In all my previous and current capacities as a leader- captain, coach, and teacher- my main goal was/is to inspire and motivate people to apply the same dedication and passion reserved for matters of interest to the given work at hand. We are in a pedagogical age when it is impossible to stay current while practicing in isolation, and a permanent priority of the modern school leadership team must be strengthening the professional network their teachers have at both the building level and beyond without turning collaboration into just another thing teachers “have to” do. In Learning From Lincoln: Leadership Practices for School Success, Alvy & Robbins write, “...the leader’s task is to organize the school or district to support collaborative work, create those conditions that will allow it to occur, and ensure that the collaboration is purposeful for those involved.” However, if the avenues that schools are taking to create opportunities for collaboration and interpersonal professional learning become seen as just another obligation to be half-heartedly crammed into limited contractual hours, then the outcomes will never justify the effort, and the self fulfilling prophecies of doubters and isolationists will be realized yet again. If we know that networks and connections offer the best outlets for teachers to be most equipped for success, then we as leaders owe it to our schools to bring those opportunities for collaboration to the forefront of our agendas. Rather than attempting to utilize randomly assigned tuning protocol groups with prescribed topics and tasks to facilitate professional growth, or default to certain departments for school-wide rubric creation, the more prudent road for leadership to take is to purposefully and organically allow teachers with similar interests and passions to connect with each other, and work and learn together. It is only with purposeful engagement and careful planning that school leaders can begin to move adult collaboration and collegiality beyond “have to.”
Major obstacles exist that prevent professional learning and development from holding higher value in most schools, and leadership must explicitly address these concerns if trying to build authentic learning networks amongst faculty and staff. The quality and relevance of professional development offered in the building sends the loudest message to the staff. Administrations that treat P.D. like they something they “have to” offer employ teachers that think of P.D. as something they “have to” do. Beyond what is offered, the administration must have an active and robust presence in the school, and invest the time in getting to know their staff on a pedagogical level in order to be able to create purposeful and results oriented connections for tunings protocols, NEASC committees, PLCs, etc. while also ensuring relevant development opportunities. Rather than asking who wants to work and learn together, it’s about discovering and understanding who should work and learn together. Leaders who know their staff are better positioned to do this. Finally, excitement for growth and learning must start at the top. The principal and leadership team must be modeling the culture and habits they want to promote. Alvy & Robbins would call this intentional visibility.
What makes the Edcamp model such an effective form of professional interaction, and so unrealistic as an event for many actual school communities in their current form, is that everyone is participating because they want to. It’s not the fact that it is an Edcamp that makes it special; rather, the element of interest and passion that brought everyone there is what must be captured. Twitter is a catalyst for growth and learning because all the networks one builds and conversations one has occurs by choice and is sparked by initial interest or passion. Networks such as #sschat would not be as strong if every single educator using Twitter had to participate by condition of usage, just like intra-building or district professional development does not work when every single person has to participate, regardless of knowledge base, experience, or care. Instead of recreating Edcamp, or perpetually romanticizing mediums like Twitter as the magic bullet for professional growth, school leaders need to craft the environment that fuels both of these platforms within their school. Creating the culture of excitement and passion for professional learning in your building is a more reliable long term solution than simply mimicking/hosting an event. The only way for professional dialogue and collaborative learning to go beyond “have to” is to make it so valuable and rewarding that it organically becomes a want rather than an obligation.
Major obstacles exist that prevent professional learning and development from holding higher value in most schools, and leadership must explicitly address these concerns if trying to build authentic learning networks amongst faculty and staff. The quality and relevance of professional development offered in the building sends the loudest message to the staff. Administrations that treat P.D. like they something they “have to” offer employ teachers that think of P.D. as something they “have to” do. Beyond what is offered, the administration must have an active and robust presence in the school, and invest the time in getting to know their staff on a pedagogical level in order to be able to create purposeful and results oriented connections for tunings protocols, NEASC committees, PLCs, etc. while also ensuring relevant development opportunities. Rather than asking who wants to work and learn together, it’s about discovering and understanding who should work and learn together. Leaders who know their staff are better positioned to do this. Finally, excitement for growth and learning must start at the top. The principal and leadership team must be modeling the culture and habits they want to promote. Alvy & Robbins would call this intentional visibility.
What makes the Edcamp model such an effective form of professional interaction, and so unrealistic as an event for many actual school communities in their current form, is that everyone is participating because they want to. It’s not the fact that it is an Edcamp that makes it special; rather, the element of interest and passion that brought everyone there is what must be captured. Twitter is a catalyst for growth and learning because all the networks one builds and conversations one has occurs by choice and is sparked by initial interest or passion. Networks such as #sschat would not be as strong if every single educator using Twitter had to participate by condition of usage, just like intra-building or district professional development does not work when every single person has to participate, regardless of knowledge base, experience, or care. Instead of recreating Edcamp, or perpetually romanticizing mediums like Twitter as the magic bullet for professional growth, school leaders need to craft the environment that fuels both of these platforms within their school. Creating the culture of excitement and passion for professional learning in your building is a more reliable long term solution than simply mimicking/hosting an event. The only way for professional dialogue and collaborative learning to go beyond “have to” is to make it so valuable and rewarding that it organically becomes a want rather than an obligation.
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