Guide for Teacher Professional Learning

Teaching Quality Standard: KSAs

to guide professional learning

This self-assessment tool is meant to help focus reflection within the parameters set by the Teaching
Quality Standard. Use it to help identify areas from which to develop your growth plan.

1. Fostering Effective Relationships:

A teacher builds positive and productive relationships with students, parents/guardians, peers and others in the school and local
community to support student learning. Achievement of this competency is demonstrated by indicators such as:

a) acting consistently with fairness, respect and integrity

b) demonstrating empathy and a genuine caring for others

c) providing culturally appropriate and meaningful opportunities for students and for
parents/guardians, as partners in education, to support student learning

d) inviting First Nations, Métis and Inuit parents/guardians, Elders/knowledge keepers, cultural
advisors and local community members into the school and classroom

e) collaborating with community service professionals, including mental health, social services, justice,
health and law enforcement

f) honouring cultural diversity and promoting intercultural understanding.

2. Engaging in Career-Long Learning:

A teacher engages in career-long professional learning and ongoing critical reflection to improve teaching and learning. Achievement
of this competency is demonstrated by indicators such as:

a) collaborating with other teachers to build personal and collective professional capacities and
expertise

b) actively seeking out feedback to enhance teaching practice

c) building capacity to support student success in inclusive, welcoming, caring, respectful and safe
learning environments

d) seeking, critically reviewing and applying educational research to improve practice

e) enhancing understanding of First Nations, Métis and Inuit worldviews, cultural beliefs, languages
and values

f) maintaining an awareness of emerging technologies to enhance knowledge and inform practice.

3. Demonstrating a Professional Body of Knowledge:

A teacher applies a current and comprehensive repertoire of effective planning, instruction, and assessment practices to meet the
learning needs of every student. Achievement of this competency is demonstrated by indicators such as:

a) planning and designing learning activities that:

● address the learning outcomes outlined in programs of study
● reflect short, medium and long range planning
● incorporate a range of instructional strategies, including the appropriate use(s) of digital technology,
according to the context, content, desired outcomes and the learning needs of students
● ensure that all students continuously develop skills in literacy and numeracy
● communicate high expectations for all students
● foster student understanding of the link between the activity and the intended learning outcomes
● consider relevant local, provincial, national and international contexts and issues
● are varied, engaging and relevant to students
● build student capacity for collaboration
● incorporate digital technology and resources, as appropriate, to build student capacity for:
○ acquiring, applying and creating new knowledge
○ communicating and collaborating with others
○ critical-thinking
○ accessing, interpreting and evaluating information from diverse sources
● consider student variables, including:
○ demographics, e.g. age, gender, ethnicity, religion
○ social and economic factors
○ maturity
○ relationships amongst students
○ prior knowledge and learning
○ cultural and linguistic background
○ second language learning
○ health and well-being
○ emotional and mental health
○ physical, social and cognitive ability.

b) using instructional strategies to engage students in meaningful learning activities, based on:
● specialized knowledge of the subject areas they teach
● an understanding of students’ backgrounds, prior knowledge and experiences
● a knowledge of how students develop as learners

c) applying student assessment and evaluation practices that:

● accurately reflect the learner outcomes within the programs of study
● generate evidence of student learning to inform teaching practice through a balance of formative
and summative assessment experiences
● provide a variety of methods through which students can demonstrate their achievement of the
learning outcomes
● provide accurate, constructive and timely feedback on student learning
● support the use of reasoned judgment about the evidence used to determine and report the level of
student learning.
4. Establishing Inclusive Learning Environments:
A teacher establishes, promotes and sustains inclusive learning environments where diversity is embraced and every student is
welcomed, cared for, respected and safe. Achievement of this competency is demonstrated by indicators such as:

a) fostering in the school community equality and respect with regard to rights as provided for in the
Alberta Human Rights Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

b) using appropriate universal and targeted strategies and supports to address students’ strengths,
learning challenges and areas for growth

c) communicating a philosophy of education affirming that every student can learn and be successful

d) being aware of and facilitating responses to the emotional and mental health needs of students

e) recognizing and responding to specific learning needs of individual or small groups of students and,
when needed, collaborating with service providers and other specialists to design and provide
targeted and specialized supports to enable achievement of the learning outcomes

f) employing classroom management strategies that promote positive, engaging learning

environments

g) incorporating students’ personal and cultural strengths into teaching and learning

h) providing opportunities for student leadership.

5. Applying Foundational Knowledge about First Nations, Métis and Inuit:

A teacher develops and applies foundational knowledge about First Nations, Métis and Inuit for the benefit of all students.
Achievement of this competency is demonstrated by indicators such as:

a) understanding the historical, social, economic, and political implications of:

● treaties and agreements with First Nations
● legislation and agreements negotiated with Métis
● residential schools and their legacy

b) supporting student achievement by engaging in collaborative, whole school approaches to capacity

building in First Nations, Métis and Inuit education

c) using the programs of study to provide opportunities for all students to develop a knowledge and
understanding of, and respect for, the histories, cultures, languages, contributions, perspectives,
experiences and contemporary contexts of First Nations, Métis and Inuit

d) supporting the learning experiences of all students by using resources that accurately reflect and
demonstrate the strength and diversity of First Nations, Métis and Inuit.

