AITSL Standard 6: Engage in Professional Learning
(AITSL, 2011)
The personal learning network (PLN) is the social learning space which "consist of people, spaces, and tools that support professional growth" and is extended through social ICT (Krutka, Carpenter, & Trust, 2017, p.2). When constructing a PLN, educators reflect on their own context, professional interests and personal learning goals (Oddone, 2019).
When accessing a PLN for professional learning educators accept that knowledge is distributed and socially constructed in a network of interconnecting nodes or 'knowledge holders'. It is important to remember that the nodes in ones PLN may not always be people; sometimes they are a repository of information, such as a book, or a website, or a curated list; but somewhere, behind this, generally still remains a person or group of people. (Mackley, 2014).
Effective teachers are lifelong learners and in the development of a rich PLN means that knowledge is able to be quickly and efficiently accessed at the time which they require it - or teachers can connect with several nodes of knowledge simultaneously to create new understanding.
When accessing a PLN for professional learning educators accept that knowledge is distributed and socially constructed in a network of interconnecting nodes or 'knowledge holders'. It is important to remember that the nodes in ones PLN may not always be people; sometimes they are a repository of information, such as a book, or a website, or a curated list; but somewhere, behind this, generally still remains a person or group of people. (Mackley, 2014).
Effective teachers are lifelong learners and in the development of a rich PLN means that knowledge is able to be quickly and efficiently accessed at the time which they require it - or teachers can connect with several nodes of knowledge simultaneously to create new understanding.
Standard 6.1
Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in identifying professional learning needs. Standard 6.3
Seek and apply constructive feedback from supervisors and teachers to improve teaching practices. |
Standard 6.2
Understand the relevant and appropriate sources of professional learning for teachers. Standard 6.4
Demonstrate an understanding of the rationale for continued professional learning and the implications for improved student learning. |
Nature and Purpose of a Personal Learning Network
Creating My Personal Learning Network (PLN)
As humans cognitively develop we subconsciously begin developing a PLN; gathering and developing valuable social repositories of knowledge from which we can sporadically draw from. Traditionally, our childhood PLN was constrained spatially and had close family occupying the learning nodes. As we develop into professional adults our PLN's propagate and, in recent years, have been able to adopt a transnational scale through the leveraging of social media tools.
On reflection, the creation of the above mind map revealed both the scale of the resources which I have at my disposal and the areas in my network that need to be actively developed (Professional Development Pathways). Reflecting on the relative strength between nodes also demonstrated to me that although I have preferred sources for developing my own knowledge, I must maintain all of the nodes within my network or risk descending into a professional knowledge acquisition echo chamber.
The Influence of My PLN on Pedagogical Practice
As the Mathers of Teaching program enters its final stages and I reflect on how my approach to pedagogical practice has been moulded by the friends I have made, the stories I have been told and the theory I have discovered it is clear that the summative effects of my PLN has been profound. From the recognition of the role that my own schooling has played in the validation of my own western-influenced sense of self and the importance of critical, cultural reflection in allowing me to both understand and recognise that, as teachers, “we teach who we are” (Palmer, 1998) and the need to ensure that “who we are” does not contribute to the underachievement of those in our classrooms who, as Howard states, are not like us (Howard, 2003).
Through my PLN I have also been presented with pedagogical tools aimed at creating an egalitarian classroom environment which celebrates the notion of ‘otherness’ and embraces this diversity as a means to establish a positive, safe classroom environment where students and teachers can engage in challenging and transformative conversations.
In my role as a professional educator I will continue to develop my PLN as a way of both staying up to date with pedagogical best practices and utilising the vast trove of resources that is creates. Through my own YouTube channel I am also contributing back to any other educators who look to me as a source of pedagogical inspiration and have been so kind as to add me to their PLN.
Throughout my degree my PLN has been invaluable in developing my proficiency in the use of ICT. By leveraging social media applications such as FaceBook, Pinterest and Instagram I have been able to access the support I needed to better integrate digital resources into what used to be a very 'old fashioned' pedagogical style.
Future Plans for My PLN
As I develop as an educator I believe my PLN will naturally grow as I add new experiences, colleagues and resources to my network. By actively involving myself in groups such as MAWA, I intend to participate in as many professional development experiences as I can and develop my PLN further.
The future direction of my PLN will be far from passive. I believe that in order for my network to be of any use in either the sourcing of resources or the identification of future professional development opportunities they need to be actively curated to ensure that any time invested in professional development will have a direct and immediate impact on the quality of teaching I am able to provide.
Finally, I believe that effective teaching and reflective practice are simply different sides of the same coin. Through the development of a rich PLN I hope to be able to quickly access the contextual knowledge I need or link to several learning nodes to create a new personal understanding.
As humans cognitively develop we subconsciously begin developing a PLN; gathering and developing valuable social repositories of knowledge from which we can sporadically draw from. Traditionally, our childhood PLN was constrained spatially and had close family occupying the learning nodes. As we develop into professional adults our PLN's propagate and, in recent years, have been able to adopt a transnational scale through the leveraging of social media tools.
On reflection, the creation of the above mind map revealed both the scale of the resources which I have at my disposal and the areas in my network that need to be actively developed (Professional Development Pathways). Reflecting on the relative strength between nodes also demonstrated to me that although I have preferred sources for developing my own knowledge, I must maintain all of the nodes within my network or risk descending into a professional knowledge acquisition echo chamber.
