Over the past 7 days I have been working in my classroom, reseraching and attending virutal PD.
Some of the PD has been great…other sessions not so much.
I always attend workshops with the idea of examining how the presenter choses to deliver the content. I have done this since college. I write down the way people start meetings, how they show content, how they have participants interact…or not. I steal what I like for my own presentations.
Here are some things I have learned, or were reminded of, from the content and being a student over the last week about virtual learning:
- One of the biggest pet peeves I have about PD is presenters who conduct a training in the opposite way of how they would want you to teach kids. The workshop you are presenting is a model to the people you are teaching. I went to more than one workshop where they talked at us for over an hour. Please. Don’t.
- I learned about this video that brings some things into perspective. I wrote about this idea in my newsletter last week.
- Kids are vessels that are already full of experiences and knowledge . We need to remember they are not empty just waiting to be filled.
- Relationships are the center of everything.
- Think about your own school life. Who was an influence on you and what did they do? Connect these ideas to your own teaching.
- One presenter used breakout rooms with the adults expertly. We were given a task independently and then asked to talk in the Zoom breakout room. Then we were asked to make a sticky note on the class Jamboard to show accountability. Brilliant! This one I will use for my own workshops with adults. Kindergarten will take a lot of scaffolding for it to happen.
- Grade level work needs to be taught to students. This is an equity issue.
- I can keep track of what to keep doing, start doing and set aside for now. I like this structure for unpacking what I already know.
- To build relationships virtually I need to schedule more one on one time with my students.
- I also need to provide virtual social time for my students.
What have you learned in this new time we are in about teaching?
I love your list, especially #4 and #8. Good luck with your school year.
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Wow! Such a smart idea to critique presentations and make notes. Why didn’t I do that during all my years of teaching? This is an excellent list that I will save and share. Good luck as you move into this new school year.
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I am grabbing #3 and #8 and placing them in my consulting container but actually all your tips are good as back-to-school virtual literal learning. Thanks for sharing.
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Oh, Tammy, this is the perfect post for me today. Your list will be my guide as I embark on a new job. The video brought me to tears, more than once. Thanks for that. I’m sharing it, if for nothing more than the power of small stories.
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Congratulations on the new job!!! I am so glad it was helpful. That video gets me every time.
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Your list gives good food for thought. 4 and 9 speak to my heart the most.
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Relationships are key in person and virtual…it just looks a little different. Thanks for commenting!
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You drew my attention today with your topic, as I wrote something similar for student success using an online platform. Before you go to check it out (if you want) be forewarned that my post is long. I am not teaching now. I am an informal environmental educator but also like to watch and take in what others do to inform my own instruction. This is for the same reasons you listed – sometimes presenters are great and sometimes not. I love 3, 4, and 5 on your list. One should, in my opinion, always interact with one’s audience (whether it be traditional students or in a PD setting). I found out more by asking my students questions or finding out what they already knew than I could by performing hours of theoretical, pedagogical research. Great post! Thank you!
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Tammy, Tammy – I’m back to Slicing (I hope), and I loved reading your list and being reminded how important it is frame adult learning as purposefully and joyfully as the learning we want to create for our students. So good to hear your voice ❤
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AND — I loved that video. #SmallMoments #WeAllHaveAStory
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