Conquering One “Yeah, but…” at a Time

This past Saturday I attended the NJEA 2009 Thinking and Learning Symposium.  The brochure was filled with promising phrases such as “global classroom” and “information literacy”.   When I signed up, I had no way of knowing it would be the most deliciously warm spring day the area has seen in a long time. 

Dr. Shari Albright from the Asia Society gave a thought-provoking key-note which clearly explained our changing world.   My favorite part was the audience’s reaction to the latest version of “Did You Know”. 

 

One of main reasons I signed up for the workshop was to hear Will Richardson speak.  I was NOT disappointed.   He blatantly demonstrated that many of our schools are falling further behind because our teachers and students aren’t using  powerful tools now available to enhance learning.  About halfway through his rapid-fire presentation of all things wonderful (Google Reader, Twitter, Diigo, blogs), the shock and awe began to wear off, and the “Yeah, buts…” (Will’s term) started.   Teachers voiced concerns that presenters like Will must hear all the time:  my district blocks this, I can’t get permission to use this with my students, I don’t know how to use these tools, I don’t have time to use these tools.  Honestly, I’ve usually felt a little slighted when presenters dismiss these types of teacher concerns because we don’t have answers to them.  We sometimes feel stuck in a system that encourages professional development, but rarely supports implementation of “new and exciting” practices.

I shared a bit of my PLN journey with the group, hopefully to help them see that you’ve got to start somewhere.  I knew what it was like to be trapped by “Yeah, but…”s.  It took (and still takes) effort to look at this process from a proactive position.  But suddenly it hit me…I finally understood why dwelling on the “Yeah, but…”s was a waste of time.  1) We’d never have time to solve all of the  individual issues in the room 2) the issues don’t matter. 

I started my PLN about a year ago because the idea that all information and the learning of that information is available at any time blows my mind.  All I have to do is participate.  Although my district is hestitant about trying these learning methods with our students, I keep…well, bugging the administration about it.   It’s been a slow uphill process.  During Will’s workshop, I realized that if even 10 teachers in my district had been at the conference and conquered their “Yeah, but…”s, there would be nine more teachers like me trying to make change for our students.

My best advice for someone struggling with an issue that prevents them from taking charge of their learning is to ignore it.  Think of what would happen if we ALL started rocking the boat…

PS:  a bit of irony…  In the morning workshop, Will introduced us to Diigo.  We were all impressed by the annotation tool and drooled over the possibilities of using it with staff and students.  In the afternoon session, the presenter asked us to ”jigsaw” a photo-copied article and then write notes about the section we read on chart paper hanging around the room.