Effective Leaders Model

Talk about it all you want, and we'll talk about it. Use it, model it, demonstrate it, and we'll give it a try. It won't happen all at once, but it will happen.

Effective Leaders understand Monkey See, Monkey Do

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Do you want the focus to shift from a teacher centered classroom to a student centered classroom?

Then focus your staff developments by actually doing what you want to see in the classroom. If a student centered classroom is innovative, engaging, relevant, and motivating, then model it in your "classroom" which is your staff development.

Offer options for them to pick and choose from:
  • Give them a choice board or a menu to pick and choose their professional development trainings.
  • Try FedEx-ing it: Work collaboratively on a PBL or a student-centered lesson. At the end of the training, you must "deliver it" and bring it back to the whole group. 
  • Flip your Professional Development by giving a 2-minute Web 2.0 Smackdown (teachers show their favorite web 2.0 tools) in the beginning of your time and then go to breakout sessions based on teacher interest.

Do you want to see more technology integration?

The best route for hooking your staff on the values of technology integration is to use it. Some winning ideas are:
  • Use a wiki for teachers to take collaborative notes, brainstorm a school procedure, establish meeting norms, or sign up for a school event.
  • If you want your classrooms to connect with an authentic audience and build community, then model the power of blogging. Create your own.
  • Have them create presentations that tie your school vision to ISTE's NETS for Students.
My own goal:

I've realized that as our district steps towards learner centered classrooms, and we explore project based learning, I need to emphasize Essential Questions. In my own professional development, I should include an Essential Question that drives our P.D. (Thanks Jo Hart for that ah-ha during the Serendipity Webinar yesterday!)

Final thoughts:
  • What are your goals?
  • What do you want to see and how can you model that?
  • Any ideas you want to add here?

This post was inspired by Scott McLeod's shout out for Leadership Day.

Comments

  1. Denise KrebsAugust 5, 2011 at 6:22 PM

    Hi Tracy,
    I'm glad you posted for #LeadershipDay11! Your post has several things I need to take note of. I'm bringing your ideas for PD to our committee that plans professional development at our school. I love the mini-smackdown activity. You've given ideas that are easy to initiate in a PD meeting. Any time we can give choices as to what they want to learn is going to make the learners more engaged--for students and teachers!

    As always, I enjoy reading your blog!
    Denise

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tracy WatanabeAugust 5, 2011 at 7:03 PM

    Thanks Denise! I loved that idea of the mini-smackdown from Patrick Larkin @bhsprincipal. I am excited to put it into practice this year with our Year 2 Collaboration Coaches.

    Kind regards,
    Tracy

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jon_CastelhanoAugust 6, 2011 at 10:41 AM

    Many great points, wonderful post!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tracy WatanabeAugust 6, 2011 at 10:57 AM

    Thanks Jon! In the past several months, I've been cataloging ideas in my head for PD and have finally been able to organize, reflect, and share here in this post. The FedEx idea I heard just this past weekend by Lyn Hilt @L_Hilt during her #RSCON3 webinar. I can see this being a fabulous way for colleagues to spend time collaborating, which is very exciting to me to think of what those "fruits" will produce in student engagement in the classroom. =)

    Kind regards,
    Tracy

    ReplyDelete

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