Personal Professional Learning

Overview – The Personal Professional Learning Micro-Credential involves the school principal’s demonstration of the ability to engage, apply and expand knowledge, skills, and best practices for advancement of teaching and learning activities; actively engage in professional networks to increase their knowledge; and provide strategies, implementation timelines, evaluation, and monitoring processes to establish best practices for personal professional learning which lead to increased learning, development of new skills, and improvement in teaching and learning. A school is a learning environment and, as such, it is appropriate that the principal be the “lead learner.” It enables principals to continually develop and deepen the knowledge and skills they need to address the ongoing, changing needs of the teachers, staff and students in their school while acting as an example for all learners.

Essential Outcomes – Personal Professional Learning includes the following three identified essential outcomes:

1. Expands knowledge, skills, and best practices for improving teaching and learning.
2. Actively engages in professional networks as a means for increasing learning and developing new skills.
3. Provides a plan with strategies, implementation timelines, evaluation, and monitoring processes to establish best practices in professional learning.

Requirements

Part 1 – Overview Questions

Develop a responsive narrative that answers the following questions (1,000-word minimum):

1. What research-based professional development opportunities have you engaged in to expand your knowledge, skills and best practices to be an effective instructional leader in your school? Which professional development have you found to be most effective and why?
2. In which local, regional, and national professional networks do you participate to gain knowledge, skills and experiences related to your school’s needs? Which have been the most valuable and why?
3. How have you monitored and what are your future plans to monitor the effectiveness of your professional learning? What has been the overall impact of your personal professional learning on your school’s improvement and progress?

Part 2 – Skill Demonstration Product with Self-Analysis

Develop an artifact portfolio that captures the essential outcomes for the Personal Professional Learning Micro-Credential and complete the evidence self-analysis.

For each EO detail you will be required to reference an uploaded artifact(s) and guide the assessor to the specific evidence (page number, video time stamp, etc.) within the uploaded artifact(s). An explanation of how the evidence demonstrates proficiency of the outcome detail is also required. The practitioner must clearly and compellingly demonstrate proficiency of every detail under each essential outcome.

Part 3 – Reflection and Application

Submit, in writing, a summary of your experience of Personal Professional Learning Micro-Credential from the Innovative Leadership (500-word minimum) to highlight and provide specific examples of how you applied the three components of Personal Professional Learning Micro-Credential. This could include topics covered and a description of personal professional learning as it relates to instructional leadership and your school needs. Include a reflection about the impact of this skill on your professional practice and how you will continue to apply it in the future.