Alternative Professional Learning (PL) Plan Outline

Professional Learning for World Languages & Cross-Disciplinary Teams

Overview

“Learning Without Borders” is my innovation plan designed to transform professional learning by shifting from passive, one-time workshops to collaborative, interdisciplinary, and sustained professional learning cycles. This PL plan equips teachers with the tools, modeling, and support needed to integrate AI-based conversation simulations, digital storytelling, and culturally responsive instructional strategies that enhance student engagement and linguistic confidence across multiple disciplines.

Five Key Principles of Effective Professional Learning (Gulamhussein, 2013)

1. Duration: Sustained, Long-Term Growth

Professional learning will occur over an entire academic year, allowing teachers to gradually implement, reflect on, and refine their use of AI tools and student-centered instructional practices. Monthly PLC cycles, semester reflections, and coaching meetings will maintain momentum and deepen learning.

2. Support: Coaching, Feedback & Implementation Help

Teachers will receive consistent coaching, including:

This ensures that teachers are supported beyond the initial training (Hill, 2015).

3. Active Engagement: Teachers Learn by Doing

All PL sessions are hands-on and interactive:

This approach mirrors the active, authentic learning we expect for students.

4. Modeling: Leaders Demonstrate the Practice

I will model:

Modeling demonstrates feasibility, builds teacher confidence, and provides a clear vision of classroom implementation.

5. Subject-Specific Learning: Relevant, Discipline-Aligned PD

While the innovation begins with World Languages, PL extends to English and History teachers who can apply:

Collaboration

Collaboration is essential to this PL model.
PL will include:

This collaborative structure turns isolated innovation into collective growth.

Leadership

Lead Facilitator:

Supporting Leaders:

These leaders will facilitate PLC sessions, provide coaching, and help maintain implementation consistency.

Audience & Needs

Primary Audience

Needs Identified

Instructional Design for PL

Model Selected: BHAG (Collins, 2013) + Fink’s 3-Column Table (Fink, 2013)

This approach clearly connects learning goals, activities, and assessments, ensuring alignment across the year.

BHAG (Collins, 2013)

By year’s end, World Language teachers will confidently design and deliver tech-enhanced, communicative Spanish lessons that support students’ growth from low-novice to high-novice proficiency.

The 3-Column Table (Fink, 2013) outlines:

Timeline

Phase 1:Launch & Foundations

(August–September)

Phase 2:
Implementation & Coaching
(October–February)

Phase 3:
Reflection & Scaling
(March–May)

Resources Needed

References:

Collins, J. C. (2025). BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal). Jim Collins. https://www.jimcollins.com/concepts/bhag.html

Daniels, E. (2014). Teacher-driven professional development. Educational Leadership, 71(8), 37–41.

Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses (Rev. & updated ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Gulamhussein, A. (2013). Teaching the Teachers Effective Professional Development in an Era of High Stakes Accountability. Center for Public Education. Retrieved from http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/system/files/2013-176_ProfessionalDevelopment.pdf

Harapnuik, D. (2018). COVA: It’s about learning – Creating significant learning environments. It’s About Learning. http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6991

Hill, H. (2015). Review of The Mirage: Confronting the hard truth about our quest for teacher development.

TNTP. (2015). The Mirage: Confronting the hard truth about our quest for teacher development.

Alternative Professional Learning (PL) Plan Outline​

​

Professional Learning for World Languages & Cross-Disciplinary Teams

Overview

Five Key Principles of Effective Professional Learning (Gulamhussein, 2013)​

1. Duration: Sustained, Long-Term Growth

​​

2. Support: Coaching, Feedback & Implementation Help

Teachers will receive consistent coaching, including:

One-on-one support for designing AI conversation tasks

Classroom visits and co-teaching opportunities

Guidance integrating digital storytelling and culturally responsive elements

Troubleshooting challenges with lesson planning and technology

This ensures that teachers are supported beyond the initial training (Hill, 2015).

​

3. Active Engagement: Teachers Learn by Doing

All PL sessions are hands-on and interactive:

Teachers practice AI conversation simulations as learners

Teachers create their own digital storytelling exemplars

Teachers analyze student artifacts to evaluate growth

Teachers participate in role-play demonstrations

This approach mirrors the active, authentic learning we expect for students.

4. Modeling: Leaders Demonstrate the Practice

I will model:

A full AI-supported Spanish dialogue activity

Digital storytelling with Canva

How to scaffold student talk with sentence frames

How interdisciplinary teams can merge Spanish, English, and History content.

Modeling demonstrates feasibility, builds teacher confidence, and provides a clear vision of classroom implementation.

​

5. Subject-Specific Learning: Relevant, Discipline-Aligned PD

While the innovation begins with World Languages, PL extends to English and History teachers who can apply:

AI for dialogue, debate, and written feedback

Digital storytelling for narrative or historical analysis

Cross-cultural learning tied to global perspectives

​​​​

Collaboration

Collaboration is essential to this PL model. PL will include:

Cross-disciplinary teams (Spanish–English–History) co-designing lessons

Monthly PLC discussions analyzing student work and sharing strategies

Peer observations of AI-enhanced lessons

Teacher-led showcase sessions

This collaborative structure turns isolated innovation into collective growth.

Leadership

Lead Facilitator:

Guadalupe Marín — models AI conversations, digital storytelling, and culturally responsive strategies.​

Supporting Leaders:

Spanish Department Chair

Campus Instructional Technologist

Instructional Coach

Volunteer teacher-leaders from English & History

These leaders will facilitate PLC sessions, provide coaching, and help maintain implementation consistency.

​

Audience & Needs

Primary Audience

Spanish 1–AP Spanish teachers

English teachers (literacy, narrative writing, digital storytelling)

History teachers (cultural connections, primary-source storytelling)​

Needs Identified

Instructional support for using AI responsibly

Modeling of student-centered approaches

Time to collaborate on interdisciplinary tasks

Culturally responsive learning strategies

Consistency across grade levels

Tools for increasing student talk, confidence, and creativity

​​​​

Instructional Design for PL

​

Model Selected: BHAG (Collins, 2013) + Fink’s 3-Column Table (Fink, 2013)

This approach clearly connects learning goals, activities, and assessments, ensuring alignment across the year.​

​

BHAG (Collins, 2013)

By year’s end, World Language teachers will confidently design and deliver tech-enhanced, communicative Spanish lessons that support students’ growth from low-novice to high-novice proficiency.

​

The 3-Column Table (Fink, 2013) outlines:

The learning goals for teachers

The activities they will complete

The evidence or assessments that demonstrate growth​​​

​

​

Alternative Professional Learning (PL) Plan Outline

Five Key Principles of Effective Professional Learning (Gulamhussein, 2013)

Collaboration is essential to this PL model.
PL will include:

Guadalupe Marín — models AI conversations, digital storytelling, and culturally responsive strategies.

History teachers (cultural connections, primary-source storytelling)

This approach clearly connects learning goals, activities, and assessments, ensuring alignment across the year.

The evidence or assessments that demonstrate growth

Timeline

Phase 2:
Implementation & Coaching
(October–February)

Phase 3:
Reflection & Scaling
(March–May)

Resources Needed

Flip for student and teacher recording