Reflecting upon my own PLN (Personal Learning Network)

As I mentioned in my first ever blog post made a couple of weeks ago, I have entered (and am trying to navigate) the world of blogging as part of a course I am taking for professional development.  I chose to take the course - Developing and Growing Personal Learning Networks for School Leaders - because I believe strongly in the power of professionals collaborating and supporting one another.  

 

In the business world, I was part of a group of plant managers in the southeast who created an informal network to support each other.  We were friends and the group formed organically - I honestly don't remember how the idea came together but know for certain that it helped each of us become more effective.  

 

This was long before I became an educator and I certainly had never heard of John Hattie, but this experience proved to me first-hand the power of collective efficacy.  In case you aren't aware, collective teacher efficacy is listed by John Hattie as the single most potent strategy to improve instructional outcomes.

 

This was also long before the rise of the internet and the proliferation of online resources and tools.  Cell phones were new at that time, and the concept of the desktop PC was just being brought to fruition.  Since this was at the cusp of the digital age, our meetings were all in person (shifting from one plant to the other) but I can imagine how today's technology would have only enhanced what we were able to achieve.

 

Which brings me to today's blog post.  The motivation behind the informal business group I was a part of was the imperative to increase efficiency and thus profitability for our plants.  As such, we each had a built-in financial motive.  The motive behind me taking this course isn't related to money, but I nonetheless hope that not only I, but also the teachers with whom I work, can profit as well.

 

We had choices about which prompt to discuss as part of this end of course requirement.  I chose:

 

Reflect on how your personal learning network has changed and grown during the course of this workshop. Discuss your plans for how you plan to continue to grow your learning network and how you hope to contribute to the professional learning of your administrative colleagues.

 

I am blessed to be principal of a very small school, small enough that we are easily able to begin every day with a school-wide assembly.  We accomplish many things with that ten or so minutes each day, one of them is the opportunity to build and reinforce our school culture by talking to kids about ways they can achieve success.  A statement I have made a number of times is this: "If you aren't challenging yourself, you aren't growing."  I tell the kids that my favorite definition of learning is that it should be a productive struggle and thus, not only is it okay, it is vital that they struggle and sometimes fail.  As you can tell, we put a premium on trying to help our students develop a growth mindset (using the kid-friendly concept of the Power of Yet).

 

I very much believe that growth comes from struggle and from being outside of one's comfort zone.  From that metric, this course has certainly prompted personal growth.  Prior to taking this course, I had never, among the other new experiences this has prompted, made a blogpost.  I had no idea how to create a blog and had very seldom even read one.  Now, I have my own blog - pretty cool, huh?

 

I have certainly struggled with this course and thus have learned which brings me to - now what?  I am still, to be perfectly honest, contemplating that.  I know for sure that I am now more likely to use social media for professional learning and know I will make it a point to be actively engaged in platforms that will expose me to new growth opportunities for myself and others.  I have a greater sensitivity to blogs and podcasts thus am more likely to leverage those as well.

 

While I have achieved personal growth and understanding through this course, I very much hope to use this knowledge to help my staff and colleagues grow.  About two years ago I partnered with the principals of five other district schools that are small like mine to form what I called the Small School Syndicate.  With my business experience as a model, I wanted to work with similar schools to help each of us grow individually and collectively through the sharing of best practices.  

 

I also was very much motivated to provide opportunities for our teachers to be able to collaborate and network with those facing similar challenges as collaboration is very much muted on a campus with only one or two teachers per grade level.  While it has evolved somewhat and isn’t exactly what I originally envisioned, the  Syndicate very much continues today and has proven to be quite successful.  The teachers and the schools which are involved are very much on-board – teachers commonly say that the collaboration opportunities made available through the Syndicate constitute the most useful and effective professional development they have available to them.  

 

These collaboration opportunities have been face-to-face which is certainly powerful but now our goal is to add a virtual component to increase the frequency and thus effectiveness of the meetings.  I am anxious to exploit other tools and knowledge I have gained through this course to increase the level of support and growth the Syndicate teachers are able to achieve.  I am grateful for the personal growth I have achieved through this course and look forward to finding ways to help myself and my school continue to grow in the future.