This past Saturday, Minnesota-ASCD, the state affiliate of
ASCD, sponsored EdCamp Policy Edition. I have to admit: when this was first
proposed I was skeptical. Is having a focus to an EdCamp antithetical to the
EdCamp philosophy? (If you’re not familiar with the EdCamp philosophy, this
short video highlight’s Minnetonka’s 2014
EdCamp.) And I had other concerns, too. Would people really come to an
EdCamp with a policy focus? Would it end up being a day of complaining or a day
of problem-solving? As it turns out, all my concerns were for naught.
At an EdCamp, the right people are in the room. The participants ranged from superintendents
and district administrators to classroom teachers to education consultants to
higher education administrators. We even had a grandparent of Minnesota
students with no other affiliation to the education field!
The topics ranged from teacher preparation, licensure, and
tenure to the school calendar to empowering educator voice in decision making.
(For a full list of topics, click here.)
The challenge of the day was picking and choosing which session to attend! And
while there certainly was an opportunity to air grievances, the focus was
definitely solution-oriented. In fact, at the end of the day during the Smack
Down, the chance for individuals to share their most impactful learning of the
day, the conversation became about the next steps. Everyone present was ready
to act!
EdCamps have become popular because of the opportunities for
self-directed professional growth. This policy-based EdCamp offered two
additional benefits. First, it was problem-solving. Participants walked away
with concrete ideas of how to advance their work. Communications to legislators
were drafted collaboratively! The second benefit was the networking
opportunities. Committed educators from diverse backgrounds connected in ways
that would not have been possible in any other format. This model of
professional development and connecting has great promise for moving education priorities
forward.
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