Virtual Course: Building & Implementing a Professional Learning System

We at the Lawrence Hall of Science's Center for Environmental Learning invite five organizations to participate in our inaugural virtual course: Building and Implementing a Professional Learning System. Through this course, teams of up to three people per organization will create plans that identify goals, resources, and actions for operationalizing professional learning at their organizations. This course will also provide the tools and resources to support leaders to revise and update their plans, as their staff changes and grows.

Research* has found that in order to shift instructional practice, it is critical to build organizational capacity that supports instructors to engage in ongoing professional learning. A high-quality professional learning system regularly offers instructors and organization leaders  both structured and casual adult learning experiences that are well-planned and designed to construct deeper understandings of pedagogy, equitable and inclusive teaching practices, and important science concepts and science practices. Such a professional learning system increases staff retention and outcomes for students. But creating that system, implementing it over time, and evaluating if it is working is tricky! It involves developing an organizational culture of learning, wherein instructors are open to being challenged and push themselves and each other to improve their teaching skills and the design of student experiences; time for reflection and discussion; mentoring and coaching structures to support instructor growth; an evaluation plan; and more.

If your organization is struggling to make time for professional learning or encountering barriers when you do try, this course is for you. 

Questions? Reach out to environmentallearning@berkeley.edu. We’re happy to answer questions by email or set-up a time to talk.  

Details:

• Eligibility: The course is open to outdoor environmental learning organizations, with teams of up to three people per organization. To get the most value out of this course, individuals on your organization’s team should have decision-making responsibility for professional learning at your organization and an understanding of the educator experience. For this pilot round, we are accepting five organizations only.
• Session Dates:
  • Session dates & topics*:
    • April 10 | Session 1: Reflecting on Your Organization’s Current Professional Learning System
    • April 24 | Session 2: Exploring Best Practices in Teaching and Learning
    • May 8 | Session 3: Exploring Strategies for Professional Learning
    • May 29 | Session 4: Integrating Professional Learning into your Financial Plan
    • June 26 | Session 5: Sharing Feedback on Draft Professional Learning Plan
    • Aug 7 | Session 6: Addressing Common Barriers to Professional Learning
    • Aug 21 | Session 7: Sharing Plans and Reflecting on Learning
    • TBD | Individual Coaching: Each organization team will receive a 1 hour individual consultation, which can be scheduled anytime after Session 3.
  • Possible pre/post work for each session, up to 1 hour.
  • After Session 3 you will be asked to draft a professional learning plan for review and discussion during Session 5. Plan for synchronous and asynchronous time with your team to complete this task.
  • All sessions will run virtually from 10:00 AM–12:00 PM PST, including a 15-minute break.
    • *Session topics subject to change :) This is a pilot, after all.
• Cost: $500 per organization, includes all seven sessions and 1 hour of organization consultation.
  • This pilot course is being offered at a reduced rate. Future courses will be offered at a higher rate.
• Registration Process:
  • Organizations will be accepted on a first come/first serve basis, until we reach the maximum number of five organizations.
  • Organizations must submit an interest form. We will review each form and may reach out if we have any questions. Once your form is reviewed, we will send the link for registration. 

Our Sources

*We believe in citing our sources, even if it is just for a new course announcement! Some of the research we’re referencing includes:

Darling-Hammond, L., Wei, R. C., Andree, A., Richardson, N., & Orphanos, S. (2009). Professional learning in the learning profession. Washington, DC: National Staff Development Council.

Li, Y., & Krasny, M. E. (2019). Practice change in environmental education: Lessons from professional development. Environmental Education Research, 25(7), 1119–1136.

Tran, L. U., Werner-Avidon, M., & Newton, L. R. (2013). Successful professional learning for informal educators: What is it and how do we get there?. Journal of Museum Education, 38(3), 333-348.