Looking forward !

Looking Forward: 5 Year Professional Development Plan

Amy Hutton

National University

TED 690- Professor Weintraub

Looking forward !2

Abstract:

In this paper, I will discuss my professional development plan as a teacher. While the

intent of the professional development plan is to become more effective and to grow in areas of

need, I also will be looking at potential advancement and career paths that I want to take. I will

considering working more closely in special education, and also in the school psychology de-

partment. While the goals are big ones, they are far from impossible.
Looking forward !3

Professional Development Plan Overview:

In any career, we are constantly needing to learn and grow. As with any other profession,

teaching requires that we are constantly staying on top of the most current and updated informa-

tion. This information could be a change in a pedagogical practice. It could also be a more in-

depth knowledge or change in actual subject content. We hold the tools that help our students

grow and learn (Dean et. al 2012), If we are not at striving to be our best, we can not expect or

produce the best in our students. So for this reason it is imperative that throughout our career we

continue to grow and develop as teachers.

I always desire to do my best. My new career in teaching is no different. That is why it

is important for me to look ahead and plan. I did so, when I decided to change careers two years

ago. I was working as a bank manager and felt unfulfilled. I made a plan, created goals, and set

a course for how I wanted to complete my multi-subject credential and my masters. The plan

and the goals really help to guide my steps towards where I am today. I have obtained my multi-

ple subject credential and I am one class away from getting my masters. I am currently gaining

practical experience as a long term substitute.

To continue this momentum, I realize I need to continue to grow and continue to make

plans for my future. While I could break down my goals in any time increment, five years is a

solid amount of time to both accomplish change and see results. In Table 1 (below), I lay out my

professional goals, that include degrees, conferences, and online webinars. I tried to combine

areas that I feel that I still need to grow and become more proficient in, along with areas of edu-

cation that intrigue me. Overall, I want to become a much more effective and inclusive teacher.

I want to be able to reach all the students in my classroom and help them reach their fullest po-
Looking forward !4

tential. I think this could possibly lead into an interest that I have in special education and also in

school psychology. Some of my goals are lofty, but I have learned that I do much better when I

push myself. In the following section, I will go over my rationale for the different professional

development options I picked.

Rationale for next 5 years of professional goals:

In the first year, I would like to finish my masters and get that under my belt. Currently, I

am substitute teaching which as afforded me additional experience, but I would really like to get

a permanent position. I would like to get a 2nd or 3rd grade class but would take almost any-

thing from kindergarten through 6th grade. Personally though, I find that 2nd and 3rd grade are

still at an age where they enjoy learning and they are also able to start creating and producing in

different learning environments.

The training that I want to complete in the first year has to do with becoming more effec-

tive at differentiated instruction. It is easy to plan lessons or see differentiation on paper, but it

has proven to be much more difficult for me to put into practice in a classroom of 24 plus indi-

viduals. I think a conference, where I can get face-to-face interaction with educators and direct

feedback of what works will be very helpful. I found one in Anaheim in July, that I’d like to go

to. I also plan on finding a mentor that does well with differentiation and meet with him/her on a

regular basis to discuss different techniques. I would also like to observe my mentor in action,

and have them observe me multiple times.

I would also like to take at least 2 webinars. One webinar, “Teaching with Poverty in

Mind” would help give me more resources to help my lower socioeconomic students. Often stu-
Looking forward !5

dents from lower SES backgrounds struggle in school as they don’t have the same resources as

their more affluent peers. I want to learn what else I can do to reach these students. The second

webinar is on blended learning, which is about the different ways we can teach, beyond just face

to face direct instruction, but where we can incorporate technology and other modes of learning.

I think this would be a great class since it can give me more options of how I can reach my stu-

dents in different and possibly more effective ways.

In year two, I would like to work on my induction program (that I am hoping to get a

school to pay for), and work towards getting a cleared multiple subject credential. During this

year, I would like to work in my classroom and refine my curriculum. I will continue to work

with my mentor teachers and the principal and ask them to observe my teaching. This is impor-

tant as their feedback can help me to get an outside perspective of what is going well and what I

need to improve upon.

In the second year, I would like to become much more proficient in STEAM. This year, a

new ELA curriculum has been introduced in our district, and as I have been working on becom-

ing more proficient at it, I feel that I need a refresher on the science and math portion. Addition-

ally I have always enjoyed the arts, and would like to learn how I can make it a more regular part

of the classroom curriculum. I found the California STEAM Symposium, that appears to be an

annual event. This would we a great opportunity to be exposed to additional resources and be

able to network with individuals that are more knowledgable. The online webinars that I want to

take are in the same vein as the conference. I want to take “STEM for all,” “Technology in

Schools,” and “Next Generation Science Standards” webinars to help to increase my content

knowledge in science and technology.

Looking forward !6

During my third year, I would like to start looking into the possibilities of working with

the special education population. I have enjoyed working with this population as a substitute and

it has peaked my interest as possible career path choice. I am not quite sure yet if I would like to

work separately with these students in special day class, or if I want to utilize my knowledge and

skills in a general education classroom. This is the year that I will explore those possibilities,

along with working to creating a more inclusive environment for the disabled child in my general

education classroom. While I already work very hard at this, I feel that this is something that we

can always work to become better at. I will meet with the RSP teacher on my school campus,

and I will also find a mentor special education teacher to observe. I will start taking classes to-

wards getting my special education permit.

