As a learner, I have taken many classes but this is the first time I've had the opportunity to create a class of my own. There is a lot of behind the scenes work to be done! Many questions have to be answered, resources to be found or created, and assessments to be developed. The very first thing I had to do was to identify the outcomes of the course. What did I want my learners to know and how could they prove their learning. I used my previously created 3 Column Table and U

What is Action Research? It's pretty much an inquiry system of research conducted by people in the educational field that want to learn more about the learning process and how they can improve upon it (Mertler, 2017). Teachers perform an informal form of action research on a daily basis when they reflect on how their lessons went and what they could do to improve them. Formal action research is made of 4 stages that contain 9 steps. I am currently in the gathering information

Jifunzeni is a Swahili word inviting all to learn. Here is my personal Jifunzeni to all of you! Join me in personalized professional learning! References: Boston Consulting Group. (2014). Teachers Know Best: Teacher's Views on Professional Development. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.teachersknowbest.org/reports Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler, M. E., Gardner, M. (2017). Effective Teacher Professional Development (research brief). Palo Alto, CA: Learning

When I first took the position as a technology integration specialist, I knew I would have to facilitate learning sessions with educators; but as a teacher, my only role was to attend and learn. Now, I am helping to plan and run them, a big change of perspective! This past summer I helped with the expo portion of our Know Your Impact conference organized by my district and runs for 3 days in early June. That was my first look into the behind the scenes aspect of professional

It's time to switch from old-school, sit-and-get professional development to the ongoing, interactive professional learning. Gulamhussein (2013) states that Professional Learning should have 5 key principals: Extended throughout the year. Ongoing support through all stages of implementation. Active learning and hands-on application Modeling and coaching included Specific and authentic to the learner. I agree with these principals and I intend to use these as I facilitate prof

When a person is leading change within their organization there are many things to consider. Why would someone even do want you are asking them to do, What are some key behaviors you want them to change, how will you execute your plan, and what do you do when emotions get high? Before you can even begin to make a change within your organization, people need to know the WHY behind your actions. If you can get to the heart of the matter and share why you want to make these chan

One minute your spouse is asking you about dinner plans, and the next you're in an argument about whose turn it is to clean the kitchen. You've just entered into a crucial conversation, especially if you're a teacher working on her master's degree and never have time to clean! Crucial conversations are all around you and if you are not self-aware of your hot buttons then you are more likely to end up in a heated discussion without intending to. As a leader and change agent, i