Helping My Colleagues...
Helping my colleagues be more effective instructors will require me to...
Reach out to them regularly, letting them know that I am ready, willing, and able to collaborate with them at whatever place they find themselves in regard to their instruction. Are they reflecting upon the appropriateness of the content or pacing? Have they moved to a different grade? Are they new to teaching or to the district and are unfamiliar with available resources and policies? Do they have experience with other resources that they'd be willing to share? Do they want to explore broader content through a societal, not classroom, lens? Building relationships and clearly articulating my availability will be essential.
Share resources that address effective instruction such as:
- Summary/infographic of Marzano's Nine Instructional Strategies
- Characteristics of Highly Effective Teaching and Learning
- New Teacher Resources via TeacherVision
- Building an Arsenal of Effective Instructional Strategies
- Paola Freire's advocacy for the reciprocal exchange of knowledge between teachers and students in his book:
Encourage them to reflect upon their instruction, using diaries, blogs, videos, and other reflective teaching tools.
Build and maintain a professional library and resource bank for a diverse group of educators.
Partner with specific staff members (curriculum instructional specialists, teacher mentors, grade level teams) and the community (volunteers, parent/teacher groups, businesses offering education-related programs, funding, etc.) to provide for student, teacher, classroom and school needs.
Continue my own professional development to better understand and navigate the ever-evolving field of education.
Well, drats! The entire I post I wrote out before the "TEST" went no where. Maybe that is what happened to the message you sent me earlier? I am not too sure.
ReplyDeleteWhat I said in my response was : your blog looks great. I have NO social media OF ANY KIND, so bear with me as we move through the summer. Thanks.
Your comments on building relationships is huge. Teachers find it so easy to shut their door and not come out until Christmas. We have to support one another.
The comment you ended your post with is also very important; we have to continue to seek professional development that is meaningful and worthwhile. And I think teachers need to work with their districts to be sure that this happens.
S,
DeleteThanks, I’ve been blogging for some time now at my kindergarten and craft blogs, though this year there has been little time for me to share more than funnies or products I’ve created for TPT. I’m hoping that the upcoming year provides me with more opportunities to reflect, rant, and photo-document all of the things I enjoy both in and out of the classroom.
Since joining my present school district and starting this LMS program I’ve become more comfortable with the shift to learner-requested and facilitated content, where teachers suggest, select and support one another’s professional development. I’ve taught long enough (and in very diverse districts) to have experienced the evolution from sit-and-get inservices to staff-created “cafeteria style” hands-on PD sessions, and I absolutely prefer the latter.
Wow, your blog looks incredible. I feel like I am way behind on the blogging. I love that you said sharing resources. One of my favorite things when we come together for a PLC is learning what resources others are using and how. Our Ed camp days are beneficial since we not only get the resource but also get to explore it during that time.
ReplyDeleteI also like the idea of self reflection. Such an important piece that is easy to overlook!
K,
DeleteI too, appreciate the sharing that occurs with grade level (building and district) and larger team PLCs, and I even find many benefits to my Twitter PLN. There’s no way for any one teacher to know it all, and there are so many new tools and resources being created, piloted and reviewed by fellow educators across the globe- I’m like a kid in a candy store during #satchat and #sunchat and #ksedchat and #kinderchat and… and… As you might have guessed, I totally encourage colleagues to build larger PLNs via social media in an effort to help them connect with other effective and collaborative instructors.