With all of the information and technology being thrown at teachers right now, more professional development might be the last thing they need. Teachers’ schedules may look different this year, they may be teaching fully virtual or on a hybrid schedule, so finding the opportunities to attend full day professional development may be slim to none. I have seen a few quick tip PD videos or stories on Instagram before and thought it was a great way to share a strategy or idea without a flooding of information, so I created 1 minute PD videos and house them through youtube.
Each of these videos is in the one minute range, maybe up to 1 min and 30 seconds, and shares a strategy that can be used in both a virtual and in person setting. Some of the videos were inspired by conversations with teachers , while others were strategies I have used and loved in the past. Feel free to use these videos in department meetings, PLC time, with colleagues, or just view them yourself.
Here is a video on a strategy called Stop & Jot:
This strategy can be used in any subject area or for any lesson. Give 1 minute and have students stop and write down a reflection about their learning. You can focus the question on the learning target, ask students to reflect on a success criteria, or write down one new thing they have learned so far. Reflecting on learning helps students take ownership for their learning. I did find some students needed more time than 1 minute to think of what they wanted to write but the more you practice this or model an example, students will be quicker in their processing. I also did not allow students an out by saying they do not know. In the video you see two options for students to write about. This helps students find something to reflect on by having a choice in the direction of their thinking. If you have used this strategy I would love to hear about it!
My team and I were recently reading a module on teacher-student relationships from “The Distance Learning Playbook” by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie and it connected to the importance of relationships and checking in with students. In the module, there is table for teachers to reflect on their relationships in distance learning and thought this portion was so important:
Back in March I started to compile a set of check in/reflection slides after conversations with teachers and their hopes to maintain relationships with their students. In the video below you will see a particular welcoming ritual slide through google slides that teachers can share in google classroom. Since we can no longer read a students body language and have difficulty picking up on their nonverbal cues through virtual learning , fostering a climate where students know you care about their wellbeing is pertinent to their educational success.
Feel free to scroll through the other 1 minute PD videos you see, as well as subscribe so you are the first to know when new videos are uploaded!