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Creating a Culture of Collaboration SFU Summer Institute 2014
- 1. Creating A Culture of CollaborationSarah Garr B.A. B.Ed. M.A. Email garr_s@surreyschools.ca Twitter @garr_s SFU Summer Institute 2014 #sfusi2014 #sd36learn #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014
- 2. Mom Educator Learning Partners Department Leader Unwitting Innovator “Risk Taker” My Story #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014
- 3. Teacher Isolation Agenda Making Global & Local Connections Taking Risks & Innovation Student Learning & Achievement #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014
- 4. “Schools and systems that foster highly collaborative practices and purposely build social capital are places where new pedagogies thrive. In particular; teacher isolation is the enemy here.” -A Rich Seam: How New Pedagogies Find Deep Learning Michael Fullan and Maria Langworthy 2014 Teacher Isolation #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014
- 5. Do we have a responsibility as educators to connect and collaborate with our colleagues? Teacher Isolation #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014
- 6. Teacher Isolation Detachment Dissatisfaction Stagnation Teacher Isolation #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014
- 7. #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014 Establishing Global and Local Connections: Digital and Face to Face Global & Local Connections It’s about relationships.
- 8. Global Connections --Dr. Alec Couros #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014 There are numerous “tools that mediate connections …The people behind those tools are the most important.”
- 9. “We often complain about the isolation that is evident in education, but it is no longer a foregone conclusion. Isolation is now a choice educators make.” -- George Couros http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/4156 Global Connections #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014
- 10. Twitter: Professional Learning Network #sd36learn #cpchat #bced #aussied Global Connections #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014
- 11. Self-Reflection & Sharing: Making Learning Visible The good, the bad, and the ugly. http://www.teachergarr.blogsp ot.ca/2013_09_01_archive.html Global Connections #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014 “There’s a natural transparency that emerges.” How To Make Better Teachers --Dean Shareski
- 12. Global Connections #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014 Global Audience via Twitter- But still about relationships.
- 13. Twitter: School Community & Culture #1000awesomethingsaboutsulli #sullirocks #sullilearns Local Connections #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014
- 14. #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014 Local Connections Time is a valuable commodity.
- 15. Sullivan Heights Learning Partners Program http://sullilearningpartners.blogspot.ca Local Connections #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014
- 16. #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014 Local Connections Learning Partners Program: Decreases teacher isolation by providing opportunities to connect with colleagues. Provides release time to teachers to facilitate inter-departmental collaboration. Facilitates and supports reciprocal, non-hierarchical peer-mentoring partnerships (both beginner and experienced teachers).
- 17. #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014 Local Connections Teacher Drop in Day allows teachers the rare opportunity to visit colleagues’ classrooms as a method to discover and share teaching resources and strategies. #OpenDoors
- 18. #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014 Local Connections Collaborative Teacher Inquiry http://youtu.be/9bxZ3HK3iiU
- 19. The Importance of Disrupting Routines Taking Risks & Innovation #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014
- 20. Digitization of Binders Open Source, Open Access Binder Digital Taking Risks & Innovation #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014
- 21. iTunes U: What is it? http://www.apple.com/education/ipad/itunes-u/ Taking Risks & Innovation #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014
- 22. Surrey School District #36 iTunes U Course Development Project Taking Risks & Innovation #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014 Yup, definitely out of my comfort zone.
- 23. iTunes U Course Manager: Course Creation https://itunesu.itunes.apple.com/coursemanager/ Taking Risks & Innovation #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014
- 24. Curating Content Choosing content: Reflection & Selection Copyright considerations: Creative Commons Selecting Assets: Apps, iMovie, iBooks, documents #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014 Taking Risks & Innovation
- 25. iTunes U English 8 Course https://itunes.apple.com/ca/course/english-8/id733901584 #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014 Taking Risks & Innovation
- 26. #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014 Student Learning & Achievement “The powerful collaboration that characterizes professional learning communities is a systemic process in which teachers work together to analyze and improve their classroom practice…[which] in turn, leads to higher levels of student achievement”. –Richard DuFour, Schools As Learning Communities
- 27. #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014 Student Learning & Achievement Supporting Teacher Collaboration Supports Integration of Innovative Instructional and Assessment Practices Supports Student Learning & Achievement Supported Teachers = Supported Students Makes sense to me.
- 28. Questions & Feedback #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014
- 29. Picture Credits Slide 1 Ripples: http://opsafeintl.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/79c29.jpg Slide 5 Open Door: http://healthewound.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/closed-door.jpg Slide 7 Connections: http://www.activeendurance.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Connection.jpg Slide 13 Alarm Clock: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b2010-07- 20_Black_windup_alarm_clock_face.jpg Slide 19 Clock: http://img.ksl.com/slc/2498/249813/24981301.jpg Slide 28 Question mark:http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/agents/kutchuk/files/Man-With- Question-05.png #sfusi2014 S. Garr 2014
Editor's Notes
- Hand out cards with contact information and resources. Explain ripples visual- cumulative effect of collaboration. Discuss the use of Twitter/hash tags during presentation. #sfusi2014 #sd36learn Poll audience- Teachers, Admin? # of years of teaching? Use of Social Media/Technology?
- Introduction: Background, passions and inspiration: Role of mother(12 yr. old son), teacher at Sullivan Heights (for 16 yrs), Department Leader of Learning Parnters. Passionate about collaboration, innovation. How I started to integrate digital learning in teaching. Educational Philosophy- View students through a parent’s eyes (regardless of teacher/Vice Principal role. How would I want my son to be treated? What do I want his educational experience to be like?
- Teacher Isolation 2. The importance and strategies for making global and local connections. 3. The necessity of taking risks in order to encourage and support innovative teaching and assessment practices which leads to 4. Improved Student Learning and Achievement
- Ultimately, it’s about relationships. Between teachers, administrators, support staff, students, parents, community. Tendency for teachers, especially more experienced teachers to become increasingly isolated, detached from school community.
- Ask the question. Solicit responses from participants. Do you share with colleagues? If not, why not? (Responsibility to our students to remain current in terms of instructional, assessment practices, educational research etc.). What supports do teachers need in place in order to encourage, facilitate increased collaboration? Connected Educators=innovative teaching + improved learning for our students. Professional autonomy.
- Experienced teachers sometimes retreat to the confines of their classrooms- remain behind closed doors. Leads to detachment from school/global educational community, job dissatisfaction, stagnation. Less support for more experienced teachers- thought to be proficient and “left alone” to teach. Even more reason to reach out, connect with other educators. Model learning for our students.
- There is no one “right” way to become a connected educator. Many options, many layers of connection. School, district, global. Digital/online as well as face to face interactions are vital.
- Numerous ways to reach out. Share learning with peers. Unlimited resources 24/7. Professional Development no longer has to be confined to one or two conferences a year. Can tailor pro d to individual needs/interests. Relationships matter more than anything.
- Transformed my professional development. Not something that happens to you. Make connections on a global scale. Moving beyond the classroom.. Excellent source of resources, inspiration, support. Australia has amazing resources.
- Blogging: Set goals, reflect on teaching practices- and share “the good, the bad and the ugly”. Modeling to students that it is ok to make “mistakes” or “fail”. A digital artifact that records my learning journey. Simultaneously a personal reflection and a platform to share my experiences on a global scale with other educators.
- By tweeting out link to blog, able to reach audiences on a Global scale. Always love to see new followers from around the world- Australia etc.
- Twitter also enhances/supplements communication at school. Communication is a challenge: increased student population, additional staff, extended day schedule. Additional layer. Provides sense of school community- #1000awesomethingsaboutsulli
- Collaboration is hard. Many educators identify time as the most significant deterrent to collaboration. Numerous demands on our time.
- I am the Department Leader for Learning Partners, a program that facilitates and supports inter-departmental collaboration, peer-mentoring, teacher inquiry. Supporting new AND experienced teachers.
- Opportunity/time to connect and collaborate. Builds a culture of trust and collaboration. Teachers become valuable resource/support for their peers. Non-evaluative, non-hierarchical, reciprocal.
- Two days last year. Explain process- Host/Visitor teachers. No pressure to prepare extraordinary lesson. Encourages “open doors”. Models learning for students.
- (3 min video) For more focused, intentional exploration of teaching and assessment practices that will support and extend student learning. Research based. Integrating into Learning Partners. Participation in district Action Research. (story of how we were initially turned down for grant)
- Innovation is scary. Moving out of comfort zone (modeling for students). Requires us to disrupt our routines, seek out opportunities for continued learning, growth. When was the last time you learned something new? How did it make you feel? Requires some sacrifice, but outweighed by enormous rewards. I say “yes” first to an opportunity, and then figure out the particulars afterwards. (E.g. iTunes U, IGNITE, EdCamp, Acting Vice Principal.
- Concept of open source, open access resources. Materials/resources/links all in one place. Ability to share and support colleagues on a larger scale. Repository of shared content. Should knowledge be a commodity?
- World’s largest digital catalogue of free educational content. More than 750,000 free lectures, videos, books and other resources. 1000 of subjects. Collections from 30 countries. Download iTunes U App for iPad (ios devices).
- How I got involved in district iTunes U course development project. Initially overwhelming, out of comfort zone. My learning journey- 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. (blog) Steep learning curve. Insight into how my students feel. Support from colleagues was essential!
- Navigating iTunes U Course Manager. Discuss initial process of creating course: how to decide (course, unit, etc.). Refer to PDF. Show notes. (Go to course manager again when discussing English 8 course). Trended on iTunes U next to a course by Harvard and Stanford- why not?
- Creating a course outline (Word Document). Sifting/reflecting on what to include. Attaching assets (Apps, iMovie- talk about intro to course! iBooks, documents, PowerPoints etc.) Copyright considerations.
- Talk about my English 8 course. Deciding on units, range of materials, connecting to learning outcomes. Apple TV- go to course on iPad. Hours of time over the summer, but enormous benefits. Whole new skill set, unique opportunity to partner with Apple Canada. Constantly evolving- can add, remove content. Individuals can select and download bits and pieces of course- don’t need to move through in its entirety.
- Teachers can inspire and support their colleagues as they in turn work to support and inspire their students. Just as we encourage our students to take supported risks, we can support our colleagues as they integrate innovative teaching practices into their classrooms. Risk= taking a leap, BUT Don’t have to do it all, just dip toe in the water.
- Ultimately, supporting teachers means supporting students. We struggled to make the connection clear- Action Research. How does a program that supports teachers lead to improved student learning/achievement?
- Time for questions, feedback, thank-you