3.5.11 Professional Learning Experiences That Support Growth Stages

This session chronicles professional learning experiences from the first day “newbie” to a seasoned gifted facilitator considering PhD studies. Whether a certified general or special education teacher located in an urban, suburban or rural location, everyone begins at “Go” as they transition from hard-earned professional reputations and well-supplied classrooms into “broom closet” resource rooms in the exhilarating experience of the K-12 gifted facilitator. Written from an “I’ve walked in your shoes” perspective, this session provides guidance for newbies as they balance graduate coursework, family responsibilities and new job responsibilities through on-going professional development applicable for elementary, middle and high school levels. This chapter details a day in the life at the micro moment-by-moment decision-making level to the macro coming out the other side perspective of the seasoned gifted facilitator looking further down the road at PhD studies. The session approaches professional learning as a journey from a bird’s eye perspective that begins with advanced program credentialing as teachers gain identity, purpose and competence as gifted facilitators. Presenters describe the person of a teacher who transitions through the process of advanced program credentialing into the seasoned professional with horizons yet to achieve as the product. Drawing on anecdotal experiences as a credentialed, experienced teacher and parent of a gifted child who completed graduate coursework, one presenter worked as a K-12 gifted facilitator in the state’s largest school district prior to directing an advanced degree program in Gifted Education. The presenter teaches four graduate gifted courses, supervises K-6/6-12 practica at two levels, advises 60-80 graduate students, and mentors more than 200 alumni working as gifted facilitators. The presenters discuss support for graduates, alumni and colleagues who enter and complete PhD programs. The session embeds a depth and width of program knowledge gained from writing state and national program accreditation reports, serving as the lead reviewer for NAGC SPA accreditation program reviews (approximately 30 institutions) and leading state accreditation teams for gifted program reviews (4 institutions). The session differs from other professional learning as it essentially weaves together the person, process and product of professional development typically experienced in a wide variety of settings into a composite image of the seasoned K-12 gifted facilitator. Attendees will examine professional learning experiences for themselves and their colleagues through the lens of lifecycle stages of newbie (0-2 years), experienced (3-5 years), and seasoned (five years or more years).

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