Education Week - May 15, 2019 - 26

"At the end of the day,
improv is not going
to help a teacher
understand how
to teach a complex
math concept."
Stephanie Hirsch
Executive Director, Learning Forward

some big questions about the approach.
"At the end of the day, improv is not going to help a teacher understand how to teach a complex math concept," said Hirsch when she
heard about some of the Andover program's activities. "It's not going
to help them to serve a student who has social-emotional issues. And
it's not going to help a teacher who is trying to find the right words to
engage parental support."
She thinks experiences like the ones that Smokorowski and her team
offer can invigorate teachers. And visiting places like Disney World can
give educators a chance to measure their schools against the country's
highest performing companies. But such experiences shouldn't be the
whole professional development enchilada.
"If it's one piece of a comprehensive plan, sure," she said. "If it's
the end-all, then I'd rather see them spend time on developing content
expertise."
The district spends plenty of time-at least one day a month-
on more traditional, content-centered professional development,
including professional learning communities, said Stacey Ryan, a
technology and innovation teacher on Smokorowski's team.
And the day out in Wichita was the grand finale to the Chromebook Crew's training, which also included work on new technical
tools, Skype lectures with educators and experts around the country, and a student-engagement idea: "glow day" in which teachers
did their professional learning under a black light, wearing white or
neon, as well as more traditional reading and reflection.
Rachael Neibling, a math teacher at Andover High School, who
participated in a previous cohort of the program, said that content
isn't really the area she needs help with.
"Math, while it's not stagnant, it's kind of what it is. I don't
worry about knowing my content, I'm solid on that," she said. Her
more pressing questions: "How do I catch those kids that are now
glued to their phones, that are not just going to sit and hear me talk
for an hour? How do I get them interacted and engaged?"

Experimenting in the Classroom

EdWeek Twitter Poll
Teachers, do you want your professional
development to be "out of the box"
or straightforward?
Give me the fun PD!
Just the facts, please.

13%
22

I want a mix of both.

TOTAL: 150 votes

Education Week * May 15, 2019

Andover teachers who have been immersed in this sort of professional development say it has value. More than 90 percent of
teachers who participated in the three cohorts of the Chromebook
Crew say the professional development was different, and better,
than other experiences. And nearly 80 percent said it "definitely"
renewed or helped fuel their passion for teaching.
Others say the experience inspired them to experiment in their
classrooms, trying out both new technology and a broader range
of activities.
Erica Hicks, a prekindergarten teacher at Prairie Creek Elementary
School, had her students don safari hats and appear before a greenscreen, talking about their favorite animal, inspired by some of the technology training. Bethany Tyndall, a math teacher at Andover Central
High School, brought her own "glow day" to her algebra and pre-algebra classes, as a student engagement technique. A lesson on contacting
experts on Twitter spurred Neibling to invite a college basketball bracket
guru to Skype into her classroom to help students master probability.
Nearly every teacher said that more professional experiences
should look like their day on the town in Wichita.
"Once you're out here, and you're making these connections
in person, having to go back and sit through a 'sit and git' professional development is not something that you ever want to do
again," said Nellie Hill, a 5th grade teacher at Robert M. Martin
Elementary School. "These teacher leaders that are being developed here are going to be the ones that say, 'Hey, wait, this is what
professional development can be. Step up.' " n

Education Week - May 15, 2019

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