NCCAT

NCCAT was a totally invigorating, challenging, and unexpected experience. I was apprehensive about being in a room with 41 other teachers that have more experience than me. Trust me: Kenan Fellows can be a professionally intimidating group. However, I soon learned that there was no need to be nervous; we were all there to learn from each other, to share great ideas, and to build long-lasting relationships.

One of my favorite sessions of the week was Michelle Hicks’ talk on the Classroom Debate Toolkit. Though it was a small group in attendance, we walked away with tangible ideas for facilitating debate, as well as ways to modify for varying levels of students. It was valuable because we were given the chance to collaborate and learn from each other. Though this session may have seemed to be geared to a humanities classroom, I plan to use my take-aways to have constructive discussions regarding evolution, cloning, and genetically-modified organisms.

My least favorite session was one in which the title was misleading: Project-Based Learning as a Differentiation Strategy. While it was interesting to hear about the presenter’s cross-curricular, long-term project, there was not much of an opportunity for the participants to collaborate or discuss ways in which we successfully differentiate in our own classrooms. I think that by offering the floor to the audience members, the session would a) be more engaging and b) serve as a time for us to collaborate and learn from each other.

Overall, this past week at NCCAT is unlike anything I’ve ever done before–professional development or otherwise. It was the perfect blend of summer camp and professional development. The relaxed environment, the EdCamp model, and the amazing teachers/presenters/staff made this a memorable experience that will not soon be forgotten. From the fancy meals, to the choice of PD sessions, to the “patio PD,” this week was AWESOME!

Below is a photo taken in the Smoky Mountains National Forest on Wednesday evening. We missed the steak dinner (boo), but we did get to see about 20 elk in the wild!