The trouble with a lot of educational professional learning and development (PLD) is that it is based on the assumption that you need an expert to come in and 'do it' to teachers. Lots of 'wannabe' consultants offer expertise that can turn out to be a chimera, an illusion, at the end of which you feel much as you might at the end of a week of eating potato crips hoping that would provide satisfying nutrition: rather empty and unfulfilled (and at times rather sick). Now don't get me wrong, there are also some outstanding providers of PLD, and at Hornby High School we work with a few of them.
However that's not how we roll all the time at Hornby High School, nor cross our Uru Mānuka kāhui ako. Today is a case in point. Today we ran our 'Teacher Summit '21' at which teachers from across the cluster presented a simple aspect of their work, their ideas, their best practice, to teachers from across the cluster, all focussed on our cluster wide focus on reading. Over 100 teachers from primary and secondary schools shared a piece of their best practice, and you know what? It ALL came from inside our Kāhui Ako. We knew all of this, and I have been privileged to witness some outstanding ideas that are stunning in their simplicity and their effectiveness.
This is not someone coming in and telling us our business, DOING PLD TO us. This was us sharing what we have established to be effective teaching practice, practice often the result of teacher inquiry. The fact that we are in this place, doing this mahi, is due in no small measure to our participation in the Manaiakalani kaupapa. The pedagogy and the support from Manaiakalai Education trust have enabled teacher and school efficacy and self determination, and the opportunity to improve our impact on learners.
It is also a beautiful example of our "Learn Create Share' pedagogy in operation with our teachers. After all, if we are to be authentic in our use of the pedagogy, we ought to use it ourselves.
I picked up some very cool ideas, the sorts of ideas that make me wish I was in the classroom so that I had an excuse to use them. Big thanks has to go to all of the staff who so willingly participated, and to Kelsey our Education Programme Leader, who engineered the whole event.
Impactful PLD Aē. Impactful PLD because none of us knows all the answers, but between us we know most of them
Wow! What an OSUM day you have had. Ups to all of you and so agree with the sentiments Robin. So often the "answer is in the house".
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your excellent summit.
Kia ora Robin, thanks for sharing your insights into PLD and our wondeful Teacher Summit.In general, the past PLD model has not been very successful at sustaining positive changes to teaching and learning practice, or raising student achievement.Collectively, we have the answers to many of our shared problems and challenges. My hope is our Teacher Summits will grow and flourish, and through this collaboration, uncover the solutions to our challenges.
ReplyDeleteKiNora Gary
DeleteA lofty but totally reasonable and realistic aspiration around PLD.. it just requires leadership commitment from everyone. After all, we are all leaders.