Push or Pull Professional Learning?
July 1, 2010
Q – How do we plan for professional learning and does it work?
Q – What sort of Professional Learning makes the most impact on
- Classroom practice
- Educational reform
As an AP with a role of Student Learning and Professional Learning, I am often linking the two and trying to work in ways that are going to make a difference to our students.
There are many great intentions within our school systems to provide opportunities for teachers to learn and grow in particular fields and in general pedagogical understanding.
For me as an educator I learn in many ways but always I learn best if it is something that is purposeful and relevant to my needs then and there. Some if these are -
- face to face workshops
- online through my PLN
- coaching and mentoring
- conferences
- speaking and presenting for others
Overall, I tailor my professional learning to suit me. As a system, this is very hard to achieve and differentiating the learning for teachers is just as hard as it is for students.
Today I listened to Charles Leadbeater talk about innovation in education. I have heard him speak on similar topics whilst in Melbourne and now on Ted Talks. One thing that resonated with me was the ‘push vs pull’ style of schooling and education. We often talk about engaging our students in learning and wondering but I am not sure this is much the case for professional learning in schools.
So why isn’t it? Time, multiple needs, conflicting priorities?
I’m wondering if it something else? Is it because we don’t quite know where we want to go? Or because we don’t know what we don’t know?
Chris Lehmann spoke about a ‘grass roots movement’ that brought together all stakeholders (students, teachers, parents and community members) to discuss ways to get us closer to the vision of a ‘school 2.0’. This sounds like a great ‘pull’ movement.
Recently I have been invited to work with various schools about moving forward with educational spaces, technologies and pedagogy. This is on a small scale of course, but there are communities that are interested in this. So why not bring these communities together to discuss and debate this vision together.
Perhaps what others are doing can be the ‘pull’ for what we are doing.
What do others think or do?
Entry Filed under: 21st Century Skills,learning,pedagogy,Web2.0. Posted in 21st Century Skills ,learning ,pedagogy ,Web2.0 Tags: Charles Leadbeater, Chris Lehmann, ICT, PD, pedagogy, professional learning, spaces, Ted Talks.
2 Comments Add your own
This is a very timely post for me Helen. Our school has been debating this topic for some time now. We commenced a formal ICT Professional Learning Teams Program late last year that proved to be very successful in assisting teachers with the commencement of our Netbook Program.
We are desperately hoping that this program will be ongoing but face the same issues as many other schools – a lack of time available for teachers to participate and a lack of available funds to make it happen.
Thank goodness we have such wonderful, free online opportunities such as via our Personal Learning Networks. At times like this where there seems to be “pulling” of funds, it’s the one form of Professional Learning that can’t be taken away from us.
Lucy
There is now a visual resource for professional learning that really lends itself to Pull learning. Over 100 evidence-based teaching techniques, each visually depicted in 3 different formats at http://www.how2teach.co.uk.
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