Learning communities
As we gear up for fall and the start of school, I’m looking forward to my favorite schedule being released — our 21st century pedagogy institute workshop and book group list. I’ve been participating in at least 5 workshops and/or book groups a year since around 2016 and have had so many amazing conversations.
It wasn’t until recently that I realized just how amazing our campus pedagogy group is. I’ve had my mind opened to new ways of understanding and gained deeper insight into what good pedagogy looks like in different situations. I’ve learned to test out ideas in a safe space and trust that the feedback will be constructive. I’ve also been able to practice leading groups and co-learning with other participants. That has helped me to gain more confidence in my own teaching skills and given me chances to puzzle out best practices for my classrooms.
That’s not to say that all the conversations are easy ones. In fact some of the best learning moments for me come from the harder conversations. But what I have learned through these types of conversations is the concept of collegiality. Instead of attacking or name-calling, we can ask genuine questions for a better understanding. People can voice fears and frustrations in ways that allow others to hear and support them. And we can challenge and interrogate our own views on teaching to see if there is space for and a need to change.
One other thing that I love about these groups is being able to share knowledge with and apply learning in my classrooms. My students get to hear snippets about my learning, and I hope these conversations model for them the skill of being a lifelong learner. They also get to learn that my ideas about teaching are coming from a place of knowledge seeking instead of just “we’ve always done it this way” or “look at this shiny new thing that we’re going to try for no clear reason.”
I can’t wait to see the fall offerings this year. I’m leading a few groups myself, but I’m also hoping to have space in my schedule to participate in other groups and expand my knowledge a bit further. I hope to see some familiar faces and some new ones too as we start a new year of pedagogy discussions.
