Please Not Another Training!
As an instructional coach, there is nothing that gives me more joy anxiety than telling teachers in the month of May that I need to turn around information to them from the State Department. I am fresh out of the classroom, so I get it! I truly understand how exhausted we all are and how our brains cannot possibly retain anymore information. But, here we are. I have to do it, so how can turn this around in a manner that will help them with the information and also help them not want to cut my tires (harsh, but true)?
I am assigned to 4 different schools, so scheduling to do these required turnarounds is a challenge all on its own. This is where my lightbulb moment came in: record myself presenting the information and send it out and have teachers complete a Google Form as evidence of their attendance! Boom! Done!
After much consideration, I decided that it would be better for me to create a Google Meet and have teachers attend the live session of the turnaround and record the session. I truly do think information of this importance needs to be presented live and not just recorded. Overall the session went well and there weren't any hiccups, but upon further reflection, the actual presentation itself was BORING! I'm almost embarrassed that teachers had to sit through that! Did I meet the standard of "facilitating equitable access to technology resources for all stakeholders" (The Consortium for School Networking, 2022). Yes. Did I do it in manner that was engaging and EMPOWERING for teachers?! NOPE.
Throughout my entire Ed.S. journey I have harped on empowering students and the word empowerment in general and low and behold, I did the polar opposite when presenting to teachers. Moving forward, I have to present one more session to teachers and my goal is to do the exact opposite of what I did this last time. My presentation needs to be more engaging and I need more conversation rather than me just spewing information from a Google Slide (yes, I know better). So how can I achieve this in the month of May? How can I make this better? Scheninger (2019, p. 87) states that "strategic technology use is use that is purposefully chosen for its ability to move you towards defined student learning goals." The way in which I present this information must be strategic and I must approach this the same way that I would with my students.
"The key to success and improving outcomes is grounded in a solid pedagogical foundation... period." (Sheninger, 2019, p. 87)I have had so many ideas running through my head, but again, time is the villain. This is actually one of the biggest burdens in traditional learning settings which is why presenting all of the information digitally originally came to mind (Sarker et al., 2019). We are swamped. I am swamped and have a tiny two year old baby ninja running around my house, so creating videos and basically anything creative outside of the school walls is almost impossible but if there is a will, there's a way!
Take-Aways
"The integration of digital technology into education is necessary for leveraging better education for all by 2030."
References
Rogers, K. (2020, March 13). Introduction to loom [Video]. Loom. https://www.loom.com/share/86ca9775f41841aca2c44708d26648f2
Sarker, M. N. I., Wu, M., Cao, Q., Alam, G. M., & Li, D. (2019). Leveraging digital technology for better learning and education: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 9(7), 453–461. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2019.9.7.1246
Sheninger, E. C. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times (Second ed.). Corwin.
The Consortium for School Networking. (2022). About CoSN. CoSN: Leading Education Innovation. Retrieved April 4, 2022, from https://www.cosn.org/about/
2 comments
April, I am in the same boat as you as trying to figure out the best way to deliver PD. This year, my principal has often slotted me in at after school faculty meetings where the LAST thing people want to hear is about a new technology tool. Sheninger discusses that professional learning is only one input in growth, that the culture of the school must also support day to day learning (2019). While Sims & Fletcher-Wood agree that PD can be more effective when in a group, I personally feel that many teachers prefer doing a quick PD in their own time watching a video like you mentioned (2018). Thanks for your thoughts, April!
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Katie
References:
Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times. (2nd edition). Corwin.
Sims, S., & Fletcher-Wood, H. (2018). Characteristics of effective teacher professional development: what we know, what we don’t, how we can find out. Teacher Tool Kit.
April, I love the honest reflection and transparency in thinking! This is so important in being a great leader and communicator! We should always reflect and improve for teachers just as teachers should reflect and improve for their students! Being strategic and intentional is so important in the planning and implementation of any professional learning session just as you mentioned! I think this example is so wonderful for all, because often teachers think just because a tech tool or "flipped" lesson is being implemented that it is engaging and innovative. Nothing could be further from the truth; it is all in the task/lesson/professional learning design and much less about the tool itself! Sheninger (2019) describes the difference in professional development and professional learning; "The big difference here with the latter is being engaged in an experience that we want to be a part of and find useful to improving professional practice" (p. 142). Engagement and relevancy is important with adult learners and students alike. I reflect back on past professional learning that I have conducted and think of all that I would change and implement those changes in the future. When we know better, we do better, and in this profession, we are always learning! Shifting instructional practices or professional learning practices take time. Katie Martin describe professional learning and actually transformed practices in her book Learner Centered Innovation. Martin (2018) states, We all learn and change our behavior through cycles that include action, reflection, and revision that go beyond thinking, analyzing, and reading" (p. 191).
ReplyDeleteReferences:
Martin, K. (2018). Learner Centered Innovation: Spark Curiosity, ignite passion and unleash genius. IMPress.
Sheninger, E. (2019). Digital Leadership (2nd Edition). SAGE Publications, Inc. (US).