Every year teachers go through the process of filling out, creating or adjusting a professional growth plan. For me, this has always been a double-edged sword. I am very serious about words. As an English teacher, I know just how important something written can become, personally or societally….More at www.mrkeenan.com
Archive for the ‘professional development’ Category
A New Perspective on the Professional Growth (Learning) Plan {Professional Learning, Professional Growth, Teacher Development}
August 23rd, 2010
No Comments
5 Changes We Can Make in Education This Year {educational change, student learning, professional growth}
July 30th, 2010
4 Comments
We all know education is not perfect. We can read the blogs talking about the systems, the political pressures, the poor state of education. Unfortunately, too often this leads teachers to think that they are powerless to confront some of the fundamental issues in education. While we are not all going to march to the [...]
Presenting an Educational Theorist: Lev Vygotsky {Curriculum Theory, Zone of Proximal Development, Teacher Education}
July 22nd, 2010
3 Comments
I had the opportunity to do a presentation of curriculum theorist Lev Vygotsky recently in class, and prepared some fun activities for the project. I really enjoy this sort of blending of modern technology with the ideas of a theorist that was at the height of his influence nearly 100 years ago. This post features a history of Lev Vygotsky, and an activity to explain his theory of the Zone of Proximal Development.
Curriculum Experiments: When Teaching Episodes Go Wrong {Teaching and Learning, Reflective Practice, Effective Teaching}
July 15th, 2010
No Comments
As we know, not everything in our classrooms goes as expected. Often, we find ourselves trying to innovate and forge meaningful learning experiences for students that just don’t pan out. But what can we learn from these episodes if we really consider what is happening in the classroom? Here’s one of my experiences, let’s see what you get out if it, and I’ll provide my analysis afterward as well:
Are you an Educational Modernist or Post-modernist? A Quiz.
July 13th, 2010
2 Comments
Yesterday, our class looked at the key ideas of William Tyler and William Doll and their respective (and divergent) perspectives on curriculum and implementation. In considering the ideas of these two scholars, I see more clearly than I ever have the differences between the modernist and post-modernist perspective in curriculum and implementation. After the initial [...]
Creative Leadership in Schools {School Leaders, Educational Leadership}
June 14th, 2010
No Comments
Creative leadership involves seeking new and innovative solutions to the consistent concerns we face in education. I have had the good fortune of working with some very creative leaders in my career, ones that in their own way could take a solution and flip it over, look at the other side, and then make a calculated decision. But how do we develop this creativity with leaders in our school?
5 Reasons to Plan September’s Goals in June {Educational Goals, Goal Plans, Educational Change}
June 11th, 2010
No Comments
I’m not an overly organized person by nature, but our learning team has decided to help teachers organize their goals for next year in June this year. Traditionally we have done this in September, and though some have a great experience creating goals at that time, many do not. So here are 5 good reasons to rethink, revise, and write new goals this June.
Learning From Teachers at Other Levels {Professional Learning, Teacher Collaboration}
June 7th, 2010
No Comments
One of the most rewarding professional learning activities we can engage in is being in conversation with those who teach different levels of students than we do. I am a High School English teacher, and often when we specialize in a level or subject, we tend to associate mainly with that level. However, through my divisional work this year, and my Masters program, I have had the opportunity to work with many educators of various levels and disciplines. What I have found running through these collaborative processes is that we all have so much to learn from the different approaches taken at different levels.
Philosophy of Educational Leadership {Leadership, Educational Leadership,
May 10th, 2010
No Comments
I recently had occasion to write a philosophy of educational leadership, and wanted to share it. It is dense in terminology, but captures many of the themes I write on often. Enjoy!
5 Concerns About Changing Teacher Practice (and what we can do…) {Professional Learning, Professional Development}
April 30th, 2010
1 Comment
I had a conversation of significance yesterday with a teacher who is self-proclaimed “old school.” He likes the idea of inquiry-based learning and Understanding by Design, but had some significant concerns about personally implementing them in his classes. Through the conversation, he began to see that the changes to his teaching weren’t insurmountable, and may have some major benefits for his students. I saw very clearly articulated some of the major, and seemingly valid, reasons teachers have for holding on to their old practices. Here’s five of the key reasons, and what we as mentors can do about them to help teachers move forward with sound educational practices.
What Educators Can Learn from Fables {Professional Learning, Teacher Education}SloB
April 26th, 2010
No Comments
We all know the story of the tortoise and the hare, but how many of us have actually applied the lesson of this fable to Adult Learning? It seems that old Aesop hit the nail squarely on the head with many of the fables that have been passed from generation to generation; here’s why.
5 Ideas for Welcoming Other Teachers into the Classroom {Professional Learning}
April 20th, 2010
No Comments
As professionals, we gain a great deal by having other educators in our room, though few of us seem to welcome the process. As with most things in education, it is generally our perspective toward an observation or classroom visit that can either make it a positive or negative experience. From that perspective, here are some ideas to help make visits, even assessments, a more positive experience.
We’re Not Alone in Education… {Action Research in Education}
April 9th, 2010
1 Comment
I had the pleasure last weekend of discussing some of the key issues in the energy provider sector with a family connection. He voiced his concern that his industry in its current form is dying, and that for companies like the one he works for need to get those resistant to change to start working on solutions, rather than holding to the ‘old’ ways of running their business. Does this sound like education at all to you?
Why I Believe in Educational Change… {Educational Change}
April 3rd, 2010
1 Comment
It’s easy to get locked in the day-to-day work of educating young people, and to see our discipline as stagnant and immutable. However, if we are creative, dedicated and persuasive enough, we can create the education systems our children deserve!
How to talk about my classroom, and how students do {21st Century Learning}
March 28th, 2010
No Comments
I will speak to a number of school division ‘stakeholders’ next week about 21st Century Learning in my classroom this week. My challenge is how to create an overview of the effectiveness and scope of 21st Century Learning in 20 minutes. Another twist to this presentation is that it is not simply a group of educators I am presenting to, but also trustees, parents even students. I am in the midst of creating a presentation that showcases the best of what my 21st Century classroom provides for students in terms of learning and technology, while ensuring that the language and tone of the presentation is accessible to all.
Adventures in Teaching and Learning Podcast Episode #004: On Andragogy {Education Podcast}
March 17th, 2010
No Comments
Welcome to another edition of the podcast. This is a simple discussion on teaching teachers. Please feel free to share the podcast and discuss it wherever you may like.
5 Things I Have Learned From Teaching PL Sessions {Adult Education, Professional Learning}
March 17th, 2010
2 Comments
After teaching a PL session on Monday outside my division, I wanted to reflect (okay, I had nothing but time to reflect during the three hour drive) on what I am learning from teaching professional learning sessions instead of simply being a recipient as I have in the past. It’s a different perspective from the front of the room, and my research on andragogy gave this presentation particular emphasis for me. So, here’s my list of five things I’ve learned from teaching professional learning sessions:
