Connecting & Communicating Ideas

This page compiles all components of my Professional Learning (PL) strategy into one cohesive, actionable resource for the University of Texas Elementary School instructional staff. The plan is designed to foster collaboration, build instructional capacity, and align professional growth with improved student outcomes. It reflects both research-based principles of effective professional learning and the specific needs of our PreK–5 campus. Teachers, instructional leaders, and administrators can use this page as a guide to implement, track, and sustain impactful professional learning over the course of the year.

A Professional Learning Strategy:

Moving Beyond Sit & Get: From Call to Action to Implementation

This section presents the vision and plan for transforming professional learning (PL) at UTES into a collaborative, ongoing, and data-driven process that directly impacts Tier I instruction and student success.

The Call-to-Action video below outlines the urgent need to shift away from ineffective, passive professional development and embrace a model grounded in the five principles of effective PL. It sets the stage for meaningful change by connecting research-based practices to our campus goals.

Building on that vision, the Alternative Professional Learning Plan provides a clear roadmap for implementing this approach. The plan includes specific timelines, activities, and leadership roles to ensure that professional learning is job-embedded, collaborative, and responsive to student data.

By uniting the vision with actionable steps, this section helps leadership and teachers understand not only why the change is needed, but also how we will make it happen together.

Call-to-Action Video: Inspiring our campus to embrace a collaborative, ongoing, and data-driven professional learning model aligned to our vision and goals.

Alternative PL Plan: A detailed implementation guide outlining timelines, leadership roles, and collaborative structures to turn the vision into action.

Audience & Needs

This PL strategy is designed for the instructional staff at the University of Texas Elementary School, including general education teachers, special education content leads, interventionist/instructional coaches, and administrators. Our staff needs professional learning that is actionable, data-driven, specific to their content and grade level, and embedded in ongoing feedback and collaboration. Students deserve effective Tier 1 instruction aligned to the Top 10 TEKS in literacy, math, and science.

PL Strategy Overview

 

This PL strategy aligns to the five key principles of effective professional learning and emphasizes sustained, collaborative growth:

  • Significant and ongoing duration

  • Embedded support during implementation

  • Active, engaged participation

  • Content-specific modeling

  • Grade-level and discipline specificity

The plan includes PLCs, coaching cycles, peer modeling, teacher-led goal setting, and reflective practice—all grounded in campus data and student needs.

Fostering Collaboration & Modeling through Self-Directed Teacher Growth

Fostering Collaboration and Modeling

Collaboration is embedded through weekly PLCs, biweekly data check-ins, monthly vertical alignment meetings, and teacher-led modeling sessions. Teachers engage in peer observations, collaborative lesson planning, and reflective data-sharing cycles. Modeling is reinforced through live demonstration lessons, exemplar planning templates, and structured instructional rounds that showcase best practices in action.

Fostering Self-Directed Learning

Teachers take ownership of their growth by tracking student progress through DMAC, IXL, and DIBELS data, maintaining reflective journals on instructional impact, and compiling growth portfolios. These practices cultivate teacher agency and ensure that professional learning remains focused on improving student outcomes.

Role Responsibilities
Admin Team (Lara Wilder - Executive Principal & Lucy McCoy - Instructional Admin) Schedule, accountability, feedback
Instructional Coach Team (Jennie Noonan – Reading & Carly Kennedy – Math) Lead facilitators, coaching, demonstration lessons, data tracking
SPED Teacher Leaders (Gabi Huntington - Reading & John Cheek - Math) Co-teachers, lead modeling sessions, mentor peers
General Education Teachers Actively engage and contribute as collaborative PLC members (with opportunities to rotate as PLC facilitatos throughout the year), track student data, set individual growth goals, lead and participate in breakout sessions, contribute to vertical alignment meetings

Leadership Roles

 

This professional learning plan relies on a collaborative leadership model where responsibilities are distributed among administrators, instructional coaches, and special education content leaders. Each role plays a vital part in supporting teachers through coaching, modeling, feedback, and facilitation.

 

BHAG & 3-Column Table

 

The Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) of this professional learning plan is to improve Tier I instruction in literacy, math, and science through data-driven, collaborative, and reflective practices aligned with the Top 10 TEKS expectations. The following 3-Column Table outlines the alignment between this goal, the specific learning activities designed to support it, and the evidence of teacher learning that will guide continuous improvement. 

Timeline

 

This timeline reflects intentional, sustained implementation over the year. Milestones include the August PD launch, ongoing PLCs, monthly instructional rounds, and quarterly reviews. These checkpoints ensure accountability and provide opportunities to adjust the plan based on student and teacher needs.

