Our first week of Professional Advancement is behind us and I am already suffering from “Fellow Withdraw”. What an amazing week we have all had.
By far, the day spent exploring the Nantahala River was the highlight of my week. It truly was a one-two punch of science content and team building. PD for educators typically consists of sessions that mimic our day-to-day lives – they are copies of the school setting . This may be one reason that ineffective PD is a constant complaint of educators. But not this Wednesday! The content section of our day on the river was about the geologic and botanic importance of the Nantahala waterway. Instead of showing slides in the conference room, we went and experienced that waterway for ourselves. We felt the rocks change the flow of the river. We saw the diversity of life on Claire’s Island. We smelled the plants that have been used as teas and remedies for centuries b
y North Carolina’s inhabitants. This trip modeled for us the power and importance of experiential learning. As a science teacher responsible for teaching the subjects of water quality, river health, ecosystems, the hydrosphere, and Earth’s geologic history, this trip gave me real examples that strengthen my own understanding. This gives me ideas and confidence to get students out to a local body of water and learn through experience themselves.
The team building aspect of our rafting trip was equally as important. The challenges presented to us on Monday’s icebreakers took us out of our comfort zone and started conversations, but it was the river experience that solidified us as a group. I was inspired by the way the whole group embraced and supported the Fellows who were nervous and concerned about the trip (which was most of us!). I’m sure the time spent bonding on the river will be rewarded later in the Fellowship as we lean on each other for advice, guidance, and support.
As for the concurrent and whole-group sessions back at NCCAT, it is hard to select one as the ‘best’ or the ‘least favorite’. I was fortunate that every session I attended gave me ideas or useful inspiration. One theme I noticed was the shared responsibility of teachers, students, and parents in the success of school communities. As I reflect on how I can implement that theme in my classroom and school , both the idea of student ‘defended’ portfolios and the session on teacher blogging popped into my head. Having students create and manage portfolios of their learning is not a new idea, nor is having them show the portfolio to parents. What is often missing is the “why?” of the task. Portfolios should capture student growth and reflections on student learning. We often do not model this process to kids. Enter teacher blogs. Teacher blogs are, in essence, portfolios of teachers’ activities, reflections, and growth as life-long learners. As we create and curate our blogs this summer, I will be thinking of how I can use my blog to model a digital portfolio so that I can refine how my students document their own work. This documentation can then be used by a student to show his or her own growth throughout the year, both to me and to his or her family. My hope is that inviting parents in on a more frequent basis to see their child’s progress will shift the responsibility of learning into a more equal position between myself, the student, and the parents.
Most of the events that occurred this week would have been effective on their own but taken together made it truly special. What put the experience over the top was the NCCAT touch. The serene location and professional treatment we received allowed us to focus on the sessions and activities. I think being at NCCAT allowed the group to truly step back and breathe, which gave us the ability to see the PD with fresh perspective and renewed vigor.