A mandatory in-service day is coming up, and you can already smell the boredom. You know it will be a bunch of sessions offered under the guise of choice that have nothing to do with what you actually do each day. It was planned by someone in some far-off office who is completely out of touch with what goes on in your classroom or any classroom for that matter.
There has to be a better way. So I’ll pose this question:
What if students designed Teacher PD?
What would it look like? What topics would be included? Would teachers learn more? And would they be more engaged and inspired? What would happen if we handed the microphone and the schedule to the students?
Let’s explore the idea with some possible sessions:
The Workload Reality Check. Maybe students would suggest a session where teachers try to complete a night’s homework load. Students in upper grade levels often have seven or eight different teachers, and each assigns “just” thirty minutes of work. In this session, teachers would participate in a simulation where they try to complete the thirty minutes of work for each class while also trying to participate in extracurricular activities after school. Would teachers sitting through this session find empathy for students and streamline their assignments? Hopefully they would.
Tech You Think We Use. Schools often mandate inefficient websites, tech tools, and devices that cause students to find work arounds. While we think that students are using the wonderful technology resources that we provide, they are actually using their own tech to find ways around “our” tech. Have students lead a session where they show teachers what tools they are actually using, how productive those tools can be, and how students are actually learning using other resources. Students are fantastic with technology and are often way ahead of the curve (and us)! Let’s let them show us what it truly means to be technologically advanced.
Engagement Doesn’t Mean Entertainment. Ever try planning lessons that truly engage students? Many teachers try to bring out all of the bells and whistles to entertain students. Flashy videos. Game based learning. Online learning platforms. Teachers think that these “cool” options engage students when what they really want is to connect to the content in a meaningful way. Authentic real world activities go a long way in actually engaging students. Hold a panel discussion to let teachers know what students actually want to learn.
An Introvert’s Guide to Collaboration. It’s a buzzword in many classrooms. Group projects, collaborative assignments, and pair shares dominate the landscape for teachers. But what if that one quiet kid quietly explained to teachers what it’s like for an introvert to try and participate in collaboration? Give the quiet kid the opportunity to explain how painful it is to have to work with others. Let teachers see what it’s like when one kid is forced to socialize when he just wants to engage in the content. Would we see less collaborative assignments? Maybe we would and maybe the introverted kid would feel a little more comfortable in class.
What other sessions do you think students would come up with? What do you think they would want teachers to learn? While we probably do not have the opportunity to turn over a full PD day to students, we can probably work toward that goal with some minor tweaks. Start by handing each student an index card and have them answer the question:
“If you could teach me one thing to make this class better, what would it be?” Students answering this question may just provide a spark of an idea to turn PD over to the kids. In some cases, it would be a better option than what’s currently provided.
Rich
For more PD ideas, check out the Four O’Clock Faculty and ROGUE Leader!
