Modeling Professional Learning

Professional learning should be more about engaging with coworkers, talking to them seeing what works and what doesn’t, and also bouncing ideas off of one another. If videos are shown during PD, they should be shortened, to no more than three minutes so teachers utilize all their time. Modeling a flipped classroom for teachers might have them change the way they give lessons. Shorter videos will gain more attention from students than longer videos. Once students are to sit too long listening to someone talk whether it's at school or home, their mind begins to drift.

On the other hand, if teachers are doing flipped classrooms lengthy videos explaining everything students should know would be better. Flipped Classrooms are where teachers provide videos, notes, etc. for students to learn on their own and then come to school and work on materials and tests for what they know. Modeling self-directed learning would be important in this type of learning. Demonstrating to students how to take breaks in between videos, how to stay on task and keep their minds from drifting, and just assuring them that even though you are doing a flipped classroom model, you are still available for questions.