2

Learning from Each Other

If you have an apple, and I have an apple, and we exchange apples, then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea, and I have an idea, and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.

George Bernard Shaw

A few years ago, I attended my first Edcamp, and it changed my outlook on professional development. I had the opportunity to sit in the same room with several education experts from across the nation and the world who shared their experiences. They talked about strategies that worked and ideas that failed. The conversations that took place that day were exactly that—conversations.

Informal and impromptu sessions spawned throughout the day during this “unconference.” I attended a session in the morning on changing learning spaces and another session in the afternoon on how to better engage parents in education. I was blown away to learn that teachers from across the country were decorating their classes with couches, bean bags, wobble stools, and other comfortable seating options and giving students choices about where they could sit. It made complete sense to me that students would be better engaged if they were comfortable in the classroom. It also made sense to me that Back to School Night and Parent Conferences were not the only opportunities that we should take advantage of to engage parents. Monthly Coffee with the principal or superintendent can generate valuable discussion from important stakeholders, and a school Twitter or Instagram feed can help to promote the positive things happening in our schools. I was hooked! It was that day that I realized the power of professional learning comes from the ability to have important conversations, reflect on our own questions and concerns, and to share ideas. It became clear to me that once an idea is shared, there is no telling where it might take a person.

After the great experience I had at Edcamp, I realized that the format incorporated all of the conditions for educators to grow professionally. I felt empowered. I had learned a great deal and was ready to bring that learning back to my own district.

“This is what we need to do!” I said to the teacher colleague who had accompanied me. I felt certain we could use elements of the Edcamp model to improve the state of professional development for our local educators.

After four months of planning and many meetings, our District Edcamp was born. It was a modest beginning with two afternoon workshops, each one lasting roughly twenty-five minutes. Teachers could choose between two different topics presented by their colleagues. Many questions arose, and there was some skepticism. Those presenting had to be convinced and weren’t sure how they would be received by their colleagues. Some of those in attendance didn’t quite understand that they didn’t have to attend all four sessions. Some asked how they would receive the information shared in the other sessions if they were not attending (FOMO!). During session A, teachers were able to choose between Strategies to Improve Student Writing or Google Resources. Session B provided options between Executive Functioning or Going Beyond the Worksheet. We wanted the afternoon Edcamp to serve as our proof of concept, and it went well. Teachers were very excited to be able to choose their own sessions and excited to take the strategies they had learned back to the classroom. The biggest complaint was that twenty-five minutes was not nearly enough time.

After proving that this concept could work in our district, my colleagues and I planned a day-long Edcamp-style event built around the concept of sharing. My staff and I worked hard to plan the event. We knew that even though there might be some logistical issues, we needed everyone to have a great experience so the model could live on in the district. Few teachers in our district had experienced a true Edcamp, and we wanted them to understand and benefit from the power of sharing.

A traditional Edcamp event occurs on the weekend. On average, two hundred people attend the events (some driving for several hours to get there)—voluntarily. Rather than sitting in on pre-planned sessions, attendees set up impromptu conversations on a wide variety of topics throughout the weekend.

While our District Edcamp was planned with more structure than traditional Edcamp events, teachers still had the opportunity to choose the session topics that were relevant and meaningful to their daily roles. We knew that requiring three hundred staff members to participate in an Edcamp on a professional development day was very different than educators voluntarily showing up on a Saturday to learn, so we intentionally removed any barriers of uncertainty about the event. We released the schedule before the day of the event to make sure our teachers knew what to expect. On the day of the event, staff members led the different sessions, sharing their expertise with colleagues on topics tied to district goals and encouraging conversation and connection.

All in all, it was a huge success. More than three hundred teachers and instructional aides participated. One teacher called it the “best PD I’ve ever had.” Another teacher said that she would be able to take ideas back with her, as opposed to previous professional development sessions which she felt weren’t relevant to her classroom.

If you have attended an Edcamp before, you know all about the power of sharing and connection. If you have not attended and want to consider bringing the idea to your district, here are several critical points to consider when planning an Edcamp-style professional development event in your own district:

Remember that Edcamp is a new concept to many educators. We needed to ensure that everyone understood the format and the goals for the day. Before the event, we worked hard to convey the Edcamp philosophy of sharing and connecting. We showed videos of various Edcamp sessions—Smackdown sessions, which occur at the end of any Edcamp—where educators stand up and share something they learned during the day. We also explained the Rule of Two Feet (which lets educators know that it’s okay to walk out of a session if it’s not right for you) prior to the day of the workshops to help get teacher buy-in. We wanted them to know exactly what they were getting into before the first workshop started. Remember that our staff members normally attended mandated, whole-group training sessions, so having a choice of discussion topic and being encouraged to openly express ideas and challenges were a big departure from what they were used to.

Plan something relevant to all subject areas. When planning the event, we made a critical decision regarding the structure of the day. In most cases, Edcamp sessions are determined on the day of the event based on the attendees, their needs, and their expertise. We did not want to put staff members on the spot for their first Edcamp experience, so we chose to solicit presenters prior to the event. We created a schedule so educators knew exactly what sessions would be offered and when. I’m proud to say that we had twenty-eight different sessions for our first District Edcamp. Each was offered twice during the day, giving attendees multiple opportunities to join a session. In addition, topics covered a range of subjects, content areas, and interests. In our second year, we were able to offer more than forty different topics taking place during seventy-five different sessions. And while many sessions were pre-scheduled, during the second year’s event we allowed time and space for teachers to add additional sessions on the day of the event.

