“Education is not merely about transferring information. It is about contextualizing that information in the real life experiences of the learners, and in relation with the experiences of other learners…It is the relationships among people and sharing contextualized experiences that create emergent knowledge that is the basis of education.” Mark Federman
One of the things that has been bothering me about my own work of late is the inherent limitations of the current conference workshop or district in-service day structures that I find myself a part of more often than not. I really feel like when people ask me to do a keynote or a general presentation that my job is to inspire, cajole, provide some cognitive dissonance or start conversations. And I am happy to try to do that. But the workshops are a different story. In the best case, they are a full day of one or two particular tools. In the worst case, they are one or two hours on a lot of tools. Either way, the experience usually serves to overwhelm, and at the end of the day (or hour) the participants head back to the craziness of their teaching lives where I’m guessing much of what they have “learned” fails to take root. Now that may be my fault to some extent, but it’s also a direct result of the “drive by” nature of much of what we call professional development. There’s little if anything to support the experience after it’s over. It’s a little better at conferences where people by and large choose to be there, but the larger point is that motivated at the moment or not, there is rarely time for contextualizing the skills and connecting and sharing those experiences after the fact.
Yet, that is the inherent power of these tools, the connections they allow us to create. And in those connections and the networks we can build around them, we begin to seriously challenge many of the traditional constructs of how we do our business. Take conferences, for example. The truth is that the vast majority of what will be offered at NECC this year can be had online, in a community, when you need it or want it. Sure, there will be some sessions that will inspire and push our thinking, but most of the folks who spent time in the Blogger’s Cafe last year will be heading to San Antonio with other priorities than skill building or presentations of papers. We’ll be in San Antonio to push forward the conversations that we’ve been engaged in all year long since Atlanta, to make our networks physical which in turn deepens the virtual. We’ll be there to do what we do in our online community which looks nothing like sitting in rows quietly watching presentations in rooms filled with people.
And the pd part of our business has to change too. These tools support the need for the relationships and the sharing of real-life experiences around the information transfer so that the “learning” isn’t done in relative isolation. We can create community around the experience, community that is not dependent on time and place but is instead available to the learner when needed or wanted. The tools give us opportunities to add value to the face to face, but only, and here’s the rub, if we know how to use the tools. And that’s why workshops feel so stressed, so mind-numbing. Because the way we approach it right now, we have to get it all in one sitting and then hope for the best.
So what about doing it differently? What about doing long-term, job embedded, relationship and network building professional development that blends the best of face to face with the “Fifteen Minutes” model that Carolyn Foote writes about? What about giving teachers new to these technologies just enough to get them started and then take the school year (or more) to immerse them in the tools and networked learning environments where they can learn at their own pace (with some appropriate nudging and guidance from time to time)?
Well, that’s the “different” approach I’ve been taking of late with Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, whose knowledge and passion for this work I grow to respect more each day. Working off of the model Sheryl helped develop in Alabama, we’re currently in the midst of six-month long professional development programs with a couple of hundred educators from around the country, leading them through a process that we hope will allow these concepts and skills to really take root in their own learning practice. And it is focused on their own learning, not teaching, not classrooms, not kids. That’s hugely important to us, that these educators be selfish about the learning. No doubt, many of them struggle to approach this process with anything but a teaching lens. But both Sheryl and I feel strongly that what will really create meaningful change in schools and classrooms are teachers who personally understand the potentials of these connections. Already, the most powerful piece of these cohorts to me is that in the process, we’re collectively beginning to build the relationships and share contextualized experiences “that create emergent knowledge that is the basis of education.” The connections are deepening.
Sheryl is fond of saying “This is business as ‘un’usual” and I agree. But it shouldn’t be, should it? While there will always be a role for time and place, physical space, face to face learning, there are other ways and, in some instances, better ways to do workshops and conferences and professional development, ways that definitely do a better job of helping us understand what it means to create and sustain the types of personal learning networks that are now possible. The same types of learning networks, both physical and virtual, we want our own children to master in their own practice.
We’ve made a conscious decision not to deliver small workshops due to the very reasons you’ve outlined in the second paragraph – it’s either a full day or a two day immersive sessions from us… even then it’s sometime not enough.
