This morning, I will host my first staff meeting in my new role as a Principal. In my previous roles in education, I have tried to ensure that meetings provided staff with information and learning that is meaningful and relevant.
For the past week, I have struggled with creating an agenda for this meeting. Part of my struggle has been figuring out how to include important information that teachers and staff members must know in order to start the school year. I know that the meeting shouldn’t primarily be a reading of a list of information, but some information sharing is a must for this meeting. While I like to make meetings more active and allow for interaction and staff participation, I have been trying to determine a way to make the meeting more than the equivalent of direct instruction.
After some initial team building activities, my goal is to share the important information as quickly as possible in order to leave some additional time for some other meaningful activities. During each staff meeting, I will end with Something for the Classroom and An Edcamp Ending.
During the Something for the Classroom portion, I will share a resource, activity or strategy that staff members can use in the classroom immediately after the meeting. While teachers sit through many sessions without finding something useful, my goal is to give them at least one thing that they can use with students to positively impact instruction.
Finally, we will finish with An Edcamp Ending. The beauty of the Edcamp model is the choice that it allows teachers. To finish our meeting, we will take about 5-10 minutes to allow teachers to discuss/share relevant topics chosen on the spot. I’m not sure what teachers may want to use the time to do, but I’m hoping that the last few minutes produces some meaningful discussion and collaboration.
So, as you finalize the agenda for your meetings this year, allow for teacher voice and choice, and consider providing teachers with actionable steps and resources for the classroom. What will you add to your agenda this year? Share your strategies for switching up your staff meetings in the comments section below.
Rich (@RACzyz)