When it comes to professional learning in education, it can seem that there’s rarely enough time or funding to go around. That’s why making the most of the resources available is a must, and that’s where we come in! Although it’s important to take a breather this summer and have a well-deserved break, we want to give you a little incentive to keep doing what you do best. Effective professional learning within Health and Physical Education can impact student learning, but with competing priorities and different learning styles, the time and energy to read a 7,000-word research article might not be there. Let Ophea translate the knowledge for you this summer. Sit back, relax, plug in your headphones, and listen to the recorded professional learning opportunities a part of our Summer Viewing List.
Professional Learning Benefits the Educator and the Student
If we have learned anything this past year, it’s that flexibility, adaptability, and continuous learning are essential components of a successful school year. This past year has highlighted the need to continue growing professionally while also taking care of you, so that we can continue to meet our students where they’re at to the best of our abilities. Ongoing professional development creates a culture of learning which transmits to our students; it keeps us connected to best practices which promotes greater student success.1;2 What’s great about the Summer Viewing List is that you will have access to a culture of learning at your fingertips and at your own convenience between our free webinars and our @OpheaCanada online community.
“Teachers matter more to student achievement than any other aspect of schooling”.3 Yes – YOU play a huge role in student success. Let’s expand on that a bit. Not only do individual characteristics, socioeconomic status, and previous school experiences play a major role in student achievement, but teacher’s knowledge and ability to meet their students’ various needs while doing so in an environment that is physically and emotionally safe, student-centered, holistic, and relevant to students lives plays a major role too.
Evidence-based, quality professional development can help educators acquire more effective instructional procedures and scientifically researched-based strategies that will better help students meet particular learning goals.4 Professional development can help us think innovatively inside and outside our fields. With professional development, we can actively seek new ideas that either challenge or confirm our pedagogical notions and what we think to be best teaching and learning practices.4 When we continue learning and become excited about learning, that excitement translates into our classroom.
Pillars of Professional Development
Professional development can be ineffective if not delivered properly which is why we’ve designed this Summer Viewing List with key pillars of success in mind.5 Ophea’s webinars are well-equipped with evidence-based practices and experts from the field. The methods and practices you’ll learn have been tried and tested by educators across Ontario! Available free, online, and at your convenience we communicate evidence-based practices using plain language. These webinars are designed to be efficient, because your time is precious to us. According to Bautista and Ortega-Ruiz, “high-quality professional development” is guided by the following pillars5:
- The professional development is not a one-off event.
- Teachers are involved in a community of learning.
- The professional development provides teachers with a deeper understanding of content knowledge (i.e., the professional development is specifically linked to H&PE practices).
- The professional development contains specific pedagogical strategies suited to meet the students where they’re at.
- The professional development offers opportunities to engage in exploration, reflection, and discussion.
- There is sustained follow-up support after completion of the professional development.
With the online community we’ve created together with educators across Ontario on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, we’re here to support you and each other in these trying times. Between our webinars, e-learning opportunities, and online communities, you’ll notice many of these pillars are true. Moreover, Ophea believes that “physical activity is a vehicle for learning”, one of the 5 fundamental principles of H&PE.6 So, this summer if you’re feeling inspired, Ophea challenges you to engage with others in the H&PE community by sharing stories, lessons, resources, activity ideas, and more on #WebinarWednesday's!
To our Ophea family: We appreciate and thank you for all that you do to support Ontario Students. Please remember to take care of you this summer. Feel free to check-out Ophea’s Summer Viewing List and commit to lifelong learning! There are so many ways to extend our learning and strengthen our connections through bringing the H&PE curriculum to life every day.
1Mizell, H. (2010). Why Professional Development Matters. https://learningforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/professional-deve....
2Lakehead University. (n.d.). Why Take Professional Development Courses? Lakehead University Education. https://www.lakeheadu.ca/programs/departments/education/pd/why-take-pd-c....
3Opper, I. M. (n.d.). Understanding Teachers' Impact on Student Achievement. RAND Education and Labour Corporation. https://www.rand.org/education-and-labor/projects/measuring-teacher-effe....
4Holloway, J. H. (2006). Connecting Professional Development To Student Learning Gains. ERIC Institute of Education Sciences . https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ773253.pdf.
5Bautista, A. & Ortega-Ruiz, R. (2015). Teacher Professional Development: International Perspectives and Approaches. Psychology, Society & Education. 7. 343-355. 10.25115/psye.v7i3.1020.
6Ophea. (2016). Physical Activity as the Vehicle for Learning. Physical Activity as the Vehicle for Learning | Ophea Teaching Tools. https://teachingtools.ophea.net/supplements/all-about-hpe/fundamental-pr....