Evidence-based PD

 Colleagues: I'm wondering what evidence-based practices related to designing, implementing, and evaluating adult literacy professional development people are using. The key phrase is "evidence-based practices." That is, what practices are you using or are aware of others using which are based on some kind of professional wisdom or scientific research evidence for supporting the practice(s) as good educational practice in adult basic or adult secondary education (I am here not addressing ESOL). Thanks, Tom Sticht

Comments

Hi Tom, 

The i-Pathways team uses job embedded PD as one of our approaches to research based best practices. Participants need to take away from the trainining actual strategies that can be applied immediately in their teaching. We also offer follow up conversations and support in order to help teachers implement new practices into their teaching. 

By job embedded, I mean we provide training that is based in the participants daily experiences. The objective is to help teachers improve their content specific instructional practices which are tied to student learning. We present real world situations in our training and help our teachers create solutions that fit their program guidelines and teaching style. The continued support offered after the training ensures that teachers are able to continously learn. 

Kathy Tracey

Kathy, 

This makes sense to me. However, it doesn't answer Tom's question about whether or not the practice is evidence-based? I assume that here evidence-based refers to the U.S. Department of Education definition that includes practices based on (formal?) research and professional wisdom (as far as I know professional wisdom is not defined.)

I think Tom's question is important for this list. Are providers of adult education PD basing what they offer teachers on evidence-based practices? Since  we don't have mauch research in our field, perhaps the answer is only a little, but I wonder.

If you are a PD provider, and you base your PD on evidence as defined by the Department of Education, what evidence are you using? 

A lack of response could indicate, I suspect, a lack of availability of evidence upon which to base professional development practices. 

This CoP is called "Evidence Based Professional Development." Is that a description, a wish, or a statement of intent for the future? Why does only this CoP have "evidence-based" in its title? Isn't evidence-based important to many/most/all of the LINCS CoPs?

David J. Rosen

djrosen123@gmail.com 

Kathy, David, and All: I think I have read in the past that the association of professional developers had as one of its aims the promotion of the use of evidence-based practices in professional development. Kathy's response was an interesting description of what PD is like where she works. But David was correct in noting that it does not describe any evidence-based practices that PD people use in PD activities. What I am interested in is what the PD people consider to be evidence-based practices in ABE/ASE. Anybody teach about evidence-based practices in their PD?

Tom Sticht 

Hi Tom as well as others,

Can you give a definition of what evidence-based means?  Specifically, what are the criteria in determing that which constitutes an evidence-based practice?  Moreover, who is defining the terms; for what intents, and what are the presuppositions underlying what ultimately counts as evidence?

George Demetrion

 

George and all: The Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers and NCSALL sponsored a session at the COABE meeting of 2003 for which a PowerPoint presentation was prepared. According to the PowerPoint presentation, which was entitled “What is the role of professional development in evidence-based practice in adult education?”, the session was facilitated by  Beth Bingman, Susan Joyner and Cristine Smith. The presentation may be found on the AALPD web site under Publications. <?xml:namespace prefix = o />

In that presentation, the question is raised as to what counts as evidence-based practice? The slides for the PowerPoint go on to answer the questions as follows:

Grover (Russ) Whitehurst (Asst. Secretary of Ed, head of the Institute of Education Sciences) has said that evidence-based education is: The integration of professional wisdom with the best available empirical evidence in making decisions about how to deliver instruction.”[1] This quote can be viewed at http://www.ed.gov/offices/IES/speeches/evidencebase.html. COABE 2003 AALPD session:  Bingman, Joyner and Smith.  April 29, 2003, Portland, Oregon

The PowerPoint goes on to deal with the following questions and answers:

What is professional wisdom?

The judgment that individuals acquire through experience.

[cite for authority: Grover J. (Russ) Whitehurst, Assistant Secretary                                                                                                                                                                                                          Educational Research and Improvement, U.S.Dept of Education]

What is empirical evidence?

