Collaborative and Creative Learning
Eden Prairie Schools professional learning opportunities can be found within three categories: Learning with Others, Learning from Others and Learning by Doing. Within each category are various modalities for learning.
CATEGORY 1: LEARNING WITH OTHERS
Professional Learning Communities (PLC)
PLC teams participate in the ongoing process of working collaboratively around the four essential questions to achieve better results for the students they serve.
- What do we want students to learn?
- How will we know when they have learned it?
- How will we respond when some students do not learn?
- How will we respond when some students already know it?.
Six Characteristics of a PLC
- Focus on Learning—focus and commitment to the learning of each student
- Collaborative Culture—members working interdependently to achieve common goal of learning for all
- Collective Inquiry—enabling team members to develop new skills and capacities which in turn lead to new experiences and awareness
- Commitment to Continuous Improvement—gathering evidence of student learning, developing strategies and building on strengths, implementation, analyzation and application
- Learning by Doing—turning aspirations and visions into action
- Results Orientation—all efforts must be addressed on the basis of results rather than intentions
(Learning by Doing, DuFour, DuFour, Eaker, Many)
Blended Courses
Blended courses provide opportunities for innovative learning and collaboration with colleagues. Learning takes place anytime and anyplace. Courses will provide deep learning on strategies for instructional excellence. There will be opportunities for face to face learning and collaboration throughout the course.
Book Studies
Individuals commit to reading and discussing a selected book. This is an opportunity for staff to engage in a professional discourse around a specific topic or area of interest. Book studies allow for learning of collective wisdom and active learning. Explore Eden Prairie's Professional Equity Library >
CATEGORY 2: LEARNING FROM OTHERS
Job-Embedded Coaching
Building leaders, coaches and specialists will work alongside educators to provide job-embedded professional learning including opportunity to reflect on their practices and make adjustments that meets each student’s needs. Job-embedded professional learning refers to teacher learning that is grounded in day-to-day teaching practice and is designed to enhance teachers’ content-specific instructional practices with the intent of improving student learning (Darling-Hammond & McLaughlin, 1995; Hirsh, 2009).
It is primarily school or classroom based and is integrated into the workday, consisting of teachers assessing and finding solutions for authentic and immediate problems of practice as part of a cycle of continuous improvement (Hawley & Valli, 1999; National Staff learning Council, 2010).
Workshop Days/Conference Setting
Participants are provided the opportunity to continually update, enhance and reflect their current knowledge and skills to develop more effective practices. Internal/external workshops create time for relevant and authentic learning experiences.
New Teacher & Staff Induction / Mentor Program
The Vision for Eden Prairie’s New Staff Induction Program is to provide ongoing authentic, rigorous and reflective learning so that teachers reach high levels of efficacy in order to meet each student’s social, cognitive, emotional, physical and intellectual needs. All staff participate in this training regardless of certification or prior teaching experience. Explore New Staff Induction Program >
CATEGORY 2: LEARNING BY DOING
Action Research
Action research is an iterative process which converges toward a better understanding of what happens as a result of actions taken. Action research is participatory, highly collaborative, and employs both quantitative and qualitative methods. Action research is a collaborative form of organizational learning.
