Comments on: Student-delivered PD: An idea whose time has come?

By: Mobbsey

Mobbsey — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000

I’m ready, I’m game, I’m keen and I’m eager.

My students this year alone have taught me:
- how to bluetooth between devices
- how to use mobiles to film and edit videos
- how to really take advantage of the tools in front of them.

Today I set my students the challenge to set the standard for their teachers when it comes to presentations and use of powerpoint specifically. Teachers need to get over themselves, we can’t be the “gate keepers” to knowledge anymore and we need to accept that it’s not a weakness to admit that.

Thanks for yet another great blog entry!

Nic

By: Brandt Schneider

Brandt Schneider — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000

I would love to do this. It would give students such a sense of empowerment.

I’ll go one step further: what if students got to design, implement, and choose which teachers attended PD. Would it look different?

By: sylvia martinez

sylvia martinez — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000

There are many schools out there doing just this! And it works. We’ve got 12 years of research that shows that teachers who work with a GenYES student to integrate technology change what they do in the classroom, say that they better understand the need for classroom technology, and directly attribute that change to working with a GenYES student.

Teaching students to be teachers empowers the whole learning community and models collaborative, respectful connections between humans of all ages.

By: Dean Shareski

Dean Shareski — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000

I think more clarification around what is professional development might be required. While I’m comfortable with students providing all sorts of technical support/training and even insights on how they use the technology, I’m not as comfortable with them involved with my “professional learning”. I define professional learning as the understanding and exploration of pedagogy, learning theory and effective practice. Not sure I’m willing to abdicate that to someone with no experience or education in that field. Again, not saying that students can participate at some level but I don’t think I’d want them doing much more than providing technical training. But as we are learning, technology is far more than simple “how to” demonstrations.

By: Vicki Davis

Vicki Davis — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000

Students must deliver to multiple audiences – it is part of ISTE standards.

Currently digiteen students ARE delivering digital citizenship training to other students here at Westwood. We also have them work one on one with teachers to set up Skype and learn “the ropes.” Teachers need people to help them 1:1.

That being said, I think the “official” PD from students is going to take a long time to recognize for a variety of reasons.

But I have friends who now have student tech support teams, students supporting integration of new technologies, and students teaching teachers 1:1 – this has been happening for a while.

I do think that students have a place and a role and we must be careful, though to think we know what that place is.

The standard is excellence in education and we must approach that by means that make sense for both the student and the teacher.

By: Susan Martin

Susan Martin — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000

It is very interesting to think of using students in this manner to provide staff development to teachers. I agree that teachers often feel that they need to be experts at everything, instead of being willing to try new things. It is healthy for students to see teachers willing to try new things, even when they are challenging and sometimes frustrating.

I recently came across this brief BBC article from last year. It describes how one college is using their students to encourage professors to use updated instructional methods. I think that using students in this manner is motivating and facilitates true learning partnerships between staff and students.

By: sylvia martinez

sylvia martinez — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000

Dean, I think any conversation around “what PD really is” is good, because we’ve not been doing much that works. It seems to me that bringing new tools, techniques, and resources into the mix is necessary, especially when these resources help teachers where they need it most, in their classroom.

PD defined simply as a one-way transmission of a narrow range of information seems too confining for the needs of today’s classrooms. And even then, if a student helping a teacher with classroom technology does nothing more than help a teacher actually implement training they received in a workshop, that in and of itself seems extremely valuable. Just like laying cable, you can claim to have an excellent network, but if the signal stops short of the TV, you can’t say you accomplished anything.

And you know, that “last mile” is the classic problem in both cable and PD – the most difficult and expensive.

By: Lance

Lance — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000

We currently use PLC’s for our staff development. We have determined that we are the experts on our district and that our teachers are the experts in their content area. What we have found is that this year we have the most meaningful and well received inservices. This truly seems like the next logical step. If we are the experts on our district, then it should follow that our students are the experts on themselves.

I love the idea and greatly appreciate your blog, thanks Scott.

By: Dean Shareski

Dean Shareski — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000

Sylvia,

I guess I’m seeing a shift locally in terms of what constitutes Professional Development. Many are getting the just in time supports with technology can be delivered more effectively and equitably by using online resources and connections.

Professional learning, in many jurisdictions are focusing on the power of conversations about teaching and learning.

I think students can play an integral role in how we use technology and it can make a huge difference but I would hesitate to call this professional learning.

I’m comfortable in calling it technology training/support but not comfortable calling it professional development or even the more appropriate term, professional learning.

By: Bob Regan

Bob Regan — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 05:00:00 +0000

The idea that we have a lot to learn from our students is a good one and involving students in curriculum development and professional development is absolutely something we should be doing.
I worry that if we are relying on students to deliver professional development, the focus of these sessions will be on technology and not pedagogy. There is no question our students have a wealth of knowledge in the use and capabilities of the tools in our schools. However, I would prefer to see more training on integration of technology in service of instruction than pure technical training alone. Perhaps partnering students with an experienced teacher would be a way to address this issue. I don’t see much value in PD sessions for teachers on ‘using word processors’. Rather, I would suggest courses that focus on the writing process when using word processing or collaborative writing using word processors. I think it would be a real risk that putting students in the role of training teachers would create a real risk of divorcing technology from instruction and undermine the value of the technology.

Secondly, I think we would need to actively attend to the differences in the ways that students and adults view technology. Someone that works with teachers learning technology should be able to anticipate common frustrations and confusion that those of us not born into a world of computers and the Internet experience when learning new tools. These gaps in understanding may be confusing to a student and exacerbate, not minimize that gap. The bottom line is that just because someone is good with technology does not mean they will automatically be good at teaching technology, anymore than someone that is good with math can teach math. They need to understand how people learn, whether the learner is a child or an adult.

Your fundamental premise that we have a wealth of resources in our students is an excellent one. Yes, we should absolutely make better use of them and involve them actively in our process.