Introduction
Connected Learner: Leaders model and promote continuous professional learning for themselves and others.
A training plan Only with resources, materials and content does not apply to individuals effectively. As educational leaders, they must identify why professional training is always working among groups of people. The instructor should be able to handle multiple targets and different audience groups at one time, and they must be able to connect all learning contents to the learners seamlessly. The ISTE standard 5 clearly demonstrates the idea of education leaders’ ability to utilize and unite the capable resource and skills for a better learning outcome.
In the 21st century, the learning environment has been making significant improvements in many aspects, from introducing digital tools to investing high tech products (AI and VR supporting learning, etc.) boost the demand for professional training and skill learning projects. The recognition process never stops throughout human life, and that is why people keep absorbing and obtaining new information and knowledge. This fact brings three questions that a professional trainer should address. Fontana stated, “The cognitive approach … holds that if we are to understand learning we cannot confine ourselves to observable behaviour, but must also concern ourselves with the learner’s ability mentally to re-organize his psychological field (i.e., his inner world of concepts, memories, etc.) in response to experience.” (P. 148)
When should we hold a professional training event? Skills and knowledge need update to meet the requirements from the developing world, which means the PD sessions should be constantly held on different occasions for various field practices. When budget and resources are not an issue, education leaders could frequently implement the practical system to engage the participants. The more training the participants accept, the more prepared they will obtain. Whether the participants are teachers or administrative officers, it is the education leader’s responsibility to gather them and help them stay connected. From the perspective of time, those training sessions help the trainee to be synchronized and united.
Professional training has a much more critical role than before within the educational system. Teachers and students are struggling with the change from a traditional learning environment to a digital one. If teachers are not prepared to embrace those significant changes in their careers, they will help their students survive the circumstance. Meanwhile, various digital tools and applications are waiting for education leaders to define and share. According to ISTE standard 5, it is the education leaders’ responsibility to ensure the system and technology support the learning environment ideally. It is also their job to help other educators adapt to the new environment seamlessly. Therefore, professional training provides a platform to fulfill the duty and contributes to uniting connected learners.
Reference
Figure 1, Retrieved from https://www.nexus-education.com/14-things-great-educational-leaders-should-do-more/
Fontana, D. (1981) Psychology for Teachers London: Macmillan/British Psychological Society
ISTE. (2020). ISTE Standards for Education Leaders. Retrieved June 30, 2021, from https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-education-leaders