James Cross

My first Teachmeet, and the power of teachers sharing

I attended my first 'Teachmeet' last Friday night, and was blown away by the experience. Teachmeets are informal idea sharing sessions, where teachers get together and sign up to present either two or seven minute talks on things they've tried in the classroom. Aside from the inspirational presentations, a few things struck me about the teachers that were present. They had a DIY attitude to teaching and learning, they weren't afraid to try new things in the classroom and take risks, and they found great joy in sharing their ideas and learning from others. Most importantly, there was no doubt that all of this stemmed from a genuine care for the learning of the young people they worked with. No posturing, no plugging, just great ideas, shared enthusiastically - informal CPD at its very best. You can check out the whole night, in two parts, here and here. Thanks to Doncaster South CLC for providing the venue, and special thanks to @damoward for filming and @dughall for leading the evening. Here's my presentation from the night:

Closing up shop

The high street has been a casualty of both the recession, and shifts in the way that people spend their money. We lost Zavvi because more and more people are now buying their music and movies online. We lost Borders because Amazon undercut them on price and convenience. When 'better and cheaper' is available online, bricks and mortar stores feel the brunt of this. The ones that don't adapt to this new landscape disappear. The ones that reconstruct themselves to amplify what the online stores can't offer have a better chance of survival.

Skip forward a few years into the future. Students can construct their own curriculum online, from blocks of content - either user or professionally produced. They can make contact with, and gain skills informally from others, through sites like School of Everything. They have most of mankind's knowledge in their pocket - along with any other new learning tools that might have emerged.

Are they still going to be coming into a Victorian building at 8am with their blazers on and top buttons done up?

Are they still going to be keeping their mobiles out of sight, and regurgitating information for high-stakes exams?

Are 'Sir' and 'Miss' still going to be in charge of what, how and when they learn?

Borders wasn't books - it was a shop that distributed them, until a more effective method of distribution came along. Similarly, schools aren't learning - they're institutions that deliver it en-masse. What happens when more effective and student-centric ways of delivering learning come along? Unless they start to transform themselves now, they might well find themselves being made redundant.