Learning from EACH OTHER

Once upon a time, professional development (for K-12) teachers was treated much the same way general instruction was treated for children.  Teachers sat in a room.  Some “expert,” be they a principal or a professor, told them how to teach better.

Somewhere along the line, a group was formed that saw teachers as professionals. And I'm not talking about the NEA.

It was the National Staff Development Council, now called Learning Forward—whatever that means. Decades of branding...gone. Nobody's perfect.

Their focus was on peer learning. Teachers need time to interact. Teachers need structured ways to learn from each other. This is a tough sell because the world is filled with teachers who think just like I did: PD is a day off if you...just...work...it...right. (You do this; I'll do that. Great. Glad we learned something. See you tomorrow. Next time, let's have this 5-minute meeting at a bar.)

That's why there needs to be a structure. Most schools get that, now. By schools, I mean the institutions that teach people under the age of 19. Professional Learning Communities are all the rage now, and I'll be sorry to see them fall by the wayside in 4 years or so when the next big thing hits.

Unfortunately, the same research and innovation on teaching is re-starting in the higher education ranks. Collaboration is a new buzzword, but there is little understanding as to what that entails. The same research cycle is starting with decade s of great practice from the education community being tossed aside. There seems to be a general feeling that such "best practices" don't apply to higher education. Such insular thinking led a colleague to note, "while higher education institutions are designed for learning, they are not learning organizations."

People can have great ideas on their own, and caring professors take the time to learn how to reach students. In fact, let's be honest: most do. The caricature of the absent-minded, smug college professor is just that. Nobody wants to be miserable in front of others for hours every week of years upon years. On top of that, most professors were inspired by other professors (or, dare I day it, public school teachers!). People want to bottle that and distribute it.

The point here is that in a P-16 world, both sides need to learn from each other. If you are an education professor, and you are reading this, please note these two things:

    1.    You are spending your time wisely reading my blog--and--
    2.    You have a lot to learn from P-12 practitioners--a lot!

I don't care how good you think you are;I care how good you really are…and how good you can become. Any 3rd grade teacher worth her weight in Dillo Dirt has a lot to offer you.