Learning on Purpose

I had one of those moments today, when it felt like the hard work and fighting the good fight become worth it..... when discussing PL one of my colleagues complained about learning how to use a digital tool and asked when we would get on with the pedagogical discussion - how to use the tool effectively improve outcomes for learners. Some background..... Late 2012 a group of us 'early adopters' formed a group that would research and drive PL for our school.  We had recently become BYOD and had a fabulous wireless network to back it up.  Uptake was slow, students weren't bringing devices, teachers weren't expanding learning opportunities.  We called ourselves BLING (Blended Learning INquiry Group).  We met, we talked, we hashed out a plan. In 2013 the academic goal for teachers was to explore and implement blended learning techniques.  Blended learning, for us, was about giving students access to as many effective learning opportunities as possible. Our senio...

I facilitated a professional learning session today with a group of 10 colleagues.  It is an eclectic group including a senior leader, middle managers, run of the mill teachers and one who received her full registration last week.  The session was the first in a module rotation I am offering, within the professional development framework of the school on blended learning, showcasing a smorgasbord of digital tools to support good pedagogy.  I wanted us to begin by thinking about why we do what we do, from the institutional level, down to individual lessons.  I don't want them using the digital tools I am presenting them with for the sake of using them. I started with Simon Sinek's "The Golden Circle" Clip He beautifully describes why having purpose, knowing our purpose and communicating our purpose, is  the best way to engage our learners. So I posed the question "Why do we do what we do?"  I was greeted with silence, then a quiet "was tha...