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| Have you sung Mem Fox's Where Is The Green Sheep? |
Miss Carole from Macaroni Soup here – with a
dozen thoughts on how to get the most bang for your buck from YOUR learning
experiences in the coming year.
Most of us
go to a conference or two each year. Or
we attend workshops, inservices, or trainings.
Whatever you call them, we go somewhere
to learn something that
will enhance our teaching!
I present
over 75 workshops each year in various settings, and attend a few dozen being
presented by others. In today’s blog I’d
like to initiate some brainstorming about what YOU’VE discovered about “going
to meetings” that makes it more meaningful.
Here are my thoughts on the subject.
WEEKS/MONTHS BEFORE THE WORKSHOP:
1. Read the description of
what will be presented.
Ok, this may sound silly, but I can’t
tell you how many times after one of my Active Music workshops I’ve heard, “That
was really great – but I had no idea we were going to be actually doing the
music activities and singing so much!”
Uh, you were expecting I would describe what it would sound like, play
recordings or just sing to you? With session descriptions which include “participatory
music”, “come prepared to move” and “learn by doing” – how could they be
surprised? Ah, they hadn’t read the
description!
Should you be
lucky enough to get a conference program BEFORE arriving at the venue, give it
a moment of your time. It may have
helpful details on how to get the most from your experience.
2. If you’re not familiar with
the presenter or the subject matter, do a quick google search to be sure it is
what you think it is. This doesn’t mean you have to read
every scholarly paper on the subject – just a quick skim will do.
3. Make sure you’ve
registered! Sometimes you can save money by registering before a certain
date. You may also get closed-out of a
popular session by waiting until the last minute.
Stow your registration document in a safe place. Remember where
the safe place is (that’s for folks like myself!)
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4. Write the date, time and
location on your calendar. We’re all really busy – and it’s easy
to forget you signed up for something or double-book yourself.
5. Tell a colleague or friend
about this opportunity! It’s often more fun to go to a
conference or workshop with someone. Not
only do you share the experience, you can help each other remember details
about what you’ve heard by comparing notes.
THE NIGHT BEFORE THE WORKSHOP:
6. Set out what you need to
take:
- Paper
and pen for taking notes on what you hear – so that you can use it in your
classroom!
- A
water bottle – it’s easy to get worn out without proper hydration.
- A
small snack – if it’s an all-day conference, you’ll want an energy bar or an
apple for between workshops!
- A
bag or backpack to carry around your “stuff”.
- Money
– if you intend to purchase a wonderful cd, book, toy – or whatever might be
offered.
- Comