Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Curiousity Made the Teacher

Being an instructional tech specialist, I often have teachers say, "I'm too old" or "Learning is easier for people in your age bracket," or "My old brain can't learn something new." However, I have seen people of all ages either be resistant to learning something new or wholeheartedly embrace it. Though I'm sure age plays a factor, I don't think it's the driving force.

As I look around #tcea14, I see educators of all ages gathering to collaborate and learn something new. In fact, I met an educator who could have retired already, making plans to completely change the rest of her classroom's plans for the year. This is the sign of someone who is curious. Someone who is passionate about learning. Though, I'm sure age can make educators more cynical, it should not be the driving force from stopping someone's learning abilities. Curiosity is the key factor.

In fact, curiosity is what we want from our students. We want our students to be excited. To be passionate about learning new things. Shouldn't we embody that curiosity and passion?

If this is the driving force, how can we develop Professional Development that encourages teachers to show their curiosity? How can we inspire them?

This past weekend, we held a two-hour mini-academy on a Saturday morning for a few teachers. Teachers selected from a variety of sessions and received two hours of hands-on time to work on the task at hand. The other crucial factor was that sessions contained no more than six teachers. If we want teachers to show this curiosity, we have to put them in an environment where they are not afraid to fail. We need to find the time in our teachers' lives to give them teacher-driven, authentic, and intimate PD.

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