Initiating a discussion of POBP
Groups (9) discussed the following issues.2
- Using a list of principles of best practice for teacher education programs,3 each group identified features that might be common to statements defining “principles of best practice?”
- Each group identified a topic area (e.g., Admissions? Curriculum? Capstone? Laboratories of Practice?) as a focal point for discussion of POBP. crafting a statement that could be used as an example of a POBP.
- Each group then crafted statement that could be used as an example of a POBP
- Each group identified an example of a program or activity that illustrated this POBP.
Features of a POBP statement
As outlined in Attachment 1, each group developed a set of ideas on what constituted a POBP. The list developed by group #2 seems to provide a concise summary of the ideas that were common to all groups. From their perspective a POBP would:
- Be generalizable
- Include measureable outcomes
- Be consistent with relevant and applicable standards
- Be clear and consistent
- Support equity, diversity, social justice
- Consider relevant research.
Examples of POBP statements
- Capstone Project. A capstone/dissertation design should begin with clear definitions of the goals for the experience and as a result include processes that are contextualized to the local setting, created in collaboration with participating stakeholders and reflexive to societal challenges. A capstone experience should also be a demonstration of students’ transformation as professional practitioners, recognizing themselves as members of both an intellectual community (research based) and a community of practice in their respective field.
- Capstone Project. EdD programs include summative, authentic, contextualized experience(s) that provide opportunities for students to demonstrate competencies that address all program outcomes.
- Capstone Project. Capstone experiences (1) are based on the expressed need from the field and of mutual benefit to all stakeholders; (2) result in a scholarly product that has consequential outcomes for practice, the candidate, and the program; (3) demonstrate deep expertise in consequential aspects of educational practice; (4) address consequential aspects of educational practice; (5) demonstrate a scholarly approach to identifying, inquiring into, proposing evidence-based solutions for, and evaluating outcomes for consequential problems of practice; (6) demonstrate learning that address problems of practice and yield consequences for the clinical venue, the student, and the program.
- Admissions. The admissions process identifies applicants who meet/exceed the academic capacity, life experience and commitment to rigorous study that supports student learning and continuous educational improvement
- Admissions. Admissions process (1) includes multiple and equitable admission criteria, (2) includes timely and transparent admission processes, and (3) relies on continuous quality evaluation and improvement.
- Laboratory of Practice. Laboratories of practice are characterized as (1) Progressive, embedded experiences across different contexts that socialize candidates to effective practice; (2) Embedded experiences in high performing environments that equip candidates to engage in continuous improvement that lead to signature educational outcomes.
- Laboratory of Practice. Laboratories of practice engage students in relevant and authentic problems of practice that are (1) complex (e.g., solutions are ambiguous, multiple ways to frame, issues of power); (2) require multiple sources of information to determine courses of action; (3) offer alternative solutions that provide students a feedback loop relevant to practice; and (4) are relative to standards.
- Community Partnerships. Dynamic reciprocal relationships with community stakeholder. Build on multiple perspectives and knowledge that lead to continuous improvement for preparation program and stakeholders’ organizations.
Notes from Group Discussions
Group 1
Defining POBP
- Shared concern, links to community of practice
- Setting goals
- Contextualizing
- Mapping backward
- What is difference between POBP and best practice? Principles are action
- Best practice (?) High leverage
- There is no one best way. Always look at context
- Assessment
- Vision (who owns it?)
- Standards – learning outcomes
- Who is involved
- How? Curriculum and Pedagogy
- Behavior – Practice
- Relationships – collaboration with stakeholders down to classroom
POBP Featured Criteria
- Collaborative/ multiple perspectives – level intg of stakeholders (?) (not top down, equal voices)
- Recognizes power structures (recognizable, can change)
- Robust, adaptable: Can move to different contexts
- *Transformative – ripple – on positive (on multiple levels)
- generative/ transformative
- ethical
- reflexive
POBP for Capstone design is…
- goal setting,
- context
- map backwards
- generates transformation – the type of project that qualifies for a capstone
- collaborative
- ethical
- shows student has learned
- impact on individual
- transforms thinking
- developmental
- complexity
- reflects larger system
Best Practice in Capstone Design
- A capstone/dissertation design should begin with clear definitions of the goals for the experience and as a result include processes that are contextualized to the local setting, created in collaboration with participating stakeholders and reflexive to societal challenges. A capstone experience should aloe a demonstration of students’ transformation as professional practitioners, recognizing themselves as members of both an intellectual community (research based) and a community of practice in their respective field.
