Happy Steve

Innovation and Learning

Start with clarity of intent.

Now build it out with an evocative vision. Improvise progress by tinkering: with lots of trial and lots of error. The not knowing is the best bit: the mysteries the surprises, and from time to time the windfalls! 

Hello there, I'm Steve Collis! 

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Filtering by Tag: teachmeet

Better than Twitter: The TeachMeet Movement

I've been meaning to post this for ages! I'll do a rush job, okay?

Okay - the best professional development strategy for teachers is, without doubt, getting connecting in a Personal Learning Network, in any form. Twitter has proven remarkable for teachers in their ability to reach out and connect, in very real and authentic collaborative learning relationships. For years now my motto has been "if I can get a colleague onto Twitter, they'll never be the same" (like me!!)

But now there is something even better. It doesn't replace Twitter, but it works very similarly. It is the teachmeet movement. Launched in the UK in an initiative by Ewan McIntosh, the idea has spread and is now gaining traction in Australia: organise local face to face meetings of teachers to swap ideas and reflect on practice. The notion is so powerful: you don't have to wait for permission or for top-down policy change. Join the grassroots tribe and transform education from the inside out. 

It is a bottom-up movement - teachers can just go ahead and organise a teachmeet. Wonderful people in Sydney, Australia have launched the teachmeet movement here. Lots of colleagues have worked hard to make it happen. I take my hat off to them. I wonder if they understand the energy they've unleashed!

Check out the events here: http://tmsydney.wikispaces.com/ and consider if you might like to attend or organise a teach-meet of your own!

So much buzz and energy and passion for change was harnessed in 2011 in Sydney thanks to the teachmeets! 

One indicator of this cascading excitement is a HUGE Sydney Teachmeet planned for Friday, March 2. In fact the ambition is to make it a WORLD RECORD for the most teachers yet at a teachmeet event. 

Click here to read more about it. COME ALONG! Doesn't matter if you don't know anyone else. Come join the tribe. As the poster says "FREE EDU EVENT run BY TEACHERS FOR TEACHERS". What an empowering notion!!

P.S. join the Facebook group too! https://www.facebook.com/groups/tfcsydney/

P.P.S. the TM movement is spreading Australia-wide! There's bound to be something happening locally to you, and if not, start one up yourself!