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How to Thank a Teacher

Blogs on Professional Development

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EduCon: Not Your Typical "Sit and Git" Conference

Adam ProvostFebruary 6, 2013

Tags New Teachers, Professional Development, Professional Learning Network (PLN), Teacher Development

I pulled up a chair next to a woman at the EduCon conference at the Science Leadership Academy (SLA) in Philadelphia this last Saturday. After some brief introductions I learned her heavy Southern accent hailed from Arkansas, that she was shocked by how cold it was, and that it was her first time attending the conference. I asked her how she liked EduCon so far. "I love it," she said. "It's not your typical 'sit and git' type conference."

That's a great summary, indeed.

A Year at Mission Hill: An Exciting New Film Series

Mark PhillipsJanuary 31, 2013

Tags Primary (K-2), Professional Development, Student Engagement, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8)

Every once in awhile I visit a school that reminds me of what public education can be at its best, a place where I'd like to be, as a child or a teacher, a place that elicits the best in me as an educator. And so it was with my recent introduction to the world of the Mission Hill School, a Boston area public pilot school, as captured by the filmmaking team of Tom and Amy Valens.

Experienced Teachers Reflect on Their First Year: A Follow Up

Judy Willis MDJanuary 30, 2013

Tags New Teachers, Pre-Service Teachers, Professional Development, Teacher Development, All Grades

My August blog -- which included responses from experienced teachers about what they wish they’d known as beginners -- focused on students' emotions and classroom community. Now that we are several months into the school year, I offer their advice about goals, resources and cautions.

Rivers and Streams: Reflections on São Paulo's Innovate 2013 Conference

William TolleyJanuary 30, 2013

Tags Education Reform, Leadership, Professional Development, Teacher Development, All Grades

"Every day is a workshop." -- Will Richardson

Innovate 2013, hosted by Graded School in São Paulo, ended last Sunday, and now hundreds of freshly-charged innovators are heading back to their schools from as close as Sampa itself to as far away as Mumbai. Reactions to the conference were overwhelmingly positive and the sessions I attended were first class.

Five-Minute Film Festival: Best Kickoff Videos

Amy Erin Borovoy (aka VideoAmy)January 11, 2013

Tags Education Reform, Professional Development, All Grades

Sometimes you just need a short, powerful video to start a meeting, an event, or a presentation -- something that really makes everyone sit up straight and start listening. It's the beginning of a brand new year, in the dark and cold of winter, and it seems like the perfect time to offer up some meeting opener videos that will leave you feeling energized and excited. And since they say you only have a few moments to get your audience's attention, almost all of these videos are under five minutes.

The Well-Behaved Teacher: Avoiding Santa's "Naughty" List

Nicholas ProvenzanoDecember 19, 2012

Tags Best Practices, New Teachers, Professional Development, Teacher Development, All Grades

For Your Eyes Only

It is a little known fact that Santa has an entire division of elves who focus on educators. They are known as ELFS (Elves Love Following Schoolteachers). These ELFS spend their days tracking down educators to make sure they are being nice. When a teacher is naughty or nice, they make note of it and send it to the ELFS database for the computers to sort out. Another little known fact: Google’s algorithm for searches is based on the ELFS computer system at the North Pole.

What Can School Teams Learn from Geese?

Elena AguilarDecember 13, 2012

Tags Leadership, Professional Development

My last two posts have been reflections on what I've learned this fall about the role that teams can play in transforming schools. The final installment in this series is not original -- I didn't come up with these ideas -- but just in case you haven't come across "Lessons We Learn from Geese," I wanted to share these. There are many versions of this all over the Internet, all of which say, "Author unknown." Here's a version I like.

The Art of Facilitating Teacher Teams

Elena AguilarDecember 5, 2012

Tags Professional Development, Teacher Development

In my last post I reflected on what makes an effective team of teachers. This is something I've been contemplating a great deal as this year I'm leading a team of instructional coaches. We work with a number of middle schools that are "transforming" and a central element in our theory of action is that leadership and instruction will transform by way of strong, effective, high functioning teams.

Mentorship: Teaching the Teachers

Shira LoewensteinNovember 21, 2012

Tags Leadership, Mentoring, Professional Development, Teacher Development

You've been teaching for five years, and you love every part of it. You love the kids, your colleagues -- well -- you love teaching. The parents are happy, the kids learn, but you’re getting an "itch." School isn't as exciting as it used to be. The routines are becoming routine, and you know what the kids are going to get stuck on, push back at, get excited by -- nothing is new anymore.

You are not alone.

Three Dos and Don’ts of Transformative Teacher Leadership

José VilsonNovember 7, 2012

Tags Leadership, Professional Development, Teacher Development

When I began my tenure as math coach for my middle school, I came into the position thinking I could bring something fresh to this idea of support. Four years in, I'm learning that every instructional coach forms a set of relationships and dynamics with colleagues in his or her respective department. Every teacher leader struggles between winning everyone over and positioning him- or herself as a true liaison for administrators and teachers.