The Influence of My PLN on Pedagogical Practice
As the Mathers of Teaching program enters its final stages and I reflect on how my approach to pedagogical practice has been moulded by the friends I have made, the stories I have been told and the theory I have discovered it is clear that the summative effects of my PLN has been profound. From the recognition of the role that my own schooling has played in the validation of my own western-influenced sense of self and the importance of critical, cultural reflection in allowing me to both understand and recognise that, as teachers, “we teach who we are” (Palmer, 1998) and the need to ensure that “who we are” does not contribute to the underachievement of those in our classrooms who, as Howard states, are not like us (Howard, 2003).
Through my PLN I have also been presented with pedagogical tools aimed at creating an egalitarian classroom environment which celebrates the notion of ‘otherness’ and embraces this diversity as a means to establish a positive, safe classroom environment where students and teachers can engage in challenging and transformative conversations.
In my role as a professional educator I will continue to develop my PLN as a way of both staying up to date with pedagogical best practices and utilising the vast trove of resources that is creates. Through my own YouTube channel I am also contributing back to any other educators who look to me as a source of pedagogical inspiration and have been so kind as to add me to their PLN.
Throughout my degree my PLN has been invaluable in developing my proficiency in the use of ICT. By leveraging social media applications such as FaceBook, Pinterest and Instagram I have been able to access the support I needed to better integrate digital resources into what used to be a very 'old fashioned' pedagogical style.
Future Plans for My PLN
As I develop as an educator I believe my PLN will naturally grow as I add new experiences, colleagues and resources to my network. By actively involving myself in groups such as MAWA, I intend to participate in as many professional development experiences as I can and develop my PLN further.
The future direction of my PLN will be far from passive. I believe that in order for my network to be of any use in either the sourcing of resources or the identification of future professional development opportunities they need to be actively curated to ensure that any time invested in professional development will have a direct and immediate impact on the quality of teaching I am able to provide.
Finally, I believe that effective teaching and reflective practice are simply different sides of the same coin. Through the development of a rich PLN I hope to be able to quickly access the contextual knowledge I need or link to several learning nodes to create a new personal understanding.
References
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership 2011, Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, AITSL, Melbourne
Canva (2012). Mindmap. www.canva.com/
Course Hero (2011). Symbolab. https://www.symbolab.com/
Desmos. (n.d.). Desmos Classroom Activities. https://teacher.desmos.com/
Howard, T. C. (2003). Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: Ingredients for Critical Teacher Reflection. Theory into Practice.
Morris, K. (2018). Step 1: What Is A PLN? – Courses & PD. Teacherchallenge.edublogs.org. Retrieved 27 March 2022, from https://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/pln-define/#Video_What_is_A_PLN.
Oddone, K. (2019). Understanding Personal Learning Networks: Foundations to Linking, Stretching and Amplifying — National Education Summit. National Education Summit. Retrieved 28 March 2022, from https://nationaleducationsummit.com.au/nes-blog/personal-learning-networks-foundations.
Palmer, P. J. (1998). The courage to teach : exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Pegrum, M. (2022). PLNs. Mark Pegrum. Retrieved 27 March 2022, from https://markpegrum.com/overview-of-digital-learning/plns/
Quizizz Inc. (2015). Quizizz. Quizizz Inc. https://quizizz.com
SchoolCurriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) (n.d.). School Curriculum and Standards Authority. https://scsa.wa.edu.au/
Richardson, W., & Mancabelli, R. (2011). Personal learning networks: Using the power of connections to transform education. Moorabbin, Australia: Hawker Brownlow.
Trust, T., Krutka, D. G., & Carpenter, J. P. (2016). “Together we are better”: Professional learning networks for teachers. Computers & Education, 102, 15-34. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.06.007
Trust, T., Carpenter, J., & Krutka, D. (2017). Moving beyond silos: professional learning networks in higher education. The Internet And Higher Education, 35, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2017.06.001
Whitby, T. (2013). How Do I Get a PLN?. Edutopia. Retrieved 25 March 2022, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-do-i-get-a-pln-tom-whitby.
Canva (2012). Mindmap. www.canva.com/
Course Hero (2011). Symbolab. https://www.symbolab.com/
Desmos. (n.d.). Desmos Classroom Activities. https://teacher.desmos.com/
Howard, T. C. (2003). Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: Ingredients for Critical Teacher Reflection. Theory into Practice.
Morris, K. (2018). Step 1: What Is A PLN? – Courses & PD. Teacherchallenge.edublogs.org. Retrieved 27 March 2022, from https://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/pln-define/#Video_What_is_A_PLN.
Oddone, K. (2019). Understanding Personal Learning Networks: Foundations to Linking, Stretching and Amplifying — National Education Summit. National Education Summit. Retrieved 28 March 2022, from https://nationaleducationsummit.com.au/nes-blog/personal-learning-networks-foundations.
Palmer, P. J. (1998). The courage to teach : exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Pegrum, M. (2022). PLNs. Mark Pegrum. Retrieved 27 March 2022, from https://markpegrum.com/overview-of-digital-learning/plns/
Quizizz Inc. (2015). Quizizz. Quizizz Inc. https://quizizz.com
SchoolCurriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) (n.d.). School Curriculum and Standards Authority. https://scsa.wa.edu.au/
Richardson, W., & Mancabelli, R. (2011). Personal learning networks: Using the power of connections to transform education. Moorabbin, Australia: Hawker Brownlow.
Trust, T., Krutka, D. G., & Carpenter, J. P. (2016). “Together we are better”: Professional learning networks for teachers. Computers & Education, 102, 15-34. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.06.007
Trust, T., Carpenter, J., & Krutka, D. (2017). Moving beyond silos: professional learning networks in higher education. The Internet And Higher Education, 35, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2017.06.001
Whitby, T. (2013). How Do I Get a PLN?. Edutopia. Retrieved 25 March 2022, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-do-i-get-a-pln-tom-whitby.