WINTER 2002 ENGLISH UPDATE 1WINTER 2002begins in theclassroomINSIDE THIS ISSUE4 Self-reflection model of professional development 6 Teachers’ views 7 CELA Publicationson the web at http://cela.albany.eduA Newsletter fromthe Center on EnglishLearning & Achievementsee Professional development on page 2EFFECTIVEAs we reportedin the fall2000 issue of thisnewsletter, CELAhas undertakenan implementationstudy to work withmiddle schoolteachers to put intoplace some of thefindings of itsrecent researchand assess theeffectiveness ofthe intervention.The new study iscalled the Partner-ship for Literacy. Inthis issue of theUpdate, we con-tinue to highlightvarious aspects ofthe broad base ofresearch on whichthe Partnershiprests. This time, wefocus on theessential character-istics of effectiveprofessionaldevelopment.A fuller descrip-tion of these andother findings canbe found on theCELA website:http://cela.albany.edu/researchprofessionaldevelopmentREFLECTIVE PRACTICEThe research on teacher thinking and teacherchange1 presents a profile of the effective teacheras one who reflects upon her instructional plansand outcomes in order to discover or create thosefeatures of practice that best support studentlearning. If teachers are to change their practice,they need to have a sense of what is working andnot working, and what alternatives are possible.Reflective practice enables such insights. Schon2uses the terms “reflection in action” and “reflec-tion on action” to refer to a sort of interactiveexperimentation and feedback loop that teachersengage in to assess the effectiveness of strategiesused or actions taken. It is as if the teacher isseeking and receiving “back talk” from the situa-tion and making next step decisions in light ofthat “talk.”Reflective practice has become a significantcomponent in the teacher education literature,most likely because it contributes in several waysto a climate for change. First, reflection andanalysis provide a way of handling the inevitabletensions that result when new knowledge andskills bump up against teachers’ previous experi-ences, goals, and expectations about learning andteaching. Honest discussion of these tensionsopens up the possibility of change3.Second, reflective practice is fundamentallyempowering4, providing teachers with a sense ofS uccessful professional development in English language arts provides teachers with three kinds of opportunities.• It encourages teachers to be reflective practitioners,engaging in a continuous process of questioning,planning, trying out, and evaluating their teachingand their students’ learning.• It works toward establishing a professional community,in which teachers rely on the collective expertise andmutual support of colleagues to inform theirday-to-day judgments.• It provides opportunities for teachers to strengthen boththeir knowledge of research and theory (conceptualtools) and their repertoire of classroom strategies andapproaches (pedagogical tools).This article summarizes the research on each of these topics.2 ENGLISH UPDATE WINTER 2002NATIONAL RESEARCH CENTERON ENGLISH LEARNING & ACHIEVEMENT (CELA)University at Albany, SUNY, ED-B91400 Washington Ave., Albany, NY 12222518-442-5026 • [email protected] • http://cela.albany.eduThe Center on English Learning & Achievement is the national researchcenter dedicated to improving student learning and achievement in Englishas it is learned as a subject and in the other academic disciplines. TheCenter is operated by the University at Albany, State University of New York,in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.WINTER 2002CENTER DIRECTORSJudith Langer, University at AlbanyArthur Applebee, University at AlbanyMartin Nystrand, University of Wisconsin-MadisonEditor and Associate Director: Janet AngelisDesign & Production Management: Benigraphic Publications, Inc.Preparation of this publication was supported under Grant #R305A960005 asadministered by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) in the U.S.Department of Education. The contents do not necessarily reflect the position orpolicies of OERI, the department, or any agency of the U.S. government.agency and control as theydefine and confront prob-lems. Such agency is animportant component ofeffective change.And third, reflectivepractice offers a contextwithin which to addressthe “constructivist di-lemma”5 — the fact thatprofessional developmentactivities seek to influenceteachers in particular ways,while also giving them theownership and agency thata constructivist view ofteaching and learningrequires.Within the context ofreflective practice, knowl-edge and strategies becomesomething other than toolsand techniques “deliveredto” teachers. Rather, theyoffer frameworks for teach-ers to use in reflecting oncurrent practices and for developingalternative approaches to curriculum,instruction, and assessment.PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITIESClosely related to the notion of reflec-tive practice is the concept of a profes-sional community that provides aneffective context for teachers to raisequestions, share problems, and ex-plore the effectiveness of their teach-ing; in other words, to learn andchange as professionals. In her syn-thesis paper on approaches to educa-tional reform, Little,6 echoing others,7notes that “the dominant ‘training’model of teacher development . . . isnot adequate to the ambitious visionsof teaching and schooling embeddedin present reform initiatives. . . . Thetest of teachers’ professional develop-ment opportunities resides in theircapacity to engage teachers in . . .study, investigation, and experimenta-tion . . . embedded in the routineorganization of teachers’ work dayand work year.”Interactions with others in thelearning environment affect how wethink about, express, and put ideas touse8. In comparison to training experi-ences, professional communities alsooffer greater opportunity for prin-cipled and well-informed dissent thatstrengthens both group decisions andProfessional development from page 1individual choices9.When teachers come together for ashared purpose they can draw uponeach other’s expertise and also engagein activity involving new inquiry thatwill move them to become a discoursecommunity of their own, with moreclosely shared goals, ways of under-standing problems, and potentialsolutions. This happens in partthrough the creation of a new “cul-ture.”10 This