Taking Charge of Your Own PD

Are you a coach in charge of providing professional development to your teachers? Or, are you a teacher who wants to put some new energy into the classroom but aren't really finding what you want in district-led workshops?  Many of us, especially those who have been in the profession for a while, truly love our jobs and the students/teachers we work with. But let's face it, sometimes district PD can leave us wanting.  I've seen many a teacher zone out, bring papers to grade, or even fall asleep because a PD session just wasn't relevant. 

One thing I firmly believe in is that changing things up and trying out new ideas can spark excitement for both the teacher and the students.  So, what do we do when we are stuck with this uninspiring PD?  We go with the famous saying..

If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself

There are actually a lot of options out there if you are willing to put aside some time to improve your own practice.  Many PD resources are online and can be accessed from the comfort of your couch (my favorite place).  Here are a few of my favorite "on my own" PD opportunities for the K-5 level:

Edcamp is a great way to get together with other educators/coaches/administrators, etc. to learn from one another. For those of you unfamiliar with Edcamp, it is considered to be an unconference, where everyone who attends has the opportunity to voluntarily run a session on any topic.  There is a large board with times and rooms, and you attend whatever sessions you like.  The best part is the "rule of two feet."  If you find that a session isn't for you, you can leave in the middle to attend another and no one is offended.  The only downfall is that most Edcamps are held on Saturdays but there are so many these days that one of them will surely fit into your schedule. Check out the Edcamp website to find one near you!

PD in your PJ's by Seesaw is one of my favorite ways to add new ideas for my students to show what they know.  Whether you are a beginner user or have been using Seesaw for years, there is a video for your level and interest.  You can register for free, live sessions or just watch recordings of sessions that have already run.  Best of all, you can do it from home whenever you please and learn at your own pace.

Edutopia is definitely in my top 5 places to visit online for my own PD. Browse by topic to get a list of resources to peruse on your own time.  Resources include reading, videos, and blog posts pertaining only to the topic of your choice so there is no need to weed through other topics to find what you need. If you like, you can also subscribe to their newsletter and receive the newest material to your inbox each week.

Finally, don't knock social media if you haven't yet tried it for PD purposes.  There is a wealth of information and resources to be found on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.  On Twitter and Instagram, you can search by hashtags.  I love to browse hashtags such as #teachersofinstagram, #edtech, #teachersfollowteachers, #1stgrade, #elemed... there are so many options.  For Facebook, there are some amazing groups to join to connect with fellow educators.  Just put your grade level in the search bar and you can find one that fits your needs!  And Pinterest... I could browse all day long...

So hopefully, if your district PD isn't cutting the cake (and teachers do love cake...), you can find something here that will spark some ideas and inspire you to try something new!

The Math Learning Center Virtual Manipulatives

The Math Learning Center is my favorite place to find virtual manipulatives for math.  When my K-5 teachers are looking for a way to model in math, these are the first apps I recommend.  Not only are they simple to use, but they offer built in tools for showing work, calculating, measuring, and drawing.  If used in conjunction with Seesaw, students can reflect and/or explain their thinking process as they solve problems.  This post is meant for those teachers who would like to use virtual manipulatives but may not be aware that these apps exist both on the iPad and as web apps available in your browser.  

Below are my absolute favorite Math Learning Center Apps but don't forget to click the link above to see all of the apps available absolutely free!

Geoboard

The geoboard offers a variety of digital boards and multiple colored rubber bands.  No more rubber bands being lost or snapping in half! You have the option of showing the board with a grid and/or an x and y axis.  There is also a text tool for creating equations and tools for moving, sizing, coloring, etc.

Pattern Shapes

The pattern shapes are perfect your geometry, shape studies, or patterns in algebra units.  Shapes are dragged onto the board from the sidebar and you have the ability to change shape, size, and color.  You can change the gridlines in the workspace, rotate, or use some of the built in outlines to fill.

Fractions

The Fractions app allows you to create bars or circles to show fractional amounts.  You can choose how many parts and then color in the parts according to the fraction you choose to show. You can rotate the fractions, group them with the lasso, add labels to show what the written fraction looks like, and of course the drawing tools are available as well.

Number Blocks

Number Blocks supports students as they work with base ten.  It offers a primary and intermediate set of ones, tens, and hundreds that students can drag to the workspace for place value, adding, subtracting, etc.

Number Rack

Number Rack assists students with number sense as they think of numbers in fives and tens.  You can change colors, drag beads, add rows, and cover certain sections of beads as you instruct.

Don't forget that, whether students are working in the whole group, small groups, or independently, they can easily extend their learning by adding their work to Seesaw to reflect, explain, etc!