Web Based Professional Learning: What to ExpectMay 2020

Aim In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and as a central feature of the National Approach to Professional Learning (NAPL), to provide guidance on how to develop effective web-based professional learning.

The intention is to develop effective web-based professional learning for leaders, teachers and TAs, to access throughout the period of school closures. This is set in the context that the number one priority is to keep children and staff safe in a very challenging environment, where the National Curriculum has been suspended and schools are continuing to offer a programme of effective distance learning for all students.

Some, but not all, staff will welcome the opportunity to access professional learning during this time and there should be material available to support them. In the first instance PL will focus on ensuring all staff develop their distance learning skills to ensure they can engage with their learners effectively. Staff who are currently on PL programmes can, if appropriate to their personal/school circumstances, continue this learning. However, provision will also be made for these staff to pause learning and complete this when appropriate to do so. The provision and the impact of it will be reviewed as the term progresses as it is essential to maintain staff wellbeing during this time.

Definition Web-based learning refers to the type of learning that uses the Internet as an instructional delivery tool to carry out various learning activities. In pure online learning, the curriculum and learning are implemented online without physical face-to-face meetings between the instructor and the students. Web-based learning consists of instruction programs using attributes and resources of the Web to create a meaningful learning and interactive environment.

https://www.igi-global.com/dictionary/understanding-underlying-constructs-webquests/32418

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Characteristics

The characteristics of effective web-based professional learning are characterised below: 1. Support wellbeing: Professional learning needs should be a flexible program to accommodate busy schedules, and

accept the fact that personal obligations might obstruct the learning process.

2. Allow for self-direction: Professional learners should have control over their learning.

3. Be practical to apply and results orientated: Professional learners need information that is applicable to their professional needs; this should improve their skills, facilitate their work and boost their confidence.

4. Integrate change management: Designers of professional learning need to provide the “why” behind the professional learning so that new concepts that can be linked to already established ones and promote the need to explore.

5. Support integrative knowledge: The depth of learning tends to increase over time in developing new knowledge and skills. Professional learning should take account of this.

6. Develop and promote criticality: Web-based professional learning should support professional learners to absorb information in engaging ways, not memorise it.

7. Develop personal knowledge: Where possible, opportunities should be developed to encourage discussion and sharing, and generally create a learning community consisting of people who can interact.

8. Be high quality: All web-based professional learning must be mindful that adults will have high expectations, it needs to be relevant and problem centred.

https://elearningindustry.com/8-important-characteristics-of-adult-learners

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The National Approach to Web-based Professional Learning All web based professional learning should adhere to the principles of the NAPL.

The national approach was launched in 2018, creating a professional learning vision fit for the evolving education system in Wales which includes web-based professional learning. Curriculum for Wales calls on all practitioners to think afresh about what they teach, how they teach and about what we want young people to be as well as to learn. Leaders and teachers are being afforded higher levels of autonomy and agency in schools and classrooms, and with this comes the need to develop new skills and approaches.

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The professional learner is near the centre of our national approach. Web-based PL should be intended and designed to be a personalised response to individual professional learners’ needs, taking into account their experiences and aspirations. PL providers must select the most appropriate forms of web-based PL for their intended audiences.

The school, regional and national context define the priorities for web–based professional learning.

School – the nature of the cohort and community, the opportunities and challenges to the school, school-level skills and expertise.

Regional – priorities defined by the regional consortia and their LAs.

National – national priorities in curriculum reform as defined by the key priorities in the national mission.

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The eight interconnected elements refer to:

• Pedagogy – the design of web-based and other forms of PL • PLO and time – how professionals use the time allocated to them and how

the middle tier expresses its web-based offer • Accreditation – formal web/non-web-based qualifications e.g. NPQH • The Professional Standards form the basis of the PL curriculum • Collaborative networks whether virtual or actual act as the human and social

infrastructure for PL experiences • The On-line Individual Professional Learning Journey professional

entitlement • The Learning Organisation is the institutional frame in which professionals

work and encompasses all web-based learning • The PL blend refers to the blend of instructional, research, peer and

e-learning that best fits the learner and the area of work

Evidence and Impact of web-based learning

PL is premised and designed on the basis of evidence for its need – a wide range of sources are available at individual, school, regional and national level.

Impact is the change we bring about in practice, and the effect this has on learning experiences and outcomes and needs to be evidenced as part of PL design.

An effective PL process, whatever its web-based design, intent or outcomes, starts with evidence of need, sets out intended impact, determines the changes, and specifies the impact of these on learning and outcomes.

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The Professional Learning Journey

The professional learning journey has been developed to help guide schools through the structural and professional learning aspects of preparing for Curriculum for Wales. helps you find your way through the different models for professional learning and plan your own school’s journey. With many different models and approaches available, as well as significant developments also underway in projects such as the national pedagogy project, the national evaluation and improvement resource, further development with schools as learning organisations and support for designing the curriculum, the professional learning journey is a way of linking the professional learning around these into one area, providing links to more detail from this web page. A trailer video for the professional learning journey can be found here.

The professional learning journey directly incorporates these models and approaches at its core. • Schools as learning organisations. • The national approach to professional learning. • The cross regional support programme. Some of the playlist resources have already been published and are hosted on a holding page on Hwb.

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Planning Professional Web-Based Learning: Questions for School Leaders 1. Does the intended web-based professional learning have a clear sense of purpose and audience? Does it reflect the

learning needs at the specific stage of leadership development e.g. teacher leadership, teaching assistants, senior leader?

2. Has the web-based learning been designed appropriately for the intended audience?

3. Does the online learning give scope for the learner to approach the learning with autonomy?

4. Is the web-based learning practical and does it have a clear impact for the learner?

5. Is there a clear rationale for including new knowledge and experiences into a particular online learning programme?

6. Does the intended web-based learning build on prior understanding and offer opportunities to develop in depth over time by revisiting prior learning?

7. Does the web-based learning facilitate the opportunity for learners to collaborate and/or create networks with each other where appropriate?

8. Has the wellbeing of the professional learners been considered in the design?

9. Has the design of web-based learning been carefully chosen to ensure a high quality product that is purposeful and relevant?

10. Is the web-based learning measurable in its impact on the professional learner and where appropriate the pupils they teach?

11. Is the professional learning sustainable beyond the specific delivery?

12. Is there linguistic equity of access?