Learning with YouTube Day 10: Teachers Create What They Experience #busedu #31daysofPD #personalizedPD @katiemorrow

Today's YouTube PD is Teachers Create what they Experience by Katie Martin at TEDx El Cajon Salon

We have the opportunity and OBLIGATION to change how students learn in school today. To do that, schools must create a culture where they inspire risk taking and opportunity for teachers to integrate new ideas for learning.

Katie explains this requires three things:

1-- A SHARED VISION: Teachers need expectations but autonomy.

2--Embrace learning as a PROCESS, not an EVENT. There must be modeling, safe practice, coaching, feedback and reflection.

3--Go OPEN.  Isolation is now a choice educators make; it's not necessary. There is so much access to info, ideas, and networks of people.

She asks schools if they are creating systems for teachers to comply and implement YOUR ideas and YOUR programs? Or creating systems to bring people together to learn and create better opportunities in the classroom.

Buying new things is fine, but if we fail to empower teachers to design better experiences, we could miss out on a great opportunity.

Great points, Katie. I will say, though, that we often are told that we should be more engaging, get students more excited, cultivate enthusiasm, provide good experiences... but teachers aren't "taught" how to do it. We do often do things similar to how we learned--which mostly was by lecture if you are in your 40s like me (thought I try to be very hands-on and try to relate to real life). Of course, just like this summer as I pursue an online book study, teaching myself After Effects, and 31 days of online PD, my learning NOW is much different than when I was in school. It revolves around seeking out answers. However, that works for ME in this situation. It doesn't work for everyone. A math teacher telling my daughter she should better seek out a way to do that math problem she doesn't understand...well, that can be seen as a teacher refusing to teach. And, as a computer teacher, I also have to walk a fine line between challenging students to want to seek answers and being judged as a teacher who "doesn't want to teach" as well.

It's a tough balancing act, but I very much agree that we need school buy-in and support. However, I also believe we need to be given resources to figure out HOW to create these opportunities Katie speaks about. I'd like to see more shared from actual classrooms--videos of classrooms in action--that demonstrate these great experiences we'd all love to provide if we only knew how.