Group 2
Program of study supports capstone/dissertation/thesis that is grounded in theory and real-world applications
Criteria:
- Generalizable
- Measureable outcomes
- Consistent with relevant and applicable standards
- Clear and consistent
- Supports equity, diversity, social justice
- Considers relevant research
Group 3
Features of a principle of best practice:
- Stated as (1) a characteristic and (2) a rationale or purpose
- Parallel construction
- Items are exclusive
- Items are comprehensive – they address all parts of the program and all constituents
- Items are conceptually cohesive
- Items are specific
- Items are clear
- Items are able to be evaluated
Program aspects that could be addressed: vision, content, curriculum, pedagogy, process, how you assess/evaluate
Principle of Best Practice.
Preamble: We discussed whether a capstone project (as currently conceptualized as a culminating product or event) was a best practice. We were divided on this.
- EdD programs include summative, authentic, contextualized experience(s) that provide opportunities for students to demonstrate competencies that address all program outcomes.
We don’t have an example yet. We realized that our summative assessments fulfill this principle partially but not fully (e.g., action research dissertation).
- Example: Action Research Dissertation (WSU).
- Identifying and analyzing an issue of practice
- Working collaboratively with stakeholders to address a POP
- Collecting and analyzing data
- Using appropriately rigorous methods
- Reflecting on leadership experiences related to action research procedures
The Action Research Dissertation fulfills some but all of WSU’s program’s outcomes. We were just beginning to discuss how this project fits and does not fit the above principle of best practice.
Group 4
Criterion for POBP
- Vision: Clear goal direction, location, specifics to be demonstrated
- Scaffolding – terms help practitioners to achieve it (designing the box ?)
- Integrity – focused with quality and attention to detail
- Explicitly written
- Stakeholders represented
- Based on exemplary programs
- Attainable – complex and challenging but attainable
- Knowledge and beliefs
TOPIC: ADMISSIONS
Principle: A process that identifies applicants who meet/exceed the academic capacity, life experience and commitment to rigorous study that supports student learning and continuous educational improvement
Group 5
What is a POBP?
- What should the qualifier be? Best? Effective? Exemplary? Promising? Just use POP.
- ç
Principle:
- Admissions: …multiple and equitable admission criteria, timely and transparent admission processes, and reliance on continuous quality evaluation and improvement.
Group 6
Criteria for POBP
- Empiric ally/evidence based
- Guide action
- Measureable
- Evaluative
- Link to outcomes
- Responsive to client field
Laboratory of Practice
- Progressive, embedded experiences across different contexts that socialize candidates to effective practice
- Embedded experiences in high performing environments that equip candidates to engage in continuous improvement that lead to signature educational outcomes.
Group 7
Characteristics of POBP
- Balance between abstract and general / general and specific
- Evidence based (empirical, professional knowledge)
- Defensible
- Signature characteristics of the area they are describing
- Evokes a set of actions and possibilities that can be locally differentiated
- Aspirational
- Statement of values
- Links to professional practice
PRINCIPLE:
- Dynamic reciprocal relationships with community stakeholder. Build on multiple perspectives and knowledge which lead to continuous improvement for preparation program and stakeholders’ organizations.
Example:
- Educational leaders from the community participate in course delivery
- Current students and graduates give feedback on their preparation which informs program design and course content
Group 8
In looking for commonality across the Darling-Hammond statements, we derived the following criteria for a statement of principle of best practice:
A key element of the program is identified.
The key element is briefly defined or explained.
The conditions under which the key element should be detectable is given.
There is expectation of action implied in the statement.
The statement is proscriptive rather than prescriptive.
The statement is a claim that requires evidence.
We did not reach a consensus of a statement, but here we are the drafts from which we were going to try to reach a consensual statement:
Capstone experiences are based on the expressed need from the field and of mutual benefit to all stakeholders, result in a scholarly product that has consequential outcomes for practice, the candidate, and the program.
Capstones demonstrate deep expertise in consequential aspects of educational practice.
Capstones address consequential aspects of educational practice.
Capstones demonstrate a scholarly approach to identifying, inquiring into, proposing evidence-based solutions for, and evaluating outcomes for consequential problems of practice.
Summative demonstrations of learning address problems of practice and yield consequences for the clinical venue, the student, and the program.
Group 9
What is a POBP?
- Relevant to professional role
- Based on well-defined standards
- Grounded in research (theoretical or action)
- Anchored in practice and grounded in professional knowledge
- Coherence (curricular and programmatic) toward ultimate goals of the program
- Implementable
- Owned by the faculty
- Measureable
Principle of Best Practice
- Labs of practice engage students in relevant and authentic problems of practice that are complex (e.g., solutions are ambiguous, multiple ways to frame, issues of power) and require multiple sources of information to determine courses of action and alternative solutions provide students a feedback loop relevant to practice and relative to standards.
