a Final Compilation
Designing the Course
Creating effective teacher professional development courses requires careful planning and consideration. To ensure meaningful learning experiences, the course design should be purposeful and aligned with the specific needs and goals of the teachers. My professional development course was creating for Kindergarten through Second grade elementary math teachers. It was created to help teachers work collaboratively in grade-level groups to develop a firm understanding of blended learning with a station rotation model in a math classroom. I used an asynchronous online approach where teachers will work over 5 days at a self-paced approach. This professional development course allows the teacher to be in control of the learning using Outcome Based education as the model. Teachers will be moved to deeper learning through hands-on projects and collaboration with their peers. The 3-column table and Course Outline will keep teachers focused and on track.
Course Implementation
Designing a course is only half of the process. It is important to know that the course created is going to provide teachers with the opportunities for ongoing support, feedback, and reflection that leads to long-term growth and success. The only way to know if the course will be a success is to implement it using a Learning Management System (LMS) that is easy to navigate and provides all of the components necessary for learning. For my course, I chose to use Canvas as my LMS. I chose this platform because elementary teachers in Texas are already familiar with Canvas from taking the mandatory Texas Reading Academy.
My district is implementing a new math curriculum this year and the move is to incorporate blended learning with math stations. As I developed this course, I had myself and my fellow teachers in mind. I wanted to create a course that I would benefit from taking myself, and hopefully other will, too.
Usability Testing Overview
Feedback from stakeholders plays a critical part in the success of a professional development course. I was able to get feedback from four stakeholders: my district’s Director of Elementary EdTech, my district’s K-5 Elementary Math Specialist, an elementary teacher from my district, and an elementary teacher from another district. I requested feedback from one of our district’s math instructional coaches but I did not get a response, which was most likely due to it being at the end of the summer vacation. In the future, I would probably reach out with phone calls as well as email messages.
The usability test was set up so that it would take the stakeholders approximately 30 minutes to complete. I emphasized this in my emails to them and stressed that they do not need to watch the videos in their entirety, but I did ask that they complete the Start Here module and look deeply into Module 1. According to the feedback, they followed the guidelines.
The usability test was set up so that it would take the stakeholders approximately 30 minutes to complete. I emphasized this in my emails to them and stressed that they do not need to watch the videos in their entirety, but I did ask that they complete the Start Here module and look deeply into Module 1. According to the feedback, they followed the guidelines.
Using the Feedback
Feedback is not effective unless it is put to use. Having stakeholder feedback has helped me to understand how my course would be perceived. It is a very different process to write a course through the mindset of being the instructor than it is being the teacher taking the course. Even after taking many PD sessions of my own, it was difficult to see through the lens of the teacher since I had created the course. Through the use of the feedback, I will create a welcome video speaking to the participants and giving detailed information on where to go for assistance. I did include contact information in the Start Here module, but I will also set up a link for a Webex or some other live video conference to help the teachers. I will also make it clear where to get help within Canvas if the teacher has never used it before.
Final Thoughts
Throughout the design, implementation, and usability process, I was able to structure a professional development course to help kindergarten through second grade teachers learn how to implement blended learning through stations rotations in the math classroom. A positive comment I received in my feedback from one of the my district’s math specialist was that our district could benefit from using my course. Another positive for my course was the feedback from two math teachers who reviewed the course as both stated they felt they could benefit from taking the course to learn more about blended learning. My hope is to continue to develop professional courses for teachers that will inspire relevant, ongoing learning that is collaborative, meaningful, and significant.
Blended Elementary 
