Ed Camp - PD done differently

So Wednesday I went to Ed Camp for professional development in Oshkosh, WI -- a one day "un-conference" where all the sessions were figured out at the beginning of the day - no experts, all presentations by the participants.  A networking and sharing day.  As a rookie it was hard to follow at first - but as we gathered in one large group things started taking shape.  About 150 of us received instructions and started setting the sessions for the day.

So the sessions were a blank grid - 20 rooms - 4 sessions during the day -- so 80 blanks to fill in.  The plan seemed too big to work at first - but it was well-thought out and UW-Oshkosh Sage Hall was great.  They handed out post it notes and people wrote what they wanted to learn or what they could show.  They filled in the grid and the session titles into a google doc.  Then what would ensued was at the will of the people in the room.

For me personally it meant two good sessions and two that just did not work.  Sometimes ideas or problems were posed for a session and if no one knew the answer or an expert did not come the session would not flow well.   And that might be too polite - the session really just would not go -- the problem or open-ended idea really would die a death (like a fish on land flapping around).

So I picked up some flipping and homework ideas - but not 100% sure how to apply into my class.  So a okay event but the drive made it too little return for the hours invested, 5 hours of driving for me that day.  I need more items to put in the classroom things from my PD, more structure in the deep thinking sessions.  If it were closer and had just a few "bedrock" sessions  (Bedrock meaning having some experts to help, some session topics set prior to the day for attendees to "pre-reflect" on)  I think it would fit me better - but I also know it worked for some - just not me.

Just like a real classroom - everyone needs something different.

Flipping

I had a training session on Monday at our local CESA (a regional educational support building/system with consultants for a number of high schools) with Jon Bergmann about flipping my classroom.  It really reinforced my belief that it is not just technology but about relationships and best use of time.

My big challenges remain the same.  How to get students watching videos, how I make sure they are watching videos and how I change my class.  And that is the rub for me, I rarely lectured before.  About 10 minutes out of 45 in the past, and then we worked together -- it may have been large projects, small practice problems, sometimes now I use Khan in lab so students practice what they are still mastering - but it was always doing.  But this 35 minutes of time on problems is not greatly differentiated, so that is the next step.  How do I get the spectrum wider, handle the management and get better growth in my students (and growth is not some CCSS test). 

Again is slow incremental change, slightly better tomorrow than today.

Trickle down Training?

"As principal of one of the highest poverty schools in the area, Sherlene McDonald knows the value of professional development training for teachers.
School leaders and district leaders, such as principals and superintendents, also benefit from training as that trickles down to the classrooms, she says."     http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/10/professional_development_a_mus.html   October 9, 2012

Really trickle down training?  Coming from industry to teaching I believe in train the trainer, leadership training, and other professional growth things, but come on - trickle down training may be the worst phrase I have every heard.  It sounds like it comes from someone who has a really high opinion about what a curriculum leader, a principal, a director or whatever title you want to use can really accomplish in changing teaching.   In fairness I included the phrase about it being important for teachers to get training but talk is talk - the average school does very little to nothing to protect professional development time and administration is usually the worst offender for chasing big changes.  What we (schools) need is incremental change - we need a 2% continuous improvement attitude!

We really need to step back and realize that to affect student learning we must train the teacher -- relying on trickle down means money spent and little changed.  It is the lessons that the teachers need to work on; so have the principal cover a class, correct a test and make that time for the teacher to make a good lesson. Hold that teacher accountable but give the teacher the tools and time and expectations.

But as a teacher I am unwilling to let a phrase that training an administrator really works.  It most likely means a shift in the pendulum (chasing the next big thing), time wasted chasing a big dream and no real measurable improvement.   We need to stop the idea that we can change overnight and just continually change for the long term.

Continual Improvement is the best for the students today and tomorrow....