From Sit-and-Get to Significance:
Reimagining Professional Learning
This project reflects my effort to design professional learning that honors educators’ time, expertise, and need for meaningful support. I was guided by the principles of Creating Significant Learning Environments (CSLE) and the COVA model of choice, ownership, voice, and authentic learning (Harapnuik, 2017), as well as Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning (Fink, 2013). I developed a professional learning experience that moves away from passive “sit-and-get” sessions and instead emphasizes collaboration, authentic application, and sustained practice, which research identifies as essential components of effective professional development (Gulamhussein, 2013). Below, I share my plan, presentation, instructional design documents, and reflections on how this process deepened my understanding of what effective PL can and should look like.
Original Call to Action-Linked Here
The vision for this professional learning experience is to honor teachers as expert learners who deserve time, space, and support to grow. This PL design focuses on creating a safe, collaborative environment where educators can experiment, reflect, and apply new ideas in ways that feel purposeful and realistic. Ultimately, the goal is to move beyond compliance-driven PL and create a space where teachers feel valued, capable, and inspired to keep learning. This is the original version of my PL presentation exactly as it was first submitted. The instructional content has remained the same.
Updated/Final Presentation (Wix-Embedded Version) — Linked Here
While no instructional changes were needed, the presentation format was updated to remove the Microsoft sign-in requirement noted in earlier feedback. This version is embedded directly into Wix to ensure seamless access and clear navigation for viewers.
Innovation Plan-Linked Here
This professional learning design is part of my larger innovation plan. My plan focuses on expanding the use of digital feedback tools (such as TonalEnergy and other performance-tracking platforms) to support student growth in the band program. The PL experience on this page is designed as a practical entry point into that vision, giving teachers time, tools, and support to explore these strategies and begin implementing them in realistic, classroom-ready ways.
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Audience
This professional learning session is designed for middle school and high school band directors who want practical strategies for improving ensemble intonation and supporting student use of digital feedback tools like TonalEnergy. The content is intentionally music-specific and focused on real rehearsal challenges, quick adjustments, and tools teachers can use immediately with their students.
Roles and Responsibilities
​The PL session is designed so facilitators can model strategies while giving teachers plenty of hands-on time. In my plan, I would lead the opening, modeling, and tool demonstrations, while teachers work in sections or small groups during the application portions. If co-led, a second facilitator could support the breakout activities, help troubleshoot technology, or guide reflection conversations.
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Timeline/Schedule
The PL is designed as a two-session model:
Session 1 (60 minutes): Introduction, modeling, hands-on exploration, sectional application, and reflection.
Implementation Phase (1–2 weeks): Teachers practice strategies in their own classrooms and collect a short reflection or sample.
Session 2 (45–60 minutes): Follow-up discussion, teacher sharing, troubleshooting, and planning the next steps.
​BHAG
By the end of this professional learning experience, 90% of participating educators will implement at least one learner-centered instructional strategy in their classroom and reflect on its impact using a digital tool of their choice. This will be demonstrated through shared artifacts, reflections, and collaborative discussions during the follow-up session.
3-Column Table (Fink, 2013).
This table shows how everything in this professional learning experience works together. The BHAG sets the big goal, the learning activities give teachers practical ways to explore new ideas, and the assessments provide simple, meaningful ways to reflect on what they tried. By connecting all three pieces, the design keeps the learning focused, doable, and relevant to what teachers actually experience in their classrooms.
Professional Learning Slide Deck-Linked Here
This slide deck provides an overview of the professional learning design, including the purpose, learning goals, instructional strategies, and implementation considerations. It serves as a visual summary of the PL experience and guided the flow of the session. The presentation highlights how CSLE + COVA, Fink’s Taxonomy, and adult learning principles shaped the choices made throughout the project.
This professional learning design intentionally aligns with the five key principles of effective PL (Gulamhussein, 2013):
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Significant, ongoing duration
The two-session model and 1–2 week implementation period give teachers time to apply strategies, reflect, and refine their practice. -
Ongoing support during implementation
Teachers receive follow-up discussions, troubleshooting, and shared reflection opportunities during Session 2. -
Active, hands-on learning
Educators engage directly with TonalEnergy, rehearsal strategies, modeling, small-group work, and application within sectional settings. -
Modeling of effective practice
Facilitators demonstrate tuning routines, digital feedback workflows, and reflection practices before teachers try them. -
Discipline-specific content
All strategies are tailored specifically to middle and high school band directors and real ensemble rehearsal needs.
