This blog was created to poke, prod and hopefully inspire individuals to reflect on current practice, dream about future possibilities, and be willing to share their thoughts and ideas. This blog is called “Big Ideas” because it is not meant to be a place to discuss the minutia or every day details of operating a school district, but rather be a gathering spot to share our hopes and desires about what we want learning to be for our students. It is my hope that by sharing these "big ideas," we not only will learn from each other in a respectful way, but keep Mid-Prairie and Keota at the leading edge.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Professional Development

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Bill Ferriter teaches 6th grade language arts in North Carolina, where he was named a Regional Teacher of the Year for 2005-2006.

The link below takes you to a blog post written by Bill Ferriter.  In it he is highly critical of past professional development offered by his district.  His district moved toward Professional Learning Communities (PLC).  Do you share his enthusiasm for PLCs?  Why or why not?  What are the positives of PLCs, the negatives?  What are the "traps" to avoid that hinder the success of PLCs?

http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical/2007/09/i-finally-drank.html