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30 Years Later

I was privileged to attend NECC 2009 last week. I consumed many ideas and I am still mentally chewing through them. Much of it was very confirming and encouraging for the work we are doing in LPS, while other sessions made me question whether we are indeed walking the best path. I hope to have more to say on a few topics in the near future.

At almost every time slot during the conference, a person had to make decisions about what session to attend at the cost of skipping something else. One of the sessions I missed was recorded and made available on NECC’s website, and I just listened to it back at my desk.

30 Years Later: The Best Technology Professional Development
Sylvia Martinez
NECC 2009

A great session! Not all of the ideas are new, but her intro hits on a few concepts that should be considerations for all of us in TAG, or Teacher Staff Development at any location.

Interesting Quotes from Sylvia:

  • “We hear this over and over – ‘Research shows that teachers need more professional development.’ Well, I think you have to question that, because after 30 years if it’s still not working there’s something wrong. Maybe more is not the answer. Maybe it’s different. Maybe we’re doing it in the wrong way, at the wrong time, in the wrong place, the wrong context. We better find out what’s going right, and what’s going wrong. “
  • “It’s great to give a workshop and have people love you… but we have to be honest about what happens back in the classroom”
  • “You can’t ‘magic wand’ this stuff into existence… Change does not come with a checklist. It comes through hard work.”
  • “Engagement is not an outcome… It is a part of a process…. It comes as a result of working on interesting problems.”

Website: Generation YES blog

Posted in My Thoughts, Quotes.