Introduction to the PDP Inquiry into Professional Practice

Introduction to the PDP Inquiry into Professional Practice

What is a PDP l Professional Development Project l AKA: Action Research l Research on the effectiveness of specific teaching practices l Answers the question “How do you know X works? ”

Three styles of PDP l Testing the effectiveness of specific practice l Recounting the journey to answer a particular question l Measuring the differential effectiveness of a particular unit (similar to practicum assignment)

Path 1: Test the effectiveness of a specific practice l Focus is on one teaching or management technique l Data is typically quantitative or a mix of quantitative and qualitative l Typical question: What effect does cooperative groups have on student achievement?

Path 2: Recount the journey to answer a particular question l Focus is on several teaching or management technique l Data is typically qualitative or a mix of quantitative and qualitative l Typical question: What classroom management techniques work best for me?

Path 3: Measuring the differential effectiveness of a unit l Focus is on a single unit l Data is typically quantitative or a mix of quantitative and qualitative l Typical question: Which students understood and which did not understand photosynthesis (or adding rational expressions)?

Whichever path you take remember… l You will need multiple (>=3) sources of data l The focus is on you and your actions l A negative result is still a result (so…) l Taking what you learned and strategizing how you are going to change your teaching is the most important element of the PDP