Student-Facilitated Workshops That Lead with Instruction

by: Mark Nemetz, ITI Instructional Technology Facilitator

“Leading with instruction” is the mission that each Instructional Technology Facilitator (ITF) lives by as they support Practitioner Schools in developing and implementing 21st Century teaching and learning. Maintaining the centrality of instruction while integrating digital tools are the parameters which guide the creativity and innovation of teachers and ITFs at our Practitioner 3.0 schools. It is through this lens that the Practitioner Schools Program has become one of the Instructional Technology Initiative’s (ITI) models of support that concretely exemplify the ISTE Standards in action.

Transforming the learning experience through technology can be a daunting task for both the instructional coach and the classroom teacher, but at the Performing Arts Community School at Diego Rivera students are providing the bridge. The student “Creative Design Team” was formed this school year in collaboration with Principal Sally Lopez, teacher Jesus De Dios and ITF Mark Nemetz, mirroring the “train the trainer” model.

The Creative Design Team meets regularly to learn new digital tools and then seeks to share this learning with the educational community. So far the team has introduced digital portfolios using Google Sites and project based learning using Adobe Spark. The team is now preparing a digital playroom for the spring where teachers can choose which mini-workshop they want to attend.

The process is simple: once confident in mastering a digital tool, the Team facilitates professional development workshop during teachers’ banked time. Most recently, the Team conducted a school wide workshop on the instructional application of Adobe Spark, an integrated suite of storytelling applications developed by Adobe Systems. Teachers gained hands on experience in constructing video presentations, followed by a gallery walk to share their artifacts. After this, a table discussion was held in which each teacher could explore how to integrate this tool into his/her subject area. Results and questions were posted on a Padlet, followed by the Creative Design Team offering teachers further support in their classrooms.

At the conclusion of the PD teachers were able to post comments: “Awesome PD! I never knew it was so simple to create a movie. Thank you guys so much for your help and for making this PD engaging!”; “Thanks for sharing this resource! I love the voice over possibilities! Thank you to the fantastic student presenters as well!”; “Awesome idea! Will have my economics students make videos on various economic concepts.”

Student-facilitated workshops, with the support of the ITF, made learning new digital tools and resources less intimidating for teachers and further reinforced the idea that teachers are already teaching amazing instructional content and that these can be taken to new heights through exploration in a “fun and engaging” adult learning experience. Teachers smiling, laughing and being engaged was a clear indication of a successful professional development.

As teachers strive to create transformative and innovative learning experiences, this professional learning session made clear that it is not the digital tool itself that creates the innovation but is the way it is used in instruction. By empowering our students to facilitate training, by giving teachers a hands-on experience and allowing them time to collaborate, the result was a unique and powerful professional development experience immediately applicable to the classroom.