I spent the past few days in New Orleans at the New Tech Network Annual Conference. (My schools site is a member of the New Tech Network of schools. Learn more at www.newtechnetwork.org.) My partner teacher and I were there to present a session on professional learning communities, aka PLCs. The sessions, entitled “Improving Student Learning Through An Effective PLC”, were well received and we were able to make some great connections and do some effective networking with other educators. We also had the chance to attend many of the other conference sessions and gain knowledge and insight on a variety of topics. Working in the capacity of both session facilitator and session audience member, I found myself at the conference with the unique perspective of nearly simultaneously operating as both presenter and learner.
[In order for you to understand where I am coming from, let me give you a little background. My previous career was in corporate human resources. There I did a lot of work with training and development, including designing and delivering training sessions. The role of trainer/facilitator is one I am very comfortable playing. When I left the corporate world to enter education, the transition to teaching young people was an easy one. Although I can honestly say that when I decided to become a teacher I didn’t anticipate that I would ever again find myself facilitating a group of adult learners. Yet within two years of walking in the door of my school – and the door of my new career – I found myself once again standing up in front of a group of adults.]
As a session facilitator, it was gratifying to present something to a group of colleagues and have it received with enthusiasm. Many of the session attendees were excited about immediately implementing some of the ideas we discussed. Emails were exchanged for follow up questions. Further conversations were had in the hallway after the presentation was done. However, it was also disappointing when others weren’t able to benefit from the content presented. For some our focus was too narrow, our process too complex, our context to different. Hearing this feedback is valuable as we think of ways to improve our presentation for the future, and sketch out other ideas to share. I had some of the same experiences in the sessions I attended. In some I gathered new ideas, tools and resources. In some I had our existing processes validated. But in others I struggled to find something relevant.
As both a presenter and a learner, what really got me jazzed in all of this were the conversations I found myself having with other educators about what is and is not working in our respective schools, and gathering that information together into a global perspective of what’s happening in new tech schools across the country. In all types of settings - small schools, big schools, charter schools, public schools - there are many universal struggles: authenticity, relevance, reluctant learners. Similarly, there are many successes: leadership processes, student engagement, creative projects. Listening and learning from other colleagues is an important part of our continuous growth as educators.
I’m heading into the next school year knowing that while we are doing many great things at my school site, there are many more opportunities for us to continue to grow and evolve. As a member of next year’s leadership team, I will again find myself with opportunities to simultaneously operate as presenter and learner when I am standing up in front of a group of adults – in this case my Humanities 11 colleagues – facilitating our team through more continuous improvement processes.
I got jazzed in New Orleans. Hopefully some of the things I bring back to my team will get them jazzed as well.
[In order for you to understand where I am coming from, let me give you a little background. My previous career was in corporate human resources. There I did a lot of work with training and development, including designing and delivering training sessions. The role of trainer/facilitator is one I am very comfortable playing. When I left the corporate world to enter education, the transition to teaching young people was an easy one. Although I can honestly say that when I decided to become a teacher I didn’t anticipate that I would ever again find myself facilitating a group of adult learners. Yet within two years of walking in the door of my school – and the door of my new career – I found myself once again standing up in front of a group of adults.]
As a session facilitator, it was gratifying to present something to a group of colleagues and have it received with enthusiasm. Many of the session attendees were excited about immediately implementing some of the ideas we discussed. Emails were exchanged for follow up questions. Further conversations were had in the hallway after the presentation was done. However, it was also disappointing when others weren’t able to benefit from the content presented. For some our focus was too narrow, our process too complex, our context to different. Hearing this feedback is valuable as we think of ways to improve our presentation for the future, and sketch out other ideas to share. I had some of the same experiences in the sessions I attended. In some I gathered new ideas, tools and resources. In some I had our existing processes validated. But in others I struggled to find something relevant.
As both a presenter and a learner, what really got me jazzed in all of this were the conversations I found myself having with other educators about what is and is not working in our respective schools, and gathering that information together into a global perspective of what’s happening in new tech schools across the country. In all types of settings - small schools, big schools, charter schools, public schools - there are many universal struggles: authenticity, relevance, reluctant learners. Similarly, there are many successes: leadership processes, student engagement, creative projects. Listening and learning from other colleagues is an important part of our continuous growth as educators.
I’m heading into the next school year knowing that while we are doing many great things at my school site, there are many more opportunities for us to continue to grow and evolve. As a member of next year’s leadership team, I will again find myself with opportunities to simultaneously operate as presenter and learner when I am standing up in front of a group of adults – in this case my Humanities 11 colleagues – facilitating our team through more continuous improvement processes.
I got jazzed in New Orleans. Hopefully some of the things I bring back to my team will get them jazzed as well.