We’re aiming to develop relationships to enable us to really change an organisations/schools culture with social media… sounds like what you are doing – we wish you luck with it and I’m sure the participants will be profoundly amazed by the possibilities and opportunities out there!
Peace
DK
MediaSnackers Founder
What we really need is Lesson Study.
We at eMINTS have found that in addition to narrowly-focused pd sessions, regular classroom visits to help support change is the major key. I have seen the most growth in some of my teachers after visits where we have reflected on practices or planned learning opportunities collaboratively. eMINTS also maintains Moodle space and a list serve to support a community of collaborators. In addition to this support, I’ve recently started up a blog to supplement my training sessions.
The hour-long “git and sit” pd session just doesn’t cut anymore, if it ever did.
Will,
I was inspired for that post by something David Jakes said, and from what I hear from our teachers every day.
Teachers struggle with the continuity of training and even those who want to extend their learning struggle with models of how to do so.
And it’s a struggle for campus support teams to design something that is consistent, long-running, and builds on itself.
So I applaud what you all are doing. I think teachers have a responsibility to provide that time they need for themselves, because each teacher knows best what they need to learn.
But I also think our pd models need to grow in a way that is supportive of a continuing conversation.
At NECC this summer, I mentioned a workshop I was doing–and he asked a question I have carried into every workshop since then, which was something like, What will you do to extend the workshop after it’s over? It was a very thought-provoking question and one I’m still considering.
The fabulous thing about being a part of a network and being “clickable” is that it does make it easier to extend that connection and invite new people into a network.
I think the work you all are doing is so excellent and will really make a difference for those educators. And it reminds me of the extended learning that Karl Fisch is doing with his staff at Arapahoe, by taking the journey over a long period of time.
Thanks for inviting all of us in!
Carolyn
Oops, lost a sentence somewhere!
Chris Lehmann asked the question at NECC I referred to above!
I attended NYSCATE last month and have come back with many ideas. I was also a presenter.
I think that it is important to try to build an on-line support network as a follow up to such training and professional development. NYSCATE setting up a Ning social network is a step in the right direction. I also set up a web-based Moodle space follow up to my presentation.
Unfortunately, at this writing, you can see that “the craziness of their teaching lives” has taken over. The last post at the NYSCATE Ning site is November 30. Perhaps this is, in part, due to a lingering discomfort with new technology. As for my “on-line support” follow up to my presentation, I see that participants are there lurking. I just wish they would participate.
I too struggle getting my mind around some of these new technologies: tagging, feeds, blogging, social networking, etc. The only way that I have made any headway is to take the time and energy to “be selfish about my learning” and actually dive in to experiencing the power they hold. Sometimes I do feel guilty in diverting my energies from my classroom and family. I realize, though, that this is an investment that I must make if I am to transform teaching and learning for myself and my students.
Hey–this sounds like the start of another blog entry!
Steve
Hi Will,
I hear the words “community†and “learning†come through quite strong in this post. I think … not about the approaches to teaching … but approaches to learning. If we concentrate on our own learning and the learning of our students then the teaching part will grow with depth and breadth.
I am going to be one of those attendees in the audience in a few days, but you know, for me it is also about making a personal connection. Perhaps it is just me and my old ways of thinking, but I read you, hear you and see you (mostly thanks to uStream) but there is something personal about physical space.
Catching Gary Stager at ECOO this year helped to challenge my own thoughts in a way that was different than the time I can take online to reflect on a particular response, post or new idea. I appreciate his point of view and respect him, whether his views are inline with my own thoughts or not. And for me it is all part of learning.
It’s not about the teaching, it’s about learning.
Quentin
How about in all day workshops spend the morning doing a bit of everything, then let the group decide what the one or two things they want to do focused study on with the idea it is the piece they are going to implement when they get back to school? Not perfect, but maybe something to think about.
How about in all day workshops spend the morning doing a bit of everything, then let the group decide what the one or two things they want to do focused study on with the idea it is the piece they are going to implement when they get back to school? Not perfect, but maybe something to think about.
