At a training a few weeks ago the presenter reminded a room full of coaches that the teachers needed to do the work, just like our students. Although coaches mean well, sometimes we do too much work and then are frustrated when there is not ownership for the data or learning.
I have been working to have differentiated trainings and coaching and trying to improve.
Yesterday was the district’s regularly scheduled PLC time. I had planned to go a gallery walk with questions pertaining to 4 chapters in the Eric Jensen book Poor Students, Rich Teaching which is a district initiative.
I used a STAND UP SIT DOWN braindrainer to bridge the gap from the teaching day to learning time.
Next I explained the procedure. All teachers were given a book but a couple could not find theirs. I had made some copies so no one would be without text.
As teachers, we expect behavior from students but do not always give them time. Reading is important. To honor this idea I have the teacher time to read the chapter as part of the PLC time. I am honoring the reading with the time. I am hoping some of the teachers do the same in their classes even if it is only 10 minutes of reading time.
I had a sketchnote type exit ticket for teachers to make notes on and use for the discussion with the other staff who chose the same chapter as they did. I collected them and will make copies and then return the notes to them.
Last, the groups shared out some key takeaways to the whole group. I had the youngest person in the group responsible for sharing.
The PLC went smoothly and the group discussions were insightful and on point. I had two teachers come up at the end and say they appreciated the time to read. At first she was irritated that I was making them read but once she started she really was able to absorb the information. Another teacher made connections from a previous presentation on Jensen but said he got more out of it with him having to do the work rather than being “talked at”.
I really would like to connect with some other coaches and how they do their PD with their teachers. Please email me at tammybreitweiser@gmail.com or make a comment with your contact info below! Sharing some resources and setting up a Twitter chat would be awesome!
