Category: collaboration

Teach to produce learning! (No teaching style is wrong!)

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

As I participate in Twitter chats, read blogs, listen to Podcast and talk to teachers I am continually hearing about different teaching methods. Flipped classroom, blended learning, reader’s workshop, writer’s workshop etc. are all “hot” methods for teaching in 2013. Should teachers drop what they have been doing and make a change?

The quick answers is “It depends”. Should you make a change if you are being successful? How are you measuring the success? Change should not happen for changes sake. Changes in education should be made for two reasons:

  • First: Teacher is not being successful with current students. Change need to takes place. Learning needs to occur. Students need to be successful.
  • Second: New technologies exist that the students NEED to use for future success. When districts add 1 to 1 or other new technology programs.

When educators see new ideas they should take a closer look. Examine them for their merits. Try them out in their classrooms. When merits for new methods are seen then slowly incorporate them into their teaching. All teachers need to check out new ideas remembering that new ideas might not work for all students. The teachers that are using them are sharing because they have found successes, often more successes than with other methods. This might not work for other teachers. WHY? teacher and class is different. I don’t teach any two classes alike. Sure I cover the same material but I use different teaching techniques based upon the students in the class. In one hour I might need a hands-on activity in another the class might respond better to a video. Teachers have to remember that the students dictate the how the learning should go in the classroom not the teacher. Teachers have already learned the content. Students are the ones that need to explore how to learn it now.

Teachers need to realize that no teaching style is wrong IF the students in the class are learning. We need to use formative assessments to show that our teaching is being effective. Constantly monitoring and changing how we teach based upon the students progress in leaning. There is not a teaching style out there that is one size fits all or the “best”. All styles work depending on the teacher and the students. Whether you flip or give lectures, have a no homework policy or give it daily; examine your students learning to see if it is working. Share with other teachers when it is, but hold off judgement of your fellow teachers when they don’t change. They just might not see the same results.

Why Edcamp?

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

Why Edcamp? For teacher:

  1. Free- no cost is always good
  2. Collaboration- meeting with other teachers interested in furthering their skills in the profession will help create a more collaborative culture.
  3. Relevant to your classroom- You will be talking with classroom teachers who are currently in the classroom, not professional PD presenters who aren’t in the classroom daily
  4. Relevant to your needs- It fits your needs: you help decide what is going to be presented
  5. Active- Edcamps incorporate all teachers as participants, not a sit and get. The conversations drive the sessions since nothing is “canned.”

Why Edcamps need to be supported by districts:

  1. Free- in this day and age of budget cuts it fills a required need at NO expense.
  2. Saturday – Makes free even better, teachers don’t miss days of instruction for PD
  3. Diversity- Edcamps can fill the diverse needs of a large staff in one setting since the topics presented are diverse.
  4. Teacher lead- being lead by teachers gains staff by-in to ideas presented.
  5. We are on the right track-Since many districts are represented it gives staff a chance to feel reassured that they are on the right track when discussing topics and ideas with staff from other districts.

I am a teacher who likes to learn new things so I am going to EdCampOU. I believe in the Edcamp model so I have encouraged my curriculum director and principal to join me. They are in support of it now so it counts as state required PD hours for all district staff that choose to attend.

You should ask your administration to do the same where ever your Edcamp may be!

TO find out more about Edcamps or if one is happening near you checkout The Edcamp Foundation

Collaboration Adds Time

Posted on by Sweat to Inspire

As a teacher and parent, time always seems to be at a premium. Choosing what gets done is all about priorities. Finding ways to accomplish tasks in less time is a huge plus. I have found that by fostering a collaborative relationship with other teachers helps us all with the time crunch.

 

Last year, I found myself teaching a new grade level for science. In fact both of the eight grade science teachers were new to the grade level. At first we found ourselves overwhelmed with work. During the school year we developed ways to cut down our load. First, we started sharing everything we were doing in our classrooms online. A Blackboard classroom was created to be a “file” cabinet for us. Sitting down to talk things over was kept to a minimum do to time. Trust Was the key. Each of us trusts the other to create the best lessons for our students. Since our doors are across from each other in the hallway, we can have 3-minute mini-discussions about what needs to be accomplished. We quickly decide what each of us will do based upon our strengths. This collaboration effort has created more time for both of us.

 

Are work loads ever equal? No, it is not a concern that they are equal. In the end there is a balance. No collaboration will be 100% equal. All parties involved just need to focus on the benefits of working together nor the division of the work load. If I did not collaborate with another, I would have more work. This is the idea people need to focus on when building a collaborate relationship.

 

Will it cut your work in half? Probably not at first since both parties will have to make efforts to make the relationship work. Eventually the efforts will pay great dividends.