During August PD, teachers will:

  • Review Reading, Writing, Math, and Science TEKS for their grade level.

  • Sort TEKS into priority tiers based on campus goals and instructional impact.

  • Collaborate vertically to identify which SEs build upon each other across grade levels.

  • Finalize a grade-level “Top 10” SE list to focus instructional planning and student data tracking for the year.

  • Receive and practice using TEKS tracking templates aligned to their Top 10 SEs.

Professional Learning Slide Decks and Resources

Below are the four professional learning session slide decks that accompany this PL strategy. Each is aligned to the key components outlined above and is designed to support teacher learning and implementation throughout the year.

Teacher Tools & Exemplars

To support teacher ownership and self-directed growth, the following tools are provided as exemplars. Teachers can use the  Reflective Journal to document their ongoing practice and reflection, and build a Growth Portfolio that demonstrates their instructional progress throughout the year.

Additional Professional Learning Resources

To support the ongoing implementation and refinement of this Professional Learning plan, I’ve curated a set of resources that teachers, leaders, and coaches can access to continue learning and collaborating.

Web-Based Resources:

Communities of Practice:

Reflection: Lessons Learned and Next Steps

This course challenged me to rethink my assumptions about what makes professional learning impactful. I came into the process with frustration over the traditional "sit and get" sessions I had experienced throughout my career, and I leave with a clear vision of what authentic, collaborative, and sustained learning can look like on a campus.

 

Through the research, readings, and the process of building this PL strategy, I developed a much deeper understanding of the five key principles of effective professional learning. The emphasis on ongoing support, modeling, collaboration, and tailoring content to specific grade levels and needs has already reshaped how I approach leadership conversations at my school.

 

I also grew significantly in my ability to communicate ideas through story and design. Learning from Duarte’s principles on structuring presentations helped me craft a call-to-action that resonates with my audience and keeps the focus on them as the hero of the story. This course has given me the confidence to step into my new role as Reading Interventionist and Literacy Coach equipped with a clear plan and a mindset that prioritizes growth, agency, and accountability.

 

Finally, creating and organizing the full strategy on my e-portfolio has been an opportunity to showcase not only my work but also my ability to lead others through a process of meaningful change. I look forward to continuing to refine and implement this PL strategy in collaboration with my team.

Resources & Acknowledgments

References:

Canadian Education Association. (2015). Innovation that sticks: A case study of the Ottawa Catholic School Board. EdCan. https://www.edcan.ca/wp-content/uploads/cea_ocsb_innovation_report.pdf

Duarte, N. (2010). Resonate: Present visual stories that transform audiences. Wiley.

Gulamhussein, A. (2013). Teaching the teachers: Effective professional development in an era of high stakes accountability. Center for Public Education. https://web.archive.org/web/20180619070816/http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/system/files/Professional%20Development.pdf

Harapnuik. D. (2016). Why you need a BHAG to design learning environments. It’s About Learning. https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=6414 

Harapnuik. D. (2018). COVA. It’s About Learning. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6991 

Harapnuik. D. (2019). Competency-based vs Outcomes-based education. It’s About Learning. https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=7889 

Harapnuik. D. (2020). Why I don’t use checklists, progress bars & other activity monitors. It’s About Learning. https://www.harapnuik.org/?p=8314 

Harapnuik. D. (2024). EdTech Tips. It’s About Learning. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=9165 

Hill, H. (2015). Review of The Mirage: Confronting the hard truth about our quest for teacher development. Great Lakes Center for Education Research & Practice. http://www.greatlakescenter.org/docs/Think_Twice/TT-Hill-TNTP.pdf

Learning Forward. (2019). Standards for professional learning: Quick reference guide. https://learningforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/standards-reference-guide.pdf

Reynolds, G. (2014). Presentation zen: Simple ideas on presentation design and delivery (2nd ed.). New Riders.

TEDx Talks. (2013, September). Empowering the teacher technophobe | Kristin Daniels | TEDxBurnsvilleED [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puiNcIFJTCU

The New Teacher Project. (2015). The mirage: Confronting the hard truth about our quest for teacher development. TNTP. https://tntp.org/publications/view/the-mirage-confronting-the-truth-about-our-quest-for-teacher-development

Wei, R. C., Darling-Hammond, L., Andree, A., Richardson, N., & Orphanos, S. (2009). Professional learning in the learning profession: A status report on teacher development in the U.S. and abroad. National Staff Development Council. https://learningforward.org/report/status-professional-learning-2/phase-professional-learning-learning-profession/

 

Acknowledgments: Special thanks to Ms. Lucy McCoy for providing the PD schedule framework and supporting images.

 

Collaboration of Learning

(Click the link to view the interactive group Padlet)

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