The training that I want to complete in the third year would involve increasing my

knowledge on the special education population. I found a conference in San Jose (that I hope

they will do in three years), called “Inclusion Collaborative,” which where teachers come togeth-

er and discuss different ways to create more inclusive classroom environments, especially for

students with special needs. I would also take the webinar “Including Students With Disabilities

in Common Core.” I want to learn how I can make Common Core more accessible to the stu-

dents in my classroom who have disabilities. I want to know what additional tools and resources

I need to make this happen, and I am hoping this webinar will help with that.

In the fourth year, I will want to complete my special education training and get the per-

mit. This way I feel like not only will I be a more effective teacher to the entire student popula-

tion that I work with, but it will also give me additional career opportunities. During this year I

will continue to focus my training on special education, and will attend the Special Education
Looking forward !7

Symposium. I hope this will increase my SPED acumen. I will also complete the “Special Edu-

cation: From Goals to Growth” webinar, in hopes that I can add additional SPED teaching strate-

gies to my teaching toolbox.

In the fifth year, I want to look into going back to school to get my masters in school psy-

chology. This is potentially the loftiest of my goals, but it is also one that comes back full circle

to what I had been interested in during my undergraduate studies years ago. I feel that there is

potential there to incorporate my desire to work with special needs students, along with creating

a more inclusive and safe class environment. The conference that I was interested in attending

that year was the “Social/Emotional Health and Wellness conference”. I think this would help

me to develop additional techniques for creating a safe classroom environment. I also feel that it

would be a step towards understanding the mental health side of education as I head that direc-

tion. The webinars, “Foster Resilient Learners” and “Trauma-Informed Dynamic Mindfulness

for Student Social & Emotional Health,” I think would be helpful in learning how to create learn-

ing environments that are safe and productive for students that are dealing with additional mental

and emotional issues outside the classroom. This would be a great resource as I venture into the

arena of school psychology. Lastly, I would like to find a school psychologist that I could shad-

ow, as this would give me direct insight into what goes on from day to day.

In table 1, below, I also added that I would update my PDQP every year. It is very impor-

tant that as I continue to increase my skill sets and knowledge in different areas that I keep my

portfolio up-to-date. Not only is it a great tool to show others, but it is also a tool I can use to

continually reflect on my progress and also use to guide where I need to go.
Looking forward !8

Table 1:
Timeline Professional Goal
2019-2020 • Complete my masters in education
• Find a permanent teaching position in pri-
Year 1 mary grades (preferably 2nd or 3rd grade)
• Attend the Train-the-Trainer Institute: Dif-
ferentiated Instruction That Works! confer-
ence in July
• Find a teaching mentor that does well in
differentiated instruction and work closely
with them to hone my differentiated instruc-
tion skills.
• Complete “Blendend Learning” webinar on
ASCD.org
• Complete “Teaching with Poverty in mind”
webinar on ASCD.org
• Continue to complete and update my PDPQ
2020-2021 • Work towards getting my multiple subject
Year 2 credential from temporary to cleared (or
permanent)
• Have mentor teachers and principal conduct
multiple observations and get feed back
• Attend the California STEAM symposium
• Complete “Stem for All” Webinar on AS-
CD.org
• Complete “Technology in Schools” Webi-
nar on ASCD.org
• Complete “Next Generation Science Stan-
dards” Webinar on ASCD. org
• Continue to complete and update my PDPQ
Looking forward !9

2021-2022 • Look into what is needed for Special Edu-

cation teaching permit (start classes for
Year 3 that)
• Meet with RSP teacher
• Find a special education teacher as a mentor
and someone that I can observe
• Attend “Inclusion Collaborative” Confer-
ence in San Jose
• Complete “Including Students with Disabil-
ities in the Common Core” Webinar on
ASCD.org
• Continue to complete and update my PDPQ

2022-2023 • Get my Special Education permit

• Attend Special Education Symposium
Year 4 • Complete “Special Education: From Goals
to Growth” Webinar on ASCD.org
• Continue to complete and update my PDPQ
2023-2024 • Look into going back and getting my Mas-
ters in psychology for a school psycholo-
Year 5 gist. Start classes.
• Find a school psychologist that I can work
with and shadow.
• Attend Student Social/Emotional Health
and Wellness conference
• Complete “Foster Resilient Learners” We-
binar on ASCD.org
• Complete “Trauma-Informed Dynamic
Mindfulness for Student Social & Emotion-
al Health” on School Health Centers.org
• Continue to complete and update my PDPQ

Audience:

My five-year professional plan is primarily for me. When I plan and make clear goals for

myself I am much more apt to accomplish them. This plan is a great way to organize those

goals. Obviously as I grow and become more proficient in some areas, and identify deficiency in
Looking forward !10

others, then my five-year professional plan will also evolve and change to fit those needs. An-

other potential audience for my five-year plan could be the school and district administrators

(Constatino and De Lorenzo, 2002). It could show them that I have clear-cut goals and a plan to

accomplish them. This could show the administrators my desire to continue to grow as an effec-

tive teacher, an it could also potentially show them what asset I could be to them in five years .

Also the administrators, may prove to be instrumental in helping me to achieve some of these

goals.
Looking forward 1! 1

References:

Dean, C.B., Hubbell, E.R., Pitler, H., and Stone, B. (2012). Classroom instruction that works:

research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Van den Hurk, H. T. G., Houtveen, A. A. M., and Van de Grift, W. J. C. M. Van de Grift.

(2017). Does teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge effect their fluency instruction?

Reading and Writing: and Interdisciplinary Journal, 30(6), 1231-1249.