Assignment: Professional Learning Plan
The purpose of the Professional Learning Plan is for the candidate to engage in on-going professional learning and self-improvement and to collaborate with colleagues to create and adopt research-based best practices to move his or her practice forward.
Use your own self knowledge, feedback from the UAB supervisor and cooperating/mentor teachers, the Practicum Observation Form and/or the Informal Rating Form, Effective practices in early childhood education: Building a foundation, the NAEYC Professional Preparation Standards,your self-analysis of your teaching video, and your daily self-reflections to assess your professional practice and evaluate interactions with learners, parents, and other professionals of the learning community. Develop a Professional Learning Plan (PLP) in which you identify your individual goals for addressing areas of weakness. The PLP will include: evidence to determine goals, identification of targeted goals, a detailed plan and timeline of research-based professional learning aligned with goals, and a final reflection with evidence to support progress in reaching identified goals. The PLP goals should be attainable over the course of your practicum placement and should include the following components:
• Description of evidence used to determine goals (i.e. student teaching forms, feedback, self-reflection)
• Identification of areas of need/ weakness - Identify two targeted goals or areas of need and describe how the deficit could impact students if not addressed.
• Specific plan for addressing needs - For eachidentified area of need above suggest 3 specific ways the need can be addressed that will improve your skills and effectiveness as a teacher. This can be done with bulleted lists, but must be specific. For example, if your weakness is motivating non-readers, your plan for improvement might be: 1) Attend ARI reading strategies workshop, 2) Observe reading instruction in the regular classroom of a National Board Certified teacher, and 3) interview teacher about motivation strategies
• Timeline of research-based professional learning aligned with goals
• Final reflection with evidence to support progress in reaching identified goals
Professional Learning Plan
Part 1
A. Evidence Used to Determine Goal(s):
When engaging in the process of self-assessment to determine areas of need, the following guiding questions are recommended to help focus your self-reflection.
• How do my knowledge, skills, dispositions, and performances measure up against my self-assessments?
• What skills would I like to learn or improve?
• What sources are available to me that provide further insights related to my knowledge, skills, dispositions, and performances, and priority areas to focus my professional development?
• Is there something that my supervising teacher/mentor is able to do that I would like to master?
• Am I able to address the needs of all of the children and families in the classroom?
• Are there curriculum areas that are not well represented in my teaching?
• Are there specific student teaching competencies upon which I would like to improve?
Describe how you determined your goals:
B: Goals/Identification of Areas of Need
Targeted Goal Areas
Goal 1:
Goal 2:
C: My Plan for Addressing Goal Areas
The following guiding questions are provided to assist you in the planning process.
• What am I going to do to achieve my goals?
• What are the initial steps to begin my plan?
• What short-term (1 semester or less) activities should I plan to achieve each of my goals?
• How will I make the time to do what I plan?
• What evidence will I collect to demonstrate fulfillment of my plan and achievement of my professional development goals?
• How will I organize my evidence?
• What are my timelines for professional development activities and outcomes?
Goal 1 Activities
I will engage in the following activities to achieve my goal:
Goal 1 Documentation Plan
I will document my progress in enhancing my skills and knowledge, dispositions and performance with the following artifacts and/or outcomes:
Goal 1 Timeline
Below is my timeline for engaging in the activities to achieve my goal:
Goal 1 Resources
The following resources may be necessary for me to achieve my goal:
Goal 2 Activities
I will engage in the following activities to achieve my goal:
Goal 2 Documentation Plan
I will document my progress in enhancing my skills and knowledge, dispositions and performance with the following artifacts and/or outcomes:
Goal 2 Timeline
Below is my timeline for engaging in the activities to achieve my goal:
Goal 2 Resources
The following resources may be necessary for me to achieve my goal:
Part 2 Final Reflection and Evidence
Below I have reflected on my professional growth and provided evidence that I have attained my goals.