From what I have gathered through his various biographical write-ups, and posts, this man, Matt Townsley, is a former math teacher and now a technology and curriculum instructor. I found various blogs, a district-wide twitter account, and blog that posts podcasts with various topics. This man is a leader in more ways than one. Not only does his title distinguish him as a leader, but also his actions. The details listed in his blog give me the impression that he is in tune with the needs, wants, and areas of improvements of his district. If I were a teacher, I would feel very in-the-loop.
What really caught my eye, though, was his latest post on his personal blog: as seen here. The powerpoint that he so effectively shows through Google Docs, outlines the integration of technology in the classroom. My favorite slide is #5, where he basically presents the difference between asking 'how can I use technology in my classroom' as opposed to 'how can I integrate technology to improve my lesson and enhance it?' It seems to be a question that not many administrators know the answer to, which leaves educators caught in a web of mediocre professional development workshops.
Matt had a very candid post about a year ago, presenting his views on professional development and I found his answers to one man's post very interesting. In his initial post, Matt addresses the issue of uninterested teachers and those that come with a chip on their shoulder. Many teachers come into professional development situations with preconceived notions, and are not willing to give something new a try. I mentioned in my discussion response that it was frustrating to go into a PD session and get lectured on elementary school topics. He writes:
"Let's say I spent all of my time visiting teachers before school, during their prep periods and after school on a regular basis. This means the teacher must be willing to give up his/her time to do this as well. This is the problem I see. In order to adequately bring teachers on board for many of the decisions they want to be a part of, they would need to participate in meetings on a weekly (and sometimes more often than that) basis. Sorry, Mrs. Jones...there goes your prep time; please take twice as much work home to do all in the name of increased input from you, the classroom teacher."
His argument is compelling and I am the first to admit that I value my prep time very much. It gives me a chance to decompress if necessary, set up for labs, clean up, organize any materials I collected, and to attend any necessary meetings. It is very interesting to see professional development from the other side of the desk, and to hear it not from someone who is close to retirement, and just going through the motions. This man seems to be full of ideas, is obviously in the know with technology, and seems to keep the whole district in the loop through his blogs and tweets (as long as they are willing to take the time and meet him half way).
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
On a completely different note that did not find a way to directly correlate with what I posted, I found a very interesting article on evaluating professional development in one's district in order to improve it. "Does It Make a Difference? Evaluating Professional Development"
I think it is so interesting to look at the role that professional development plays in the field. Since I am still in school, I have illusions of grandeur and excitement when I think about my teaching career. I want to better my pedagogy and instruction in every way that I can to provide my students with the best education and every opportunity to succeed. You bring up a wonderful point about teachers that are nearing retirement and are merely going through the motions. I can recall having one of these teachers when I was in high school and he would merely lecture my class- every single day. I dreaded this class because it was so boring and did not provide me with any opportunities to interact and engage with the material. I think P.D. is a great solution to the problem of teachers not being aware of new technologies and information but how can they become motivated to use these ideas in their teaching, especially when they are veterans of the trade?
ReplyDeleteLouise, you make a great point with your last question. Honestly, I have no idea. If I had that answer, I would publish a book and make some money! I think it's the issue that most growing districts, and those that really are interested in getting ahead of the curve, struggle with. In some ways I feel like forcing teachers to use it during a PD session is the only way to get their feet wet ...
ReplyDeleteThe quest for effective professional development! It certainly is a never-ending issue. In the last decade, or so, there has been the push to give students "choice" in what/how they learn and how they will demonstrate what they've learned. Unfortunately choice when it comes to professional development is not as prevalent, although I believe it to be key in changing teachers' attitudes.
ReplyDeleteIn further commenting on the point Louise makes about veteran teachers, I am not so sure it is the experienced teacher who is unwilling to change. I think these teachers sometimes get a bad rap, yet it doesn't seem to occur that these may be the teachers whom the younger, less experienced to the wisdom of the field, could learn from. Forcing a teacher to do something is taking the "professionalism" out of professional development. Not sure if there is a solution, but there are two sides to the situation.