Educators in any role know that supporting application of new learning is critical. Classroom teachers ground their instruction in the gradual release of responsibility, problem-based learning, and other frameworks that support students in taking on new learning themselves. Similarly, it’s long been understood that, in order for professional learning to be effective for adults, it must support educators in transferring new learning to practice (Darling-Hammond et al, 2017). Yet most professional learning frameworks still involve large groups that often take place in settings removed from the students and settings where educators apply the learning. Though they may ask participants to identify next steps, the structure rarely lends itself to supporting them in doing so.
In our work through Oakland Schools, an intermediate school district that serves local public school districts in Southeast Michigan, we have found that job-embedded professional learning labs offer a structure for professional learning that transforms learning spaces to maximize application and impact.
Author Bio
Megan Kortlandt is a literacy consultant with Oakland Schools. She has taught in middle and high school classrooms in a variety of settings and is now passionate about supporting educators through job-embedded professional learning. When she’s not teaching or facilitating, chances are good Megan is writing about it. Megan is a coauthor of Principal Labs: Strengthening Instructional Leadership Through Shared Learning (ASCD, 2021), has been published in regional and national journals, and she is a contributing writer for Moving Writers. She can be reached at megan.kortlandt@ oakland.k12.mi.us.
Samantha Keesling is a mathematics consultant in the Leadership and Continuous Improvement Unit at Oakland Schools Intermediate School District. In her role at Oakland Schools, she works to enhance student-centered math instruction and is passionate about supporting teachers and leaders through job-embedded professional learning. Samantha is a coauthor of Principal Labs: Strengthening Instructional Leadership Through Shared Learning(ASCD, 2021). She can be reached at SamanthaKeesling1@gmail.com.
Asha Williams is an Early Literacy Consultant at Oakland Schools. In her current role, she works with districts to support implementation of their literacy coaching models and instructional practices. She also collaborates with colleagues to provide professional learning to school districts' leadership teams, literacy coaches and teachers related to the Essential Practices in Early Literacy. In her spare time she loves to read, write in her journal, listen to inspirational music and spend quality time with family and friends. She can be reached at Asha.Williams@oakland.k12.mi.us.
Jay Haffner is an Educational Improvement and Secondary Literacy Consultant at Oakland Intermediate School District (Oakland Schools). He is most interested in helping schools develop team-based leadership practices that support disciplinary literacy, adolescent literacy development, and high-quality professional learning. He can be reached at jason.haffner@oakland.k12.mi.us.
Recommended Citation
Kortlandt, Megan; Keesling, Samantha; Williams, Asha; and Haffner, Jay
(2025)
"From Theory to Practice: How Job-Embedded Professional Learning Labs Support Implementation and Application,"
Michigan Reading Journal: Vol. 57:
Iss.
3, Article 9.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/mrj/vol57/iss3/9
