It is time to explore a new way to grow as an educator this year. Introducing Personal Growth Plans!
This page will serve as your one-stop shop to get everything you need.
Start with the Why
Step 1
Get with your Critical Friend and review your thoughts on the questions in this Google Form. Then complete the form which will go to your Division Head. Then in step 2 you will work together to develop your Personal Growth Plan.
Step 2
Schedule a meeting with your Division Head, make a copy of the Personal Growth Plan Template, share it with your Division Head, and fill it out together in your meeting.
Monthly Challenges
Flex Challenge
During January and April Last Fridays we will host campus unconferences. These are great opportunities to share your strengths with colleagues as well as explore things you are interested in. If you need a refresher on unconferences watch this video about EdCamps which have the same basic premise as our unconference https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=gr7teMAk-hA
Improvement: Attend unconference sessions that builds on a weakness and reflect.
Strength: Lead an unconference session on one of your strengths.
As always feel free to schedule a time with the innovation team (or a student) if you need further assistance.
October Challenge
Strength: Please share with your department and grade level at least one activity you are doing that capitalizes on the strengths you identified in the Personal Growth Plan. This could include a reflection on how well or not well an activity went. It could include your thought process for developing the lesson. It could include anything but I want you to focus on the process not just the product.
Improvement: Please share your thoughts on something you read this month both with your Critical Friend and on your Personal Growth Plan. It should be something that helps you with one of the things you identified as an an improvement opportunity.
There are many places throughout the internet where you can find inspiration for your classroom. You can find your article or blog from any resource you trust but if you need suggestions here are a few.
I get many of my ideas from Twitter. If you aren’t on Twitter and would like to jump in Kathy Schrock has a great page of resources http://www.schrockguide.net/twitter-for-teachers.html.
Other suggestions of sites:
Edutopia https://www.edutopia.org/
Education Next http://educationnext.org/
Discovery Education http://www.discoveryeducation.com/
Ed Surge https://www.edsurge.com/
As always feel free to schedule a time with the innovation team (or a student) if you need further assistance.
November/December Challenge
Improvement: Listen to a podcast and share a reflection with your CF and add to your PGP.
As we learned last month, there are many places throughout the internet where you can find inspiration for your classroom. K12online conference has tons of podcasts on their page http://k12onlineconference.org/ if you get stuck trying to find one. However, I would really like you to investigate and share other sites with each other as well.
Strength: Create an audio reflection of a student highlighting a lesson that capitalizes on one of your strengths to share with your grade level and department and add to your Personal Growth Plan (for extra growth share publicly).
There are many audio recording choices but here are a couple resources. As always feel free to schedule a time with the innovation team (or a student) if you need further assistance.
Basic Recording and Editing with Audacity http://www.instructables.com/id/Basic-recording-and-editing-with-Audacity/?ALLSTEPS
How to Record Voice Memos & Audio on iPhone
http://osxdaily.com/2016/05/04/record-audio-iphone-voice-memos/
Also feel free to stop by the IdeaLab Tuesday at 4pm, Wednesday at lunch or Thursday before school for “play time” where members of the innovation team will be available to help you experiment with an audio recording program of your choice.
January Challenge
Improvement: Find one local conference and one national conference to attend that would improve upon a weakness.
Feel free to investigate conferences and talk with your network. If you need a starting point for national conferences look at http://www.gettingsmart.com/2016/11/25-cant-miss-education-conferences-in-2017/ and https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-08-08-edtech-conferences-you-need-to-know-for-2016-2017
Strength: Work with your Critical Friend to design a conference proposal to demonstrate one of your strengths and add to your Personal Growth Plan (for extra growth share publicly).
As always feel free to schedule a time with the innovation team (or a student) if you need further assistance.
February Challenge
Improvement: Watch a video and share a reflection with your Critical Friend and add to your Personal Growth Plan.
Strength: Create an video or screencast highlighting a skill or lesson that capitalizes on one of your strengths to share with your grade level and department and add to your Personal Growth Plan (for extra growth share publicly).
Screencastify Tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UAGPsJIUPc
Educreations Tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40zr8DNqSDg
Also feel free to stop by the IdeaLab Tuesday at 4pm, Wednesday at lunch or Thursday before school for “play time” where members of the innovation team will be available to help you experiment with an audio recording program of your choice. As always feel free to schedule a time with the innovation team (or a student) if you need further assistance.
March Challenge
Improvement and Strength: Find a colleague who has a strength and weakness you do not possess. Then help each other plan, implement and observe a lesson that improves a weakness area. Then add to your Personal Growth Plan (for extra growth share publicly).
This article may give you some insight into the lesson study model as well http://www.americanradioworks.org/segments/a-different-approach-to-teacher-learning-lesson-study/
As always feel free to schedule a time with the innovation team (or a student) if you need further assistance.
April/May Challenge
Improvement and Strength: Reflection on your growth this year and initial thoughts on Personal Growth Plan for next year. Complete Google Form for strengths and areas of growth and compare your thoughts with your Critical Friend. Have an initial meeting with your supervisor to review your growth this year and discuss initial personal growth ideas for next year.