Professional Learning Outline-Linked Here
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​This document provides the full structure of the professional learning experience, including the purpose, learning goals, session flow, learning activities, assessment plans, and implementation considerations. It reflects how CSLE + COVA, Fink’s Taxonomy, and adult learning principles were integrated to create a meaningful, learner-centered professional development session.
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Professional Learning Modules
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These modules outline the full learner experience for the professional learning session, including activities, timing, collaborative components, and digital tools used to support learning. Each module was designed using the CSLE + COVA framework and incorporates opportunities for authentic practice, reflection, and learner agency. The module sequence aligns directly with the BHAG and 3-column table to ensure coherence and meaningful application.
Sample Lesson Plan
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This sample lesson plan shows what the strategies from the professional learning session look like in a real rehearsal. It gives teachers a simple, workable example of how to integrate TonalEnergy, guide students through tuning checks, and build reflection into everyday instruction. The format is intentionally concise so teachers can adapt it quickly to their own ensemble.
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Sample Reflection
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These reflection questions are meant to give teachers a quick, realistic way to think through how intonation work went during a rehearsal. They help you pinpoint which sections struggled, what pitch tendencies you noticed, and how well students used TonalEnergy to make adjustments. The goal is to make reflection simple and useful—something you can jot down in a few minutes while still capturing what worked, what didn’t, and what you want to try next time.
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Resources Needed
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TonalEnergy app
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Digital tuners or iPads
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Projector for modeling
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PL slide deck
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Sample lesson plan (above)
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Teacher reflection form (above)
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Copies of the BHAG, 3-column table, and module sequence
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Access to shared folder for teacher uploads
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Research articles (Gulamhussein, Andrews et al., etc.)
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Research Support
This professional learning design is grounded in the principles of CSLE + COVA, which emphasize learner agency, ownership, and authentic engagement (Harapnuik, 2015). Fink’s (2013) Taxonomy of Significant Learning provided the structural foundation, guiding the design toward integration, application, and relevance rather than surface-level participation. Research on active learning supports this shift; Andrews et al. (2011) found that active learning alone does not lead to improved outcomes unless it is intentionally designed and meaningfully supported. Additionally, DuFour and Fullan’s (2013) work on collaborative learning communities reinforced the need for shared responsibility, ongoing reflection, and sustained practice. These combined insights shaped a PL model focused on relevance, autonomy, collaboration, and long-term instructional growth.
References
Andrews, T. M., Leonard, M. J., Colgrove, C. A., & Kalinowski, S. T. (2011). Active learning not associated with student learning in a random sample of college biology courses. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 10(4), 394–405.
DuFour, R., & Fullan, M. (2013). Cultures built to last: Systemic PLCs at work. Solution Tree Press.
Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Gulamhussein, A. (2013). Teaching the teachers: Effective professional development in an era of high-stakes accountability. Center for Public Education. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED543600.pdf
Harapnuik, D. (2017). Professional learning strategy. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6988
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Reflection
Working through this project helped me deepen my understanding of what truly meaningful professional learning requires. Designing each component—purpose, goals, activities, and assessments—gave me a clearer sense of how intentional alignment leads to more impactful learning experiences for educators. I appreciated having the space to think through the design independently; in a semester where many courses relied heavily on group work, the individual structure of this class allowed me to focus, maintain momentum, and fully develop my ideas without the logistical challenges collaboration can bring.
This process also reminded me of the importance of honoring teachers’ time, agency, and expertise. As I built the modules, I continually returned to the question, “Would I want to attend this PL?” That mindset helped me prioritize relevance, simplicity, and authentic application throughout the design. Moving forward, I feel more confident in my ability to create professional learning that is purposeful, learner-centered, and genuinely supportive of educators’ growth.
AI Disclosure
Portions of the planning, wording, and organization on this page were developed with the assistance of ChatGPT as a brainstorming and drafting tool. All ideas, instructional decisions, and final edits represent my own thinking and professional judgment.