Scientifically based research from fields such as psychology, sociology, economics, and neuroscience, and especially from research in educational settings.

Objective measures of performance used to compare, evaluate, and monitor progress. 

[Cite for authority:  Grover J. (Russ) Whitehurst, Assistant Secretary Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Dept of Education]

Presumably, this is the definition of evidence-based which is referred to in the name of this discussion group. Beyond this, apparently each of us defines for ourselves what is acceptable evidence for the educational practices  we discusses in our professional development activities.  

Tom Sticht

 

 

Thanks Tom, much appreciated.

Whitehurst's definition leaves a grea deal open, to say nothing of the signiicance of the phrase "evidence-based" as a symbol for what precisely I am not yet sure; perhaps for a level of exertise and exactness for a field which defies such precision. At the very least, it's a clarion call for legitmacy; no doubt a worthy goal, but one that can as easily obfuscate as enlighten.

I do support calls for all the empirical evidence and all the professional wisdom that we can muster in support of our work, but when progress calls for evaluation in a matter that takes the "human factor" into consideration.  Many problematic issues can be raised including whether "progress" (a loaded word in itself) is evaluated from an absolute standard such as test scores and quantifiably-based check lists, or a more relative set of guidelines based upon less easily measured factors such as enhanced confidence in meeting print-based needs i home, work and community settings and increased parental concentration on a child's performance in school to other difficult to measure outcomes such as being motivated and modestly changed as a result of encountering an inspiring text.

These are issues that have been raised for decades. At the very least I bring them up to raise a few issues on Whitehirst's call for 'objective measures of performance used to compare, evaluate, and monitor progress"  as the goal standard of what is to be counted as the sum and total of legitimate, "professional wisdom" notwithstanding. I say ditch the notion of "professional wisdom" and argue the case on what counts as evidence.

Hi David, Tom, and All,

David, you asked:

“This CoP is called "Evidence Based Professional Development." Is that a description, a wish, or a statement of intent for the future? Why does only this CoP have "evidence-based" in its title? Isn't evidence-based important to many/most/all of the LINCS CoPs?”

This COP mirrors the name of the LINCS Resource Collection with which it is affiliated: http://lincs.ed.gov/professional-development/collection/search?tid[]=31 .  The change in name from “Professional Development” to “Evidence-based Professional Development” is not intended to restrict conversations only to those discussions about the evidence-base of professional development.  Rather, it is intended to encourage us to think more deeply and intentionally about the evidence-base in our practice as staff developers --- and the resources we develop and use to guide us in basing practice on evidence.

Certainly evidence-based is important to most if not all of the LINCS COPs.

Also, conversations around questions such as “What counts as evidence?” Or “Where do we need more evidence?” And “How can we assemble the evidence?” are all useful discussions to have in addition to discussing professional development methods and strategies. Some of this conversation is already occurring in this thread.

-- I’d also like to get yours/others thoughts on whether you would like for this EBPD Group to host a guest discussion on “evidence-based professional development”. Is this something the group would like for me to pursue? And if so, what kinds of questions do you want to explore and who do you recommend I invite as guests?

Jackie

 

Jackie Taylor

LINCS Evidence-based Professional Development Subject Matter Expert

Hi again, Tom,

When I was on the AALPD Board several years ago, we developed a Matrix of Methods for Professional Development that includes the following categories:

  • Professional Development Approaches
  • Examples of PD Methods that Fit Into Each Approach
  • Why You Might Use the Approach
  • Issues to Consider When Using the Approach
  • Theory and Research on Effectiveness of this Approach

The PD List gave input on the matrix as well. The approaches outlined here are used by many staff developers. I hope others will pitch in and share what they are currently doing in staff development regarding any of these approaches.

http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/PDMethodsMatrix

I'm also glad to update the matrix based on feedback posted in response here.

Thanks and have a great day or evening!

Jackie Taylor

LINCS EBPD Subject Matter Expert