But Not Least... PBPD

I have sworn off presentation workshops. In the middle of presenting E-texts in the English Classroom to a mixed group of laptop educators, the absurdity of the situation hit me like a hungry she-mosquito under a full moon. By the time I rose again to present my philosophy of professional development for The Teacher in Oz, I felt as helpless to convince my audience as the Wizard was to help Dorothy.

My message was simple: follow the same 21st Century teaching methods for professional development as you follow for your students. Yet there I was, armed with a Powerpoint and an LCD projector, speaking to a seated audience, only a handful of whom had laptops (at a laptop institute! what were we thinking?). With luck, 10% listened actively. Probably only five took anything away from the experience; given the passion and prep time that I put into the session, I count that as a failure. A failure of method.

Viewing teachers, especially the reluctant teachers who comprise as much as 30% of the faculty of a technology-rich school, as a different animal than the students whom they teach is mistake. It is the mistake that energetic teacher-trainers, including myself, have been making for too long. PBL, Inquiry-based Learning, NTeQ, the Big6, Harvard's ccdt - each is a student-centered learning model in which the teacher plays the part of collaborator, questioner and leader, but not the part of lecturer. Student learning in the 21st century classroom is differentiated, often cooperative and collaborative. Students play an essential role in the direction, structuring and evaluation of their own learning. Learning itself is often knowledge-driven and concept-driven, not content-driven. It is understood that the learning process takes TIME.

It's high time that school leadership and technology trainers embraced this model for teacher learning experiences as well.

On a stack of Oz books I swear that from this day forward I will only train using a project-based model.

That said, how might such a model play out? This post begins the discussion with a specific "How Do I" lesson designed using the Big6 model.

How Do I Make an Interactive Web-Based Assignment Sheet?

a 2-day intensive or multi-session workshop

a Big6 Lesson

Step 1: Task Definition - introduce web-page evaluation rubric if being used

Identify the specific components of a web-based assignment sheet that are accessible/possible
Identify the components that I wish to include in my project - What are my goals for this project?
What tools are available to me to organize my web page project?
Identify the tools for this task available at my school and/or on my computer
Identify the tools that I need to acquire in order to complete the task
Identify the skill set that I have in place∑ Identify the skills that I need to acquire in order to complete the task
Create concept map of page content, focusing upon a specific topic or unit
Complete a web-based and interactive assignment sheet

Step 2: Information Seeking Strategies

Ask the presenter and other members of my group∑ Contact my network administrator
Investigate my laptop or desktop computer - What is on it?
Explore web pages of other teachers and schools: What do I like? What don't I like? Where do I find these web pages? (workshop web page will jumpstart this search)∑ Review free online tools
Identify the search engine and one portal site with which I am most comfortable
Identify options and Decide upon a bookmarking strategy
Decide upon a web page development tool
Identify tools for learning essential skills as necessary (scanning, HTML, JavaScript, Word skills, image editing, tables)

Step 3: Location and Access

Print out (page 1-1) or capture the "homepage" of at least one class web page to serve as a model - remember to cite the source
Download or bookmark free tools
For those tools that will create online products, create and save a simple product (survey, calendar, discussion topic, poll, photo gallery, quiz, etc.)
Complete an online search for no more than 10 web sites/pages for my students
If applicable, identify Standards or Learning Results for inclusion in the lesson
Collect or create digital media elements (images, sounds, movies, etc.)

Step 4: Use of Information

Create on paper or in Inspiration (or other graphical organizer) a digital map of my project
Collect and organize content for interactive elements

Step 5: Synthesis

Create on paper a layout/design of my project homepage
Create the homepage and linked pages as necessary
Upload the page

Step 6: Evaluation - may or may not include an evaluation rubric

Peer & Student review - Does the page work for students and parent?
Self-evaluation - Does the page meet my goals as a teacher?
Revision
Publication - upload final version and invite the school community!

This process is NOT a one-shot professional development experience. It requires that the teacher become an active learner in the training process, that the Trainer have a knowledge base and provide resource materials sufficient to the task of guiding the teacher's learning and project development, and that opportunities exist for follow-up and further learning. Without these elements, most teachers will find no reason to include new skills and technologies in the day-to-day classroom process. If you are unsure about why this is so, take a look at The Teacher in Oz.

Will it work? Yes. But like all models, it will take TIME and WORK to implement. After all, isn't teaching supposed to be "hard fun" (Papert)?

Inquiry-Based Learning Model | NTeQ Model | ccdt Model | Summary