Brian
You unload a lot of stuff in this entry, but I think you are selling yourself (and your mission) short by thinking the workshops don’t offer much. I was in one of your workshops in an Administrator’s Academy in Illinois about a month ago. Yes, it was a lot of tools and information in a short amount of time, but it was an epiphany for me. That day you taught us how to blog, RSS, Wiki, podcast and save it all to a Delicious site so we could find it again and share it with others.
That day I went home overwhelmed but also knowing that I needed change and personal education. I have begun a personal quest to learn more about the read/write web, to focus on its good uses instead of its bad, to use it in my personal life and to teach it to others. A week later, I was in a workshop led by David Jakes at IETC. The challenge was affirmed and I learned about some new technologies: Twitter and Ustream.
Since that time I created a wiki for our staff to answer a few questions about their technology use in the classroom. I added entries to the blog you helped me start so I could journal my experiences learning. I created a Ustream site and streamed rehearsal of the fall drama production just to see if I could. I also started following several folks (yourself and David included) on twitter in the hopes that I will catch some bit new that will keep the conversation alive for me. And then, I set up an RSS feed in iGoogle so I could have it tell me when it changed.
So far, in my experience, the read/write web has not produced much fruit yet. I read and I write but it still lacks the interactivity of a true network. I am still in a learning phase so I don’t expect lots of people to subscribe to what I tweet or post (although the reply from Santa Claus was kinda cool).
I, too, think that the best part of conferences and most workshops is the chance to meet and network in person. The ideas that are exchanged in that format are often 100x more valuable than any scheduled session. But I also am looking forward to the next time that I get a chance to interact with you, David or any of the other dozen or so folks that I have been introduced to in the last few weeks, thanks to the spark left by you in a workshop. So, don’t think that your workshops lack substance and please don’t abandon folks like me and Principal Jenn (who learned to twitter yesterday). You have made a difference and we want to join the conversation and we still need guidance to make our efforts bear real and substantial fruit.
We are providing ongoing, just-in-time, professional development through online, collaborative projects for students. That way the professional development is authentic for teachers as they are trying to implement the project. We have set up a learning environment for the students that weaves effective teaching strategies and web2.0 tools through a collaborative project. Teachers are willing to try the project because they connect to some aspect of the project…the teaching strategies, the goals for students or the potential to engage their students. That way we are doing what effective teachers do, starting where the learner is. We provide lots and lots of scaffolding for teachers so that they are successful at using the technology and begin to see the benefits for their students. The scaffolding begins by us taking the responsiblity for setting up a project that is purposeful and aligned with learning outcomes and designing the learning activities that are based on best practices and support the outcomes. We continue the scaffolding by providing teachers with help and support along the way through a blog, emails, and sometimes a phone call.
Our projects are for teachers from classrooms from many different areas, urban, suburban, rural. Therefore we are reaching teachers and students who may not have tech support in their schools and they are connecting with and learning from each other. We have seen teachers who are wonderful teachers, but very uncomfortable with technology, become proficient at using the technologies to support teaching and learning in their classroom through this model. We feel it honors the reality of teachers’ lives in the classroom, takes them where they are, builds on what they already know, and immerses teachers in a real learning experience through the use of web2.0 tools.
Hi Will! Happy Holidays!!
I see your frustration with “drive-by” staff development. While you and Sheryl inspire, I believe it is about the community that develops where folks can experience the tools they have learned. We’re hoping that the virtual professional learning community will be how change takes place at a higher level.
This is exactly what we need more of!(sorry about the preposition at the end there) Our building is trying to build a PLC – but it only involves a few staff members, so the rest of us lose out on the collective experience. Having a virtual network of colleagues who share the same passion for learning and growth sounds perfect. Way to go!
I love this idea about teaching the skills to begin and then using the same ideas to empower educators to use these tools in the classroom. You have to know what you are expecting students to use before you can use the tools.
Using 2.0 tools and perhaps videoconferencing tools, smaller more accessible learning opportunities could be built to help deliver professional learning that is not so overwhelming.
