Explain the process of identifying your PoP. Be specific.

Once a week, I get together with my fellow PDC’s on the Leadership and Administration team here at DIEEC. I should make mention that “PDC” is an acronym for “Professional Development Coordinator” and “DIEEC” is an acronym for “Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood” (I use ALOT of acronyms at work!). Our meetings rotate from in-person to Zoom call, depending on the week and we spend most of our time discussing projects we are currently working on as well as our book study on Blended Coaching. This week, I asked the team what they felt our biggest issue was as a unit. Thier response came as no surprise. All three of us agreed that the lack of enrollment in our PLE’s (Professional Learning Experiences) is our biggest struggle.

Whom did you speak to about this issue?

I have two colleagues on the Leadership and Administration team, Val and Niki.

How is it grounded in your professional setting?

Enrollment in our PLE’s is a huge aspect of our work as well as our work contract. Our enrollment lets us know what PLE’s are popular/in demand/in need by our audience which is comprised of childcare center-based programs, center-based directors/administrators/curriculum coordinators and family childcare owners. In contrast, it also lets us know which PLE’s to consider re-vamping or to discontinue.

What evidence do you have that it is a problem in your professional setting?

We are able to track our enrollment thanks to our Professional Development Registry. We compare the number of participants who register to the actual number of people that attend all sessions required, depending on the PLE specifications. Typically, we can expect at least half of those who register to attend the first night.

Which of your colleagues is invested in this topic? Why? Remember, you will need to share your PLN and findings with them in the last part of the assignment. 

We are all in! This is a constant problem for not just our team, but others in the organization as well. Earlier this year, we had an opportunity to brainstorm with a member of our communications team some ways we could change our approach with marketing/advertising for PLE’s. We explored social media options, changing the format we use on the registry page and ways we could utilize other teams to support enrollment. Ideas that we are able to take off from the ground and run with and require less checks and balances, we do within our Leadership and Administration team. Bigger ideas that require more hands-on-deck and/or monetary needs, they are captured and put on hold.

Explain how the PoP matches City’s 2011 definition of a PoP.

“A problem of practice is something the school cares about, feels stuck on, and wants to understand more deeply. A problem of practice focuses on instruction, is observable and actionable, connects to a broader strategy of improvement, and is high leverage” (City et al., 2009).

-Though I don’t work in a school setting, this is something that my team cares about deeply as Professional Development Coordinators. We want the leadership professionals in the ECE field to attend our PLE’s with and abundance of options, supports and resources. We offer in-depth follow-up coaching, multiple sessions of content and transitions to additional Technical Assistant supports. We know there are some gaps and ways to improve.

List topics/subjects/issues related to the PoP to help you search for digital resources in the future.

Topics/subjects to help me search:

Marketing/advertising workshops

Pulsing topics for workshops

Social media tactics for marketing

Digital tools to enhance marketing/advertising

APA-formatted bibliography of references cited.

City, E.A. 2009. Learning From Instructional Rounds. ASCD. www.ascd.org.