Yesterday some of us had the opportunity to participate in a book club discussion. The energy in the room was positive, compassionate, open and receptive. We shared best practices, ideas, knowledge, both newly acquired and vetted. We left the discussion energized with strategies to take back to our classrooms today. This discussion left me not only thinking about how I can better support students with behavior challenges but also what constitutes quality PD. Open discussions? Presentations led by teachers or experts? Unpacking standards or units of study? On-site training, hybrid or virtual sessions?
So many of the ideas and tools I bring to my work stem from my virtual personal learning networks. Twitter, Google + Communities, Pinterest, Teachers Pay Teachers, and even Facebook all provide shared communities of thoughtful discussion and best practice. You may already be using the latter few but I urge you to set up a Twitter account and begin to follow people of interest. You don't have to contribute to a conversation until you are ready. This virtual conversation is powered by the collective group sharing ideas, successes and failures, knowledge and sometimes, just as important, are the tweets that ask a question to kick start a dialogue. Begin by following our school (@westwood_ps, @sheehan_ps, @marthajones_ps), search for your favorite author, educator or organization and check out how much you can learn by adding virtual learning to your personal learning network. Additional benefit - school delays and cancellations are immediately shared on Twitter.
To learn more about the benefits of virtual PD, check out Holly Clark's article, The Essentials of Great PD. Have ideas about personal learning or professional development? Add your suggestions to our PD Brainstorming Padlet Board!
