Making it count

This week I get the opportunity to lead our secondary staff for an afternoon PD session. I have to be honest, at this point of the year, I’m not really expecting everyone to skip into the room filled with excitement. I’m thinking I’ll most likely need some motivational words to keep my audience from slipping out the back.

As I was working on my plan with all this on my mind, I had a realisation. Why not ask my audience if the tasks I was creating were meaningful to them?

So I did.

I approached several teachers in my building and asked them for five minutes of their time. I showed them my plan and asked for their honest feedback. To my delight, each teacher gave me thoughtful suggestions. One recommended reordering some of the tasks while another suggested an outline of expectations for the session. I even got a bit of unsolicited feedback once I sent the resources for the week. I was guilty of not clearly defining an acronym (ISTE which ironically, as my colleague also pointed out, they don’t even define very well on their own website.)

Test markets and beta versions are an integral part of the business community. Why shouldn’t it be part of building educational programs too? It makes a lot more sense than just waiting for the end and collecting feedback after the fact.

I’m excited to have a new plan as I continue to develop in this roll. I think, if I’m smart in the process, I can improve what I’m offering to my colleagues as well as build stronger relationships along the way.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment or find me on Twitter @rharwood17