DIIMSA Learning Communities
The National Staff Development Council (NSDC) states that: (1) Staff development that improves the learning of all students organizes adults into learning communities whose goals are aligned with those of the school and district; and (2) Staff development that improves the learning of all students requires resources to support adult learning and collaboration. (Source: nsdc.org)
DIIMSA teacher professional development experiences are designed to build capacity by focusing on collaborative Professional Learning Communities of DIIMSA teachers, specialists and liaisons (DIIMSA Cohorts). DIIMSA professional development experiences are practice-based, ongoing and designed to assist DIIMSA Cohorts in the integration of learned methods and strategies into the curriculum, its alignment with student learning goals, and its use for engaged learning projects. Doing this coincides with the characteristics of effective professional development using professional learning communities.
Unique Communities of Practice
DIIMSA promotes teams of teachers with a common vision of student learning needs and a desire to enhance their skills and knowledge in order to improve student achievement. The DIIMSA Cohort approach provides a way for participants to gain new strategies, test ideas, and collaborate with other DIIMSA Cohorts for ways to enhance classroom teaching. Doing this provides opportunities for:
(1) active learning;
(2) obtaining updated and relevant instructional content;
(3) connecting content and pedagogy;
(4) joint lesson planning, problem-solving and reflections; and
(5) peer networking and collaboration.
DIIMSA Cohorts continuously meet in professional learning communities to review and reflect on the effectiveness of learned methods and strategies. Select DIIMSA Cohorts serve leadership roles in the district to focus on the goals for school improvement in conjunction with curriculum departments. At the school level, DIIMSA Cohorts also take collective responsibility for the learning of students for participating cohort members. Typical responsibilities include: assisting in reviewing curriculum objectives that students are required to master; critiquing and planning more effective projects, activities and lessons; observing varying classroom implementations; and critiquing student works/artifacts. Cohorts then meet with DIIMSA professional development facilitators to garner more content, strategies, article alerts and discuss ways to further extend DIIMSA. At the district level, DIIMSA Cohorts and professional development providers involve administrators into the learning community as a way to provide understanding and instructional leadership for DIIMSA Cohorts. These administrators assist in the review of DIIMSA effectiveness including data analysis as feedback is provided to DIIMSA Cohorts.
Participants are recruited from each school to receive DIIMSA training. The principal must approve the participation of the teachers in DIIMSA and pledge to support them in the implementation of DIIMSA with their students and provide them with needed resources. This school team forms a learning community at their school which coincides with district DIIMSA Cohort members (all DIIMSA participants collaborating across school boundaries). Team members incorporate what they learn in training sessions and collaborate on DIIMSA experiences, which requires them to address their students’ needs and their unique learning environment. Each team working collaboratively with building administrators establishes times where they will meet for the purposes of reviewing teaching plans, sharing ideas, reporting on progress, reviewing student progress, and preparing DIIMSA status reports.
Ongoing Support
In addition to meetings and sessions, DIIMSA Cohorts have access to the DIIMSA online Experience-Based Digital Imagery Content Repository and Forum (DIIMSA-EXPERT) site 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Doing this provides users with various opportunities to participate in regional, state and national networks using VisualRealization.com’s enewsletter, correspondence of electronic email, blog authoring and forum posts.
