People are the key to any professional learning
network. The Internet enables us to
connect to people from all around the word in innovative and cost effective
ways. Post 2 to 5 of this series concentrates on how I use the Internet to
connect to different people in order to expand my Professional Learning
Network.
This short article concentrates
on face-to-face meetings and relationship building between people. This, in my
opinion, is still the most important part
of my Professional Learning Network.
1. Children
I know some teachers (not
many – thank goodness!) who pretend that they talk ‘to’ children. In reality,
they really just talk ‘at’ children. The children at Musselburgh Grammar School (the school that I
currently work) are fundamentally the most important and most valid part of my current
Professional Learning Network.
I take every opportunity
that I can to talk to children. This is actually quite a difficult thing. In
reality it’s difficult to have a real rich conversation with a young person in
a school. Particularly, if you don’t want to disrupt the flow of classroom teaching
and learning.
When I am in class (not
enough!). I often ask the young people about what they are learning and we talk
about their work, what they find easy, what they find hard etc… The really important
conversations for me, however, occur at the start of the day, walking with children
between classes, at break time, at lunch time, during extra-curricular
activities and at the end of the day.
I always do my best to make
myself available during these times and to participate in as many extra-curricular
activities as possible. I believe that by doing this, I can get areal feel for
wants going on within the school and how we might improve.
2. School Staff
The reality within my
current school is that I don’t get enough opportunities to speak with school
staff. I do however have opportunities to bounce ideas of SMT colleagues and I
am very lucky to have a good relationship with my headteacher who has become my
critical friend during my time at Musselburgh Grammar. Most of these
conversations occur out side of the traditional school day.
Conversations with school
staff again tend to occur outside of the school day or during extra-curricular
activities. It is very important not to assume that the term school staff only
includes teaching staff. All staff within the school are part of my professional
learning network and I would like to think that I have good relationships with
the janitors, office staff, support staff, cleaners, outside agencies and kitchen
staff. Consulting and conversations with there groups of people are really
important. Teaching staff normally have a good idea about what is going on in
their classroom and department but not always about the overall feel of the
school.
3. Parents
Consolation, conversations
and gathering ideas with parents is hugely important. Again Support staff can
be very useful here. Many school support staff are parents of children within
the school and also have a feel for what is going on in the local community. In
reality, they are the most informed and helpful members of the school community
and their skills and knowledge are often untapped.
Within Musselburgh we always
take the opinions of parents very seriously and do our best to share as much
information as we can with the parent body and active parent council. The work
that we did last year on Internet
Safety and Responsible Use for Parents and Families has really helped break
down walls between the parent body and the school to encourage the types of
conversations that we need to help move the school forward.
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