The more I read about deep learning, the more I encounter ideas around student self-determination or student driven work. I have always believed in this. Watching a child own their learning is different than a child demonstrating learning. It has depth and feeds breadth. I am increasingly interested in exploring this for teachers.
With the Olympics in the background, I am reminded of an assignment from graduate school. I was taking a course on change management, and we had to reflect on a change that we made along with its impact. It’s funny to think back on what a little change it was, but it really did make a huge difference. I had been running Student Council for several years at that point, and an activity run by the Grade 8 leaders became an institution- Colour War. The kids looked forward to making their banners, learning their cheers, and the day of intense fun to be had. More often than not, my biggest challenge was that the teachers were less-than-engaged. I had trouble getting them to stay with their teams for the day, to help encourage the students in their activities and, most of all, I could not get many of them to show team spirit by wearing their team colours.
After listening to teacher feedback after the event one year, I made a conscious decision to give my colleagues their choice of team and related colour. It worked. It was a simple change, but it had a sweeping effect. Once teachers were able to select the team they were going to be on for Colour War, much of the battle ended. Some said later that it was because they actually had the team colour in their wardrobe. Others expressed that it made them feel more a part of it. This self selection enabled my colleagues to better-connect to their teams and really become a part of the event.
Considered on a larger scale, there is a lot one can extract from this scenario. Like with students, teachers who have agency should feel more connected to what they do. We see this in the rise of personalized pd. More and more, teachers want to choose what they want to learn and how they want to grow on their own terms.
Personalized professional development is a reflection of the diverse needs of teachers. Last year, our school had a thrust where we focused on critical thinking. I learned so much from the rigorous focus as it was an area I was deeply committed to cultivating, but not everyone felt that way. Many colleagues did not glean the same insights from the year and spent an entire year disengaged from their professional learning. Some were even resentful for the focus to be imposed on them. The success of personalized PD is predicated on the notion that teachers benefit from having a say in their learning.
Sometimes, student-driven learning needs to be taught. Students require inquiry skills and an investment of time to know what they want to learn and to develop the ability to ask the questions that will guide their investigation into themselves. Teachers may need that, too. I am working on Spark Sessions for teachers to see if I can use the BOB approach to help with that. Igniting a teacher's awareness of their learning needs and desires can only enhance the school environment and its capabilities to help their student learn. I have been determining and meeting my own professional learning needs for a long time now, and I can see the impact it has on my classroom. It would really enhance my professional growth and validate my time to be able to have more say in school-sanctioned learning opportunities.
What is good for the learner is good for the teacher, as we too are learners. Personalized PD is just the beginning. The term teachpreneur is now a book title and educators who forge their paths are making huge impacts. Consider how incredible it would be if individual educators were encouraged and even empowered to navigate their learning. Self-determination for students and teachers, and all people, is something worth advocating for. I know that I would feel like less of a passenger in my career if I could do more of the driving.
