Teach, Learn, Lead:
A Professional Learning Journey
Professional learning drives educational growth and innovation. My approach empowers educators to adopt new strategies, foster collaboration, and embrace self-directed learning through this evidence-based, sustainable model.
Emphasizing active participation, continuous support, and real-world application, this strategy integrates technology and collaborative learning to create dynamic, student centered environments. It also equips educators with tools to enhance academic performance and support emotional regulation, including Mightier.
As a biofeedback tool, Mightier helps children manage emotions and is central to this PL model. Educators will explore its benefits for students while reflecting on how emotional regulation enhances their own teaching and learning.
My PL strategy is structured around five foundational principles that ensure meaningful and effective professional learning:
1. Sustained and Ongoing PL Duration
Effective professional learning is not a one time event but an ongoing process. This strategy includes multiple touchpoints, follow ups and collaborative opportunities to ensure lasting impact. Mightier’s continuous use model reinforces this concept by providing real time feedback and growth tracking for emotional regulation, making it a powerful tool for educators and students alike.
2. Ongoing Implementation Support
Educators often face challenges when integrating new strategies into their teaching practices. This model includes peer coaching, mentorship, and follow up sessions to address implementation hurdles in real time. With Mightier, teachers can access data driven insights on student emotional regulation, providing a deeper level of support for both educators and learners. I plan to help with the ongoing support where needed.
3. Active Participation and Engagement
Learning is most effective when educators actively engage with new concepts. This strategy incorporates hands on activities, real world problem-solving, and interactive workshops to deepen understanding. Educators will use Mightier to experience emotional regulation strategies firsthand, enhancing their ability to implement these practices in their classrooms.
4. Modeling Best Practices
Educators learn best when they see strategies in action. This PL model includes demonstration lessons, video case studies, and live modeling sessions to help educators visualize effective practices. Mightier will be modeled in classroom scenarios, showing teachers how to integrate it into their existing routines to support student emotional growth.
5. Content-Specific Learning
Generic training lacks relevance and applicability. This PL strategy tailors content to specific grade levels and disciplines, ensuring that learning experiences are relevant to the educators’ unique classroom contexts. By embedding Mightier into content specific strategies, educators will see how social-emotional learning can be adapted across subjects and age groups.
Alternative Professional Learning Approach
(Go and Show/Alt PL Presentation)
In traditional professional development, educators often experience passive workshops with minimal opportunities to apply their learning in real-world contexts. This Alternative Professional Learning (PL) Approach shifts the focus toward active engagement, continuous support, and collaborative learning to ensure meaningful and lasting implementation. Grounded in the five key principles of effective professional learning, this model fosters learning by doing, ongoing support, active participation, modeling best practices, and content-specific learning, ensuring educators not only learn new strategies but also successfully implement them.
By prioritizing learning by doing, continuous support, and collaborative learning, this Alternative PL Approach ensures that educators not only learn new strategies but successfully integrate them into their teaching practices. The use of Mightier strengthens this approach by providing a real time, data driven tool for supporting student emotional growth, making professional learning more engaging, applicable, and impactful.
For a deeper dive into this Alternative PL Approach, explore the following resources from my professional learning strategy:
📌 Professional Learning : My Call to Action– A breakdown of how this approach transforms educator learning.
📌 Alternative Professional Learning Plan – A structured plan for sustainable and impactful PL.
Check out my blogs below for more insights on Mightier and how my Alternative PL Plan is shaping real-life learning experiences!
Professional Learning Outline
My PL outline provides a structured framework for delivering professional learning in a way that is sustainable, practical, and impactful.
Goals
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Equip educators with strategies to enhance student engagement.
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Integrate social emotional learning tools like Mightier into classrooms.
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Foster a culture of continuous professional learning that includes emotional well-being.
Key Learning Methods
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Peer coaching and mentorship
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Hands-on application through classroom-based experiments, including Mightier simulations
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Online and in-person collaborative discussions
Audience and Their Needs
This PL strategy is designed for:
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Educators – Seeking innovative teaching strategies and emotional regulation tools.
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Instructional Leaders – Supporting teachers in implementing new models.
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Administrators – Looking for sustainable PL solutions to drive institutional change.
Educators often struggle with limited time, overwhelming workloads, and lack of personalized PD. This strategy provides flexibility, relevance, and practical application to address these challenges effectively. Mightier further supports educators by offering an easy-to-use, research-backed tool that improves student self-regulation and reduces classroom disruptions.
Lead Facilitator (Me)
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Conducts initial training and introduces Mightier.
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Models implementation and guides self-directed learning.
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Oversees PL sessions and ensures alignment with goals.
Instructional Coaches
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Provide coaching, feedback, and hands-on support.
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Facilitate peer learning and professional discussions.
Educators
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Lead peer discussions and classroom application.
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Share best practices and track Mightier’s impact on students.
Who Will Lead What?
Collaboration and Modeling
To maximize impact, collaboration is at the core of this PL model:
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Peer-Led Learning – Teachers including myself share strategies and experiences in discussion forums.
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Live Demonstrations – Modeled lessons provide concrete examples of new practices, which include how Mightier is used to support students with emotional regulation challenges.
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Feedback Loops – Regular check-ins allow educators to refine their approach.
Self-Directed Learning Approach
Empowering educators to take control of their learning ensures sustained growth and deeper engagement
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Autodidactic Learning Educators develop the mindset of self-motivated, independent learners who take initiative in their professional development.
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Application and Iteration – Teachers are encouraged to experiment with new strategies, analyze student responses, and refine their approach to utilizing Mightier in their classroom.
Check out my Planning Tools
My Organizational Change /Plan Strategy
Revolutionizing PL – View My Slides Here!
Resources to View
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Gopnik (2016) – Understanding how learners develop cognitive skills.
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Toikkanen (2016) – Rethinking traditional school structures in favor of lifelong learning.
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Pope et al. (2011) – Preparing teachers for 21st-century learning.
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Beatty (2000) – Teacher-led professional development models.
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Technology: Mightier app, interactive whiteboards, collaboration software.
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Case Studies & Video Exemplars: Real-world examples of technology integration in SLEs, including footage of students using Mightier to regulate emotions and enhance focus.
I believe my Professional Learning Plan is designed to create a sustainable, collaborative, and impactful learning experience that supports educators in adopting new strategies and enhancing student emotional regulation. By leveraging Mightier, self-directed learning, and ongoing support, this model ensures that professional learning is not just a one-time event but a continuous journey.
Additionally, as we expand professional learning resources, the introduction of a new eCommerce Manager position will help optimize the availability and accessibility of critical learning tools, ensuring that Mightier and other resources reach educators seamlessly. This role will be pivotal in managing digital platforms, streamlining content delivery, and ensuring that professional learning materials remain up-to-date and readily available.
With a strong foundation in co-learning and mentorship, educators can take ownership of their development, implement meaningful change in their classrooms, and ultimately empower students with the skills they need for self-regulation and academic success. This framework lays the groundwork for a transformative shift in professional learning. This one is dynamic, reflective, and tailored to the real-world needs of both educators and students.
My Contributions
References:
Beatty, B. (2000). Teacher-led professional development models: Empowering educators. Journal of
Educational Leadership, 58(4), 123-132.
Gopnik, A. (2016). The gardener and the carpenter: What the new science of child development tells us about the relationship between parents and children. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Pope, M., Reed, P., & Green, M. (2011). Preparing teachers for 21st-century learning: Essential skills for
teaching and learning in a globalized world. Teachers College Press.
Toikkanen, T. (2016). Rethinking traditional school structures: Building the foundation for lifelong
learning. Educational Innovation Journal, 22(1), 45-59.