ChoppED PD-Easter Egg Edition

A couple of years ago, I attended a Future Ready Conference in New Orleans. It was one of the best conferences that I have ever attended, and I left with so many great ideas! One of the sessions that I attended included an experience called "Chopped Baskets". It was an idea inspired by the Food Network show, "Chopped". Each team was tasked to select a "basket" and to work together to create a lesson.  

Credit: Brianna Hodges and Sarah Thomas

This is where the idea for ChoppEd PD-Easter Egg Edition came from! I reached out to the wonderful Brianna Hodges, and she didn't hesitate to help me along the way! I also found some great resources online! You have to check them out!

The Four O'Clock Faculty

Mandy Ellis

When I first decided to do this around Easter, I stocked up on Easter baskets, eggs, grass, decorations, and treats at Walmart. I decided to have grade level baskets with 4 eggs in them (I used the same four eggs each time.). Each egg was labeled with a 1, 2, 3 or 4. The grade levels chose an egg, and then they were given a folder labeled with that same number. Inside that folder was a sheet like the one below:

Clipart Credit: Jen Hart Design
Font Credit: KG Fonts

They also had to choose at least 2 items from the "pantry" to include in their lesson design. I included library books, a camera, Seesaw, Flocabulary, Buncee, and a "Wild Card". If they chose the "Wild Card", they got to use another tool/resource of their choice.

To help with facilitating the PD, I created a Buncee. It is my go-to tool as an instructional coach! I use it for everything! I recently used it to even create my desktop background!

I love what the teachers came up with! I especially loved the teamwork and the creativity! Check out some of the lessons that were created below!

I also had some very special helpers that day that helped to lead the PD experience for the teachers. They both won "Instructional Coach for a Day" at our campus fundraiser! Loved having them there to join in and share their insight with the teachers.

Noble, Mrs. Storer, and Preston

You can transform this experience to fit all kinds of themes and holidays. Here are some ideas that I had:

Beginning of the School Year: You could use apples instead of eggs in a picnic basket.
Valentines: You could use a box of chocolates as the "basket" where each piece of chocolate is labeled.
Christmas: You could use stockings as the "basket" with different items that are labeled with the numbers.

What are some of your ideas? The possibilities are truly endless! I encourage you to take this idea (just like I did) and make it your own! We advocate, often, for transformational/"sticky" learning for our students. Our teachers deserve this too! As my buddy, Rich Czyz says, "Let's make PD what it was meant to be." I could not agree more!

Someone to Say Yes

Yes.

Now this word does not mean, that I will be saying yes to everything! But I will be saying yes to things that will help me to grow as an educator and a leader. I will be saying yes to my dreams coming true. I will be saying yes to taking more risks. Yes to growing as a technology leader in my district. Yes to learning more about how to transform professional development. Yes to taking care of myself and others around me. And yes to thanking those that have said yes to me to get me to where I am today and where I will be tomorrow.

Recently, I had the honor of being a part of Gabriel Carrillo's podcast show, EdTechBites. If you have not checked it out, it is great! At one point in the podcast, he asked me about advice that I would give to first year coaches. I shared that putting relationships first, much like you would do in the classroom, is a must as an instructional coach. I also shared that when you are in this role, it is important to not make it about you. It is never about me. It is about the teachers that I work with and the goals that they have set for themselves. My job is to support them, champion them, and to take them where they want to be! It is never about me. My job as an instructional coach is not to say no. Gabriel said something so profound during this podcast. He said "I would never go into someone's house and rearrange their furniture." So simple, yet so true. My job is to empower, support, and cultivate a climate and culture that encourages risk taking. When teachers hear no more than they hear yes, this does the complete opposite. As Andy Stanley said, "Leaders who don't listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say." I want my friends and peers to know that they have a safe place to take risks and to fail forward. 

As teachers, we need to say yes to our students more than we say no. As instructional coaches, to our colleagues, say yes more than we say no. Give them the space to take those risks, because that is there the magic happens. Be that someone to say yes.

Say yes to those students that want to read a book they are interested in versus a book on their level. 

Say yes to those students that want to show what they know in ways other than paper/pencil.

Say yes to those students that ask for a hug in the most peculiar way.

Say yes to those students that want to learn more than what is listed in the adopted curriculum.

If it is good for students, say yes.

Be that someone to say yes.

Say yes to those teachers that want to get creative with the scope and sequence. They are the experts and they know what is best for their students. Let them do what is best for their students.

Say YES to this tweet by @MsAlex005

Say yes to those teachers that want to grow as a learner. Send them to those conferences, especially ones that they have chosen to attend!

Say yes to those teachers that want to stop giving homework! Say. Yes.

If it is good for teachers, say yes.

Be that someone to say yes.

And no matter what role you have in education, never forget what it was like to be a classroom teacher. Say yes to this, all. day. long!!

Thank you to the leaders and friends in my life that have said yes to me! I am where I am today because of that one small word! Thank you for being that someone to say yes.