Flipped Learning….for TEACHERS!
How many of you HATE attending staff meetings and/or professional development sessions? I know I do! Well, that is until I found edcamp and flipped learning events. (Are you new to the edcamp scene? Check out my previous posts here: edcampQC madness, edcamp voxer 2015 and edcamp voxer 2016.)
What I love about these two models is that teachers have the freedom and choice in how, when and where they learn. Can you imagine?
I came across the idea of flipped learning for teachers in the book Hacking Education- 10 Quick Fixes for Every School by my friends Mark Barnes and Jennifer Gonzalez. If you haven’t read this book its pretty amazing and a quick read. Just flip through the table of contents and find a topic of choice to dig into. The layout of the book is so applicable that you can read about the technique and get ideas for how to implement it immediately into your classroom or school building. They’re easy but life changing! (Read more of my thoughts here.)
ASCD came out with a great graphic to help you get started on flipping on your staff meetings so they are more about the teachers. Take a look:
Announcements are the first thing that can be repurposed to an email. I know my admin hated putting announcements in email form because the staff wasn’t reading it- I mean, our inboxes were flooded and no time to read any of it…can you blame us? Maybe announcements could be placed on a board before entering the meeting and all staff are required to read the board, or a one pager is placed at each table that requests all staff to read prior to the start of the meeting. This helps keep the focus of the meeting on the growth of educators and not on housekeeping items (even if it will “just take a second”).
Having teachers lead PD is a fantastic way to build ownership and accountability across the staff. When teachers feel respected enough by their leaders to share their expertise, they go above and beyond the call of duty and of course their peers respond in kind! Win-Win, eh?
Having ongoing protocols are necessary. The framework for a flipped staff meeting has to be established prior to just jumping in or it will all fall apart. Logistics have to be thoroughly planned and shared. Expectations need to be created, modeled and shared. Only then can the true learning begin!
Want more info on flipped staff meetings? Visit this weebly post and/or this FlippedClass.com post!
The image below is a great place to begin to think through some potential obstacles and get those protocols lined up! (Click the image below to read the full post!)
For me, I love to learn so it wouldn’t be hard to get me on board to learn. But for those resistant teachers who are totally over PD and learning yet again something “new,” this flipped staff meeting model will do the trick!
How would you feel if your school used a flipped staff meeting model?
About the author, Gretchen
I am a teacher trainer and coach. Working elbow to elbow with teachers and teacher leaders to ensure instructional proficiency and student achievement soar lights me up. We have a real need in our nation for strong educators to remain in the field. My blog, book, podcast, courses and instructional materials are geared towards empowering teachers (and those that lead them) to receive the support needed to grow and thrive today, tomorrow and always.
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