Fire the principal. . . well, not really

How much professional development would you receive, if your school had no principal? Depending on the kind of teachers you have, you'd get none or quite a bit.

Photo credit: Trianglewiki.org

Consider the kind of PD you have in the current top-down model. Most likely, the administrators at your school board or your principal decide what PD is provided. If you are like most teachers, in many cases, you may see this instruction as completely worthless.

How would things be different, if you decided the kind of professional development that took place at your school? What if you or your colleagues directed this PD? Isn't it possible that your interest would increase exponentially?

Staff-led PD is not such a wild idea. When you consider what principals present at PD and faculty meetings, most of it could be shared in an email with a few links to articles or videos. Teachers know what they need, yet they are rarely asked what those needs are. So, you want better PD? Try these steps:

• Tell your principal that you and a few colleagues want to design some staff-led PD.
• Poll your colleagues to see what they want (survey monkey is a useful tool for this).
• Find several highly-motivated staff members (these don't always have to be teachers) who are interested in designing a half of whole day of PD.
• Use resources like education technology sites (www.freetech4teachers.com and www.learnitin5.com are two good ones)
• Ask for feedback when your PD is complete.

This is a marvelous starting ground for staff-led PD and a good way to "fire" the principal.

Don't miss ROLE Reversal: Achieving Uncommonly Excellent Results in the Student-Centered Classroom, now available in the ASCD store, Barnes & Noble and at Amazon.com and Mark's new book, The 5-Minute Teacher: How do I maximize time for learning in my classroom

Bammy Awards raise serious issues

Have you heard of the Bammy Awards? Don't feel out of the loop if you haven't. The Bammys, produced by Bam Radio, are an Oscars-type award ceremony honoring educators. Bam, which touts itself as "The voice of the Education Community," is an excellent online radio network that produces high quality education programming.

In 2012, the network created its own version of the kind of popular award shows that honor TV and movie actors, right down to the red carpet. Unlike the Golden Globes or Oscars, though, the Bammys honor educators.

It's about time hardworking teachers get some positive pub, you may be thinking. At first, I felt the same. After further consideration, though, I quickly realized that I am not a fan of the Bammys. And I'm not the only one. Check out the amazing response to Pernille Ripp's Bammy post here.

Ripp is not so much anti-Bammy, as she is opposed to how the ceremony was produced. She specifically takes aim at jokes that were told, which may or may not have been in poor taste, and the lack of actual teacher awards presented live.

My issue is different, as I'm against the whole idea of the Bammys, in their current form. Why do teachers need red-carpet treatment? Why should there be a "Best" librarian or principal? Don't we teach kids that they should love learning for the sake of learning?

I believe the creators of the Bammys are well-intentioned. Where they missed the point is with whom they honor. Being a teacher isn't about receiving awards. It's about kids.

So if Bam Radio wants to produce a big event, even including a red carpet, I say make it 100 percent about students. Put the teachers where they belong -- in the audience!

cross posted at ASCDEdge

Don't miss ROLE Reversal: Achieving Uncommonly Excellent Results in the Student-Centered Classroom, now available in the ASCD store, Barnes & Noble and at Amazon.com and Mark's new book, The 5-Minute Teacher: How do I maximize time for learning in my classroom

What are Arias?

One definition of an aria is "a striking solo performance." I think what the creative team at Internationally-recognized education publisher, ASCD, envisioned with its short, hard copy or eBook format Arias, were brief, striking written works that would immediately engage educators in a way like no other format does. 

The Arias answer questions that today's educators are asking, like "How do I maximize time for learning in my classroom?" and "How do I prepare my students for the real world?" 

In the video interview below, I provide more detail on the exciting new Arias format and my own Arias book, The 5-Minute Teacher.



If you've read an Arias book, please share your opinion. What other questions would you like Arias to answer?

Don't miss ROLE Reversal: Achieving Uncommonly Excellent Results in the Student-Centered Classroom, now available in the ASCD store, Barnes & Noble and at Amazon.com and Mark's new book, The 5-Minute Teacher: How do I maximize time for learning in my classroom

What if President Obama was anti-Common Core?

The president and other powerful men, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Bill Gates quickly come to mind, have pushed the Common Core so hard that 45 states have adopted it, virtually without question.

It's no secret that President Obama is very much in favor of the Common Core State Standards. Just about every speech he delivers on education centers around higher standards and accountability.

Via: WashingtonPost.com

With these omnipresent bureaucrats touting the Common Core as the be all, end all of education reform, many education publishers, consultants and other opportunists are churning out Common Core success programs faster than you can say, "Race to the Top."

For their part, public school teachers participate robotically in professional development sessions about teaching Common Core Standards as readily as they create seating charts and distribute textbooks. Why? Because they are told by administrators to do so, regardless of the fact that there is little if any evidence that the Common Core is effective.

Still, the Common Core marches forward, with teachers beating the drums that carry its beat, mainly because they feel they have no other choice. What if the table turned, though?

What if President Obama and his cronies were against the Common Core? What if Arne Duncan preached the deleterious effects of standardization, and what if Bill Gates said he'd only give money to districts practicing 21st-century progressive methods?

Is it possible that publishing companies, like Pearson, might suddenly turn out teachers guides on project-based learning? Might books like Role Reversal become New York Times Bestsellers?

I say, for just one moment, let all educators, administrators and teachers alike, pretend that President Obama hates the Common Core. How would your school and your classroom change?

Isn't it time to take back American education?


Cross posted at ASCDEdge.org

Don't miss ROLE Reversal: Achieving Uncommonly Excellent Results in the Student-Centered Classroom, now available in the ASCD store, Barnes & Noble and at Amazon.com and Mark's new book, The 5-Minute Teacher: How do I maximize time for learning in my classroom