Teacher Leaders

As the school year draws to close, several of our leadership groups have met to discuss their work, growth and learning, and that of their students. One of these groups is a group of Math teachers from K to grade 10 who have committed to working together over the course of the year, examining their instructional and assessment strategies as they seek to increase student engagement and deepen learning.  The work has been stunning. All of the projects included teacher collaboration within and across schools as they became critical friends and professional learning partners.  Their work embodies the philosophy of "personalized learning". If that buzz word does not work, think best practice. There is no script, beyond their professional drive to enhance their craft and engage learners.  As many of the group mentioned in their inquiry report, it is messy, and it is hard work.

If you have not yet seen it, check out the Khan Academy TedTalk...

http://www.ted.com/talks/salman_khan_let_s_use_video_to_reinvent_education.html

We followed that session with our final BV Leadership meeting on Sunday night where 22 educators met to report on their leadership inquiry projects over the past year.  The leadership group has spent the year discussing, debating, and demonstrating distributed school leadership while wrapping their collective minds around the opportunities and challenges posed by 21st Century, personalized learning.  Attached is a link to the 7 minute "teaser" for a UK production, "We Are the People We Have Been Waiting For". This documentary examines the role of education in our rapidly changing world, and was one of the pieces the group used as part of their exploration.  The entire video is 77 minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRi8_fXz1D8

Both of these groups operate within, to use Chris Kennedy's phrase, a culture of yes.  They do not see the problem, only solutions and opportunities.  Moreover, they understand the critical importance of collaboration in building capacity and facilitating deep learning. Leaders, across our educational learning community, matter.