Last summer we tried an out of the box conference. We invited educators to come to the Milwaukee Public Museum to work with our instructors and curators of the museum to create digital media products for the museum. Teachers worked in collaborative groups with educators they had never met before. Participants kept blogs throughout the week http://mdmc2007.blogspot.com/. I think it is fascinating to read about their challenges and victories as they changed during the week. Our theme was Think Different Leave Different. At the end of the conference 100% of participants said that the conference caused them to think differently and 98% said they were leaving the conference differently than they arrived. We are little concerned about the 2% that said they were not leaving different, but there is always room for improvement. This week we will be holding another conference at The Milwaukee County Zoo, July 28th-31st. We are also holding a second one at The San Jose Museum of Art, August 11th-14th. More information about last year’s conference is available at http://mdmc2007.com
Hi Will,
After attending BLC ’07, I’ve dived in head-first into my best interpretation of the type of teaching you advocate. My students blog; they create wikis; they use social bookmarking and RSS feeds. They are slowly coming around, and I am figuring out how to make these tools more effective. The problem with me creating my own network is the discomfort I feel reaching out to people such as yourself that I perceive to be so far advanced beyond what I am doing. I’m not confident enough in what I’m doing to take the risk of asking you (or any of your peers) for input or feedback. The other side of the story is that I’m so far ahead of my in-school colleagues that they avoid talking to me about technology for the same reason. I’m trying Will, I’m just not sure how to take the next step!
Thanks for all of the comments…
@Gerry: No doubt the workshops have some carry over. But I guess I’m just wondering how much in the long term. I’m just wondering how much more effective those days can be given the restraints.
@J: That is precisely my point in terms of struggling with the next step. You can do it on your own, by continuing to read, to comment (as you did here, thank you very much) and asking where you are comfortable. What I find so powerful about those other communities that I’m working in now is that comfort level that allows people to ask and respond because the interaction is ongoing and present and not as distributed as in the “real” spaces. It’s a great scaffold for what is possible. Thanks for adding your thoughts…keep doing it!
What you’re saying coincides with the concept of Learning Communities and just-in-time learning that has become more and more prevelant in the vocabulary of professional development.
As someone who is participating in the professional development opportunity you described, I can tell yout that I’m personally getting a lot out of it.
I definitely think moving toward ongoing initiatives is critical. I also think that workshops aren’t inherently bad, but are much more effective when tied together over time, theme, and purpose.
Will,
After reading your comments here about PD, I thought that I should mention something about the Classrooms for the Future initiative here in PA.
We are very lucky because a key component of the CFF program is that each participating school have a Technology Integration Coach (my current position). Our job is to assist staff in making the transition to more 21st century teaching and learning. By having such a person on staff, the schools are moving beyond the one hour or one day workshops and now have someone who can assist them full time in making the transition to School 2.0.
I had an opportunity to go to the Kean presentation a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been fooling around with wikis since last March. I’ve started a professional blog, learned to use Google Reader, delicious, Twitter and Ning since August.
There were comments I overheard over the two days about it being overwhelming. I think it needs to really be stressed that the two days is just a mind dump. It’s up to the participants to go forward and create their own personal learning networks. There needs to be more emphasis on how to do this.
Stephen Covey suggests that we take time to sharpen the saw. It’s those fifteen minute blocks of time Carolyn wrote about that build a knowledge of how to go forward in the classroom. It’s also how I’ve been able to take a huge leap forward in what I do in the classroom.
There was a lot I gained, personally, by attending the event. I connected with someone I only knew online. I met local people that I want to beginning communicating with. I was inspired by Marco Torres. It was a pleasure listening to you in person after getting to know you through your blog since your trip to Australia.
There’s a place for everything. We just need to bring the experience of learning networks to those ready to take the chance.
In reading all the responses, it is encouraging and yet I hear the frustrations. It’s encouraging to see so many folks very seriously at the business of changing how we educate our students using all these new tools. Frustrations at how difficult it seems to move educators to be learners alongside their students. PD….an incredible challenge!
Thank you for taking a totally different approach to professional development in education. I am getting ready to teach a course on just this subject at my university this coming semester. Do you mind if I use some of your observations (and your blog) to springboard into different ideas for my students?