I have struck PLN gold! I have been participating in a weekly chat called educoach with instructional coaches, principals, and others who have classroom coaching responsibilities in their respective schools or districts. The chat has been great in the sense that it is good to connect with others who have the same job, to hear about what works for them, and to know that some questions and challenges are pretty universal. We recently read and chatted about the newest edition of ASCD's Educational Leadership that was devoted to instructional coaching...a book club that warps time and space...pretty neat.
Ok, you may think all the above is the gold...not so! I was lucky enough to be able to skype with a principal in a school that is beginning a journey with Understanding by Design. We have a lot in common. Our approach in planning Learning Expeditions...beginning with the end in mind, planning assessments, and then learning experiences is very similar to the unit design process for UbD schools. Our focus on inquiry, working like experts with relevant content is also very similar. We had a great conversation and exchanged emails so that I could continue the conversation with a couple of teachers at the school. We've traded email and am looking forward to building a relationship that benefits all.
Ok, the first and second paragraph are both gold, my point is that I can see the point of a PLN...may my PLN live long and prosper!
Noreene
Ok, you may think all the above is the gold...not so! I was lucky enough to be able to skype with a principal in a school that is beginning a journey with Understanding by Design. We have a lot in common. Our approach in planning Learning Expeditions...beginning with the end in mind, planning assessments, and then learning experiences is very similar to the unit design process for UbD schools. Our focus on inquiry, working like experts with relevant content is also very similar. We had a great conversation and exchanged emails so that I could continue the conversation with a couple of teachers at the school. We've traded email and am looking forward to building a relationship that benefits all.
Ok, the first and second paragraph are both gold, my point is that I can see the point of a PLN...may my PLN live long and prosper!
Noreene
Noreene,
ReplyDeleteI really relate to this post because I have really been learning a lot from my PLN recently. It is so hard to explain to those who aren't involved in Twitter, blogs, Skype, etc. It takes some time to build a PLN but is so worth the effort. I'm glad you have been able to find your niche.
Jill
I have been hearing a lot of silly people claiming that the super earth must have been the work of this Elenin comet that all the nut jobs have been raving about lately.
ReplyDelete