Schedule time for sharing throughout the day. One of my biggest takeaways from the first Edcamp I attended was the number of meaningful conversations that happened between sessions and during lunch. There is no downtime during an Edcamp! With this in mind, we built in plenty of time for collaboration. Each session ran about forty-five minutes, with twenty minutes between sessions for sharing. The Smackdown provided even more time for teachers to interact. In year two, we invited educators from other districts to take part, significantly broadening the scope of conversations.

Enlist the help of local and national vendors and businesses. We were fortunate to have breakfast and coffee donated for our event as well as a number of raffle prizes for attendees. With a little bit of time and effort, we secured classroom technology, gift cards, and other donations. In addition, our Parent Teacher Organization was able to help by providing donations and food for the event.

Maximize the day’s learning. Regardless of whether sessions are pre-scheduled, post the links to session resources and notes for each topic after the event. Encourage staff members to come to the event prepared to share a lesson idea, resource, website, strategy, app, or tech tool during the Smackdown session.

In many cases, our participants chose to learn about resources such as apps and websites that they could use in the classroom the next day. In addition, discussion-based sessions led by our guidance counselors and special-education teachers provided participants with ready-to-use behavior strategies. As a result, all of our educators were able to return to their classrooms with practical, useful tools. Each of our presenters was available after the event to continue to talk with educators, so teachers were able to reach out and contact their colleagues if they had additional questions or wanted to follow up on their initial discussions.

My hope is that more educators will host Edcamp events within their own schools or districts. Yes, it requires considerable planning and consideration to the needs of staff, but a District Edcamp can deliver relevant learning and an enjoyable day!

I’ve since taken a position in a different school district, but the District Edcamp carries on because of the collaborative sharing that takes place. Teachers look forward to the annual event where they have the opportunity to personalize their professional learning experience while focusing on relevant topics and content. The day gives the district an opportunity to implement professional learning that puts teachers at the heart of learning!

When reflecting upon how professional development improved in my previous district, I recognize that the Edcamp model provided important and meaningful learning for teachers. I also learned a few other things:

Choice really does matter. I talked to a number of teachers who were very excited about having the ability to choose which sessions they would attend. Just as choice helps students to become more engaged in the learning process, choice for teachers can support engagement in professional learning. Looking back at the number of PD sessions I have attended over the years, I’ve come to recognize that the presenter certainly received more buy-in from me when I was engaged in the topic. When I was forced to sit through a session that didn’t meet my needs, I was often disinterested at best. At Edcamp, teachers are provided with an opportunity to attend (and even create) a session of their choosing. This choice makes all the difference. Providing a wide variety of workshops and the freedom to choose sessions helps to ensure teachers receive information and resources that are relevant to their classrooms, needs, or interests.

Give educators time to share. We purposefully built in twenty minutes between sessions and a longer lunch period so teachers could share. It was important to us that teachers were truly collaborating and exchanging ideas during the event. Too often teachers are confined to their classrooms, rarely having the opportunity to share with colleagues. Lunchtime often becomes an important meeting time for colleagues. Throughout our District Edcamp, I heard important conversations and reflection going on in the hallways and during lunch. Teachers talked about what they had just learned, shared a lesson idea, and discussed how they would be implementing into their classrooms. Speaking of which…

Teachers are looking for ideas that can be implemented in the classroom immediately. Much of the sharing at our Smackdown sessions focused on websites, resources, and strategies that teachers were excited to implement in their classrooms. Traditional PD often requires numerous sessions before a teacher can begin implementation in the classroom, but if the point of professional development is to impact students’ learning experiences, the content must be relevant and applicable.

Educators value learning from their colleagues. In “one and done” presentations, a presenter from outside the district shares and is not able to provide follow-up. The Edcamp model allows teachers to present their ideas in a collaborative forum and to become an ongoing contact and resource. The exchange of ideas among colleagues helps to inspire development and learning beyond PD sessions. Just as traditional Edcamp events inspire educators to become “connected” using social media, it is important to encourage colleagues to become “connected” with one another as well.

Engage your participants with movement and physical interaction. During traditional professional development, educators are often subjected to two- to three-hour sessions in the same room, with ten-minute stand-and-stretch breaks. It is uncomfortable and hardly conducive to learning something new. During our District Edcamp, teachers moved to a new workshop every forty-five minutes. One session I attended was called “You Too Can Move” and focused on the benefits of including short “brain breaks” in the classroom. Teachers simply provide students with opportunities to stand up between lessons to rejuvenate and engage students throughout the day. Similarly, sessions on how to create purposeful movement and activity through yoga and through the use of music and storybooks helped to illustrate how movement can focus students’ attention on content-area skills.

Angry Administrator Update

Be careful in choosing which Edcamps to attend. Some educational leaders have taken the Edcamp name but don’t necessarily understand its philosophy or ideals. In the situations where you end up expecting something less than inspiring and some open discussions, don’t give up. In Chapter 11, we will discuss the best ways to salvage those disappointing experiences.

Summary

Reflection Questions