6. Adhering to Legal Frameworks and Policies:

A teacher demonstrates an understanding of and adherence to the legal frameworks and policies that provide the foundations for the
Alberta education system. Achievement of this competency is demonstrated by indicators such as:

a) maintaining an awareness of, and responding in accordance with, requirements authorized under
the School Act and other relevant legislation

b) engaging in practices consistent with policies and procedures established by the school authority
 c) recognizing that the professional practice of a teacher is bound by standards of conduct expected of
a caring, knowledgeable and reasonable adult entrusted with the custody, care or education of
students.
http://education.alberta.ca/department/policy/standards/teachqual.aspx

Planning for Professional

Growth
Using the self-assessment checklist, I have identified the following areas that could guide my
planning for growth this year.
● Actively seeking out feedback to enhance teaching practices

● Seeking, critically reviewing and applying educational research to improve practice

● Supporting student achievement by engaging in collaborative, whole school approaches to capacity

building in First Nations, Metis and Inuit education

Goal #1
Guiding Question
How will actively seeking out feedback enhance my own teaching practices?

Strategies: Timeline: Now - end of term

Participating in peer feedback - Reading over each other work/giving feedback.

Emailing my professors and asking for feedback on assignments before submitting them.

Asking my mentor teacher for feedback on my own interactions with students and lessons during my extended practicum
days. Or Vice-Principal or Principal.
Asking my students what they liked and did not like about certain lessons.

Being self-reflective - if its written feedback, going back and reviewing it. Asking myself how I can improve?
Resources required:
Peers, professors, mentor teachers, students

Indicators and Measures of Success:

Moving from a ‘somewhat confident’ to ‘confident’ or ‘very confident’. On the PGP scale.
Feeling more confident in my own ability to ask for feedback, as I am not one usually too. Keeping track of how
often I ask (classmates/professors).
Written feedback / visual from peers, profs, students - I could journal it

Reflection: Over the years I have not been the greatest at seeking out feedback, or receiving critique from
others. Asking for and accepting feedback requires one to be vulnerable with their work, and being open to
improving and changing things. I have always been a ‘self editor’ and have not been one to take advantage of
emailing professors or asking peer to check things over. Being more comfortable with this all is something I would
love to improve on.

When I move into teaching, here in a few short months feedback is something I have to be and want to be
comfortable with. Asking other colleagues, students themselves, along with having administration come in and
give me feedback on my own teaching practices. Over the last couple months of the term , I have certainly seeked
out peer feedback more than I have in the past, from group members, along with a couple others in the cohort. In
return I gave feedback to them. They caught things I would not have, and same in return. Offering ideas, and
having conversations around the assignments happened as well, not even necessarily giving feedback on
grammar/flow of papers/confusion of ideas etc. Sometimes it was simply good conversation that was the benefit
in seeking feedback. Whereas other times I was able to tweak some things here and there, that helped the overall
product.

I seeked out feedback from professors here and there through the term - more so than in the past, but not as
often as I maybe should have. Though I felt I was ‘okay’ and comfortable with my own work at the same time, and
understood what was being asked etc. that I didn’t need to seek it out.

Summary: What did I learn?

I learned that feedback isn’t as ‘scary’ as I had thought. I am not 100% comfortable with it still, I think it comes
down to comparison of work, once I read another peers work I then begin to compare mine with theirs. This can
lead to me doubting my own work, or wanting to change things and it to potentially sound more like theirs, if they
had ‘better’ ideas, so I have always tended to avoid it. Though it doesn’t have to be this way, and can indeed help
improve my own learning, and work moving forward. It’s mutually beneficial.

In discussion with other classmates, they found teacher feedback to be beneficial as they were given opportunities
to tweak things, and have discussions with the professors before the mark is finalized. In some cases some mark
deductions could have been avoided if I were to have asked for feedback prior to final submission.

Goal #2
Guiding Question
How will seeking out, critically reviewing and applying educational research to improve my teaching?

Strategies: Timeline: Now till end of

term
Working through the research project will help me. Peer reviewed articles, gathering of research online. Using RDC/U of
A databases.
Doing research myself, interviewing, teachers/students. Gathering data and analyzing it.

Doing research on my own outside of my research topic, on other areas of interest.

Resources required:
U of A / RDC online databases
RDC library
Peer/Professor feedback - during the research process

Indicators and Measures of Success:

Moving from ‘somewhat confident’ to ‘confident’ or ‘very confident’ in the rating.
Application of research knowledge into my daily teaching practice.
Positive peer and professor feedback

Reflection: Even though I have been involved in research in the past in my Social Work Degree program
(quantitative and qualitative studies/processes/paper) the time in between has been a while, and research
has always been more of a ‘struggle’ for me.

Researching articles, using the RDC & U of A database, in order to find quality articles for my research
assignment, and write my literature review, was beneficial. Navigating the system and filtering out ‘good’ and
‘poor’ articles that targeted my research question. Not all articles are available through online, and have to
be brought in to the library.

I reached out to a couple peers along the way for feedback on my own research question, had a peer read my
literature review, and conversed with them about some potential questions for my facilitation at the end of
the month. Peer feedback certainly helps, and can give a fresh perspective/new ideas.
Summary: What did I learn?

Research can be very interesting, but it is a very time consuming, tedious task at times, sorting through
literature, especially when it comes to quality research, making sure the articles chosen are ones thats will
benefit you. Also not all articles are available in an online format, and have to be ordered in, which can be
more time consuming. It’s a slow process and teaches patience.

Also the process of reaching out to others to gather information can be challenging, where originally I
thought about interviewing teachers in person, and resorted to google survey in order to save time going to
meet the teachers, especially if I were only collecting a couple questions. Teachers are busy people. I was
hoping to get at least 25 responses back, after sending the survey to about 50 of my teacher friends, and I
ended up getting close to 20 back, which isn’t bad.Some teachers gave a lot more thought out ‘quality’
responses, where others it was shorter and more vague. Next step will be sorting through and analyzing the
feedback, drawing conclusions from it.

Feedback from peers and instructors does help, in the research process, gaining fresh perspectives and just
having someone to bounce ideas off of.
Adapted from: Adams, P. 2011. Framework for a Comprehensive and Coordinated Professional Learning Plan. Edmonton: Alberta Education