulletin board. Graduate research assistants respond to data collection needs of program administrators, policy makers, and practitioner researchers, and conduct literature searches when requested. Resource Center Associates who are adult education teachers evaluate curriculum materials. The center operates a toll-free information hotline and referral service network serving practitioners and adult students. The Center coordinates the statewide GED on TV program, an alternative instructional delivery program designed to benefit independent, self-paced learners as well as those enrolled in local adult education programs. The Center produces the ABE Curricula Resource Catalog and the Learning Resources Evaluations Manual.
The Resource Center will be automating access to all holdings during 94-95. The electronic network is being developed and is scheduled to be implemented this year. Other functions are in place.
In an inquiry-based staff development system, planners of summer conferences will be able to respond to practitioner needs as expressed through learning plans. Summer institutes
The Virginia Institutes for Lifelong Learning continue to be offered each summer in southeast Virginia, southwest Virginia, and northern Virginia. Each conference serves approximately 200 adult education practitioners and registration is on a first-come- first-served basis.
The Management Development Institute provides a forum to enhance management and leadership skills for adult education managers, planners and administrators through self-evaluation and self-directed learning.
The MDI project is currently comprised of ten practitioner-staffed action teams. Each action team leader has recruited a task force of adult education managers, coordinators, and planners to provide guidance, assistance, and support in each action area. The overall project is headed up by the Planning and Coordination team leader in collaboration with the other nine team leaders, a Department of Education liaison, a professional process consultant, and a representative of the Centers for Professional Development. Full implementation of the MDI is scheduled for July 1994.
Intensive topic institutes provide a means for practitioners with similar interests to tablish strong collaborative networks. Two-day institutes could be offered during which practitioners come together in some central location, critically discuss the literature and research surrounding their particular topic, share experiences, and develop their own strategies and theories in a supportive environment. Institutes might accommodate up to 30 practitioners either on an invitational basis or on a first-come first-served basis. Trained facilitators would lead large and small group activities. Relationships developed during the institute could be maintained throughout the year via the electronic communication system established through the Resource Center.
Although a strong recommendation from the Staff Development Planning Team, current 353 staff development funding has not allowed for the creation of intensive topic institutes. The recommendation remains in the long-range plan for staff development and will be implemented as additional funds become available.