There is a lot of great research about student voice, and it is something I deeply support. I believe in this inside the classroom, and I believe in cultivating this outside the classroom in all schools. I also believe that what works for students is something worth considering for adults. Teachers also need a voice.
It is hard to feel visible and valuable when the walls of your classrooms are your view of the school or even education. For so many teachers, they are privy to only what they are provided through their schools or boards. They have not yet found the power to lead the journey themselves. I have always been a self-directed learner, but nothing compares to the power of Twitter for educators. Twitter is my edutopia. Almost everyone there has come to listen, to learn and to share.
I have managed to curate an education-only Twitter experience. There are no Kardashians in my Twitter-verse, so there is little drama nor much explosive negativity. In this paradise, I learn from so many incredible educators whenever I want. It drives me further, but it has also given me a way to share my ideas and my work. There are times when I just sit back and listen. There is often a lot to process. Usually, I have a few things to add to the conversation. Once in a while, I get into a deep dialogue over an issue or a or current event/line of thinking. There are even times when I take the opportunity to talk about BOB.
In my classroom, I refer to my projects as invitations. There was a quote that I cannot seem to locate presently. The essence is that a poet writes half the poem, but it is up to the reader to finish it with their interpretation. I feel that way about my Building Outside the Blocks projects and approach. I have created projects for my students that are universally designed for everyone to have access and be set up for success. Most often, this is an invitation that the students take and they really show up with wonderful work and pieces of themselves. Regardless, it is always an opportunity for growth.
This past Sunday, I was privileged to be among the amazing Make a Differences (M.A.D.) PD presenters. I was given the platform to share what makes a difference in my classroom. I had a very positive experience (minus the strange dude who came on 10 minutes before I went live who I had to strongly encourage to go for the greater good). The reason it was so wonderful was because I got to share what fuels my passion in teaching, and really impacts student learning and student lives. I was given a place and space to share. Another reason was because of my incredible participant, Naomi Harm.
Besides being the only participant in my first ever YouTube live, Naomi (@naomiharm) was an engaging and supportive listener. I was taking an invitation to show all of myself as an educator and person (the both are eternally tied). Naomi’s interest in the dialogue after I presented made my work and presentation feel visible and valuable in a medium where I was unsure and navigating on pure joy. When she was tweeting some of my ideas and some lovely positive feedback after we connected, it made me feel amazing. It helped to affirm the universality of Building Outside the Blocks and that it is truly something for any teacher because a complete stranger, who is a well-established educational consultant, listened to me for 15 minutes and got excited about the approach. She took the invitation to be part of my community. As it turned out, she was everything I needed to feel complete that day.
This made me feel like the students after they present their BOBs. The entire class gets excited about their work whether it was their choice of topic, their product, their engagement in their task or their great work. Hearing feedback from the community means something, and it can only happen after you share, which is why all BOBs have a presentation component. This short experience from Sunday will have a lasting impression, especially because I now have the first video where I explain Building Outside the Blocks. It's also what makes Peter Cameron's idea of shares-ease such an essential ideal for educators.
Here is the abridged version for those with less time:
What Derek Rhodenizer and Peter Cameron did in creating MAD PD was truly visionary. They took a great idea that Derek tried at his school’s PD, combined it with Peter’s amazing Make a Difference projects and extended it to the global education community. This was an offer to teachers to share through an incredible all-day learn-a-thon. This highly accessible, valuable day continues to inform my learning. While I am still catching up on watching the YouTube videos of the many presenters that I missed, I have viewed so many presentations already that were ideas well-shared. Here's the link so you can check them all out: https://mrcssharesease.wordpress.com/m-a-d-p-d/ . #MADPD was trending all day on its first year out of the gate. That’s a real achievement! Next year, this will grow, because these pioneers have shared their voices on their vision, and even more people will want in.
I’m MAD for MADP PD for personal reasons. I am grateful for MAD PD for professional reasons. I am so glad that Twitter continues to be a way to encourage visionaries to actualize the possibilities and continue giving us invitations to teach and learn from each other.
