All Teachers Need is Time and They Can Do Amazing Things!

This year I have had the opportunity to expand my TLLP learning through the Provincial knowledge Exchange Grant (PKE) with the Ministry of Education. This grant is allowing our team to share our knowledge of the TLLP throughout our school board and province in order to build capacity in the areas of STEAM, Coding and Makerspaces.

 

As part of this grant, I am part of a team of educators who are putting together a Student Led Conference in these areas coming up in April at a local secondary school. Beginning in January, we met once a month to share ideas, and put together this conference that will host 25 schools both elementary and secondary school and approximately 200 students. From the onset of the meetings this group has been tremendously positive, hardworking and inspiring! The meetings are vibrant, engaging and people are really excited about working together. You leave the meeting feeling excited, energized and there is true sense of collegiality.

 

I have been spending some time reflecting on this group and how and why it is effective and I came to the realization that:  All Teachers need is time and they can do amazing things!  When it comes to professional development providing trust and autonomy can result in some pretty amazing opportunities and learning for both teachers and students. I would love for all teachers to leave professional development opportunities feeling as charged up and empowered as I have been in the PKE and TLLP journey.  Wouldn’t it be great to hear teachers saying: “I can’t wait for this staff meeting or professional development day!”  I started asking myself what would need to change for that to happen? Why don’t teachers get the same feelings? What conditions need to change? One of the limitations I believe is that some professional development is generic and being done to teachers, not with teachers. It is often from top down and teachers don’t feel like they are a part of something larger or connected to their learning. Teachers are longing for opportunities to network and collaborate and share authentically the challenges and successes they are facing in the classroom.  The PKE provides this time to connect with other educators and be a part of something authentic. I feel it is purposeful and creates learning by having educators share some of the amazing things they are doing in their classroom to inspire each other.  It empowers teachers to take charge of their learning and take on leadership. The PKE has three secret ingredients that often traditional professional development is missing: time, trust and collaboration.