It is crazy to think that it is already Day 26... where did the month go? Today I get to talk about Professional Development. I thought it was neat that it was the topic for #edchat on twitter tonight as well.
I have conversations with people when I can and I encourage people to use twitter in a professional way. I am also looking to hold a learning session at a staff meeting.
I love the energy I see on twitter in regards to PD and I wished I felt that same energy in my own school. I think teachers can get a bad view of PD because they have had a "one size fits all" method.
I do think this is an important issue and I will lead by example.
For the last 30 days, I have been answering one reflection question each day and I have learned so much about myself as an educator. Whether you are a veteran blogger or brand new to blogging, I invite you to take this challenge. Video tape or write your answers to each of the reflection questions and share it with your PLN. Here are the questions that I came up with. Are you ready to take the challenge? 30-Day Blog Challenge Day 1: How did you decide to become a teacher? Day 2: What do you believe is your greatest strength as a teacher? Day 3: In which area do you think you can improve the most? Day 4: What were you most worried about as you approached your first day as a teacher? Day 5: How do you keep your classroom organized? Day 6: What have you observed of other teachers that might work in your own classroom? Day 7: How can you best promote responsibility in your students? Day 8: How do you connect with your students? Day 9: What do you want out of the “Staff
Okay along with my 30 day reflection videos I do want to use this blog for sharing my ideas and collaborating. I was just telling my students that we live in a "global community" and I started thinking that I could collaborate with great teachers from all over. I have been researching a lot about standards based grading and I think it is the right thing for my classes. I have been reading books on grading and my eyes have really opened. My grade book used to be filled with all homework assignments and assessments. This doesn't tell anyone what the students actually came away with. I know that I need to change how I have been doing things and I know that it is best for my students.
It has taken me a long time to write this post. In the beginning I was very excited to start blogging and share my experience with other educators. Unexpectedly and noticeably, the blog started to become something else. The focus started to be about view counts and comments. I started to feel like I wasn't this great teacher that I thought I was and I was scared to write about my ups and downs. What would people think if they knew that I found changes and improvements to the units I was teaching? Would anyone want to read what I was saying if all I had were questions instead of knowing all of the answers? This anxiety got the best of me for a very long time. This is why I stopped blogging. I was scared to show myself, except I started to realize that I got into blogging to show myself... all of it. I am not the most amazing teacher (...yet), but I am a teacher that is constantly learning and evolving. I am a teacher that wants to be honest with my peers so that I can learn from
It is important to note the use of "more structured" PLNs like Nings, etc... as part of your professional growth.
ReplyDeleteOne question I have is, how do you share your professional learning with your local in-school network?
I have conversations with people when I can and I encourage people to use twitter in a professional way. I am also looking to hold a learning session at a staff meeting.
ReplyDeleteI love the energy I see on twitter in regards to PD and I wished I felt that same energy in my own school. I think teachers can get a bad view of PD because they have had a "one size fits all" method.
I do think this is an important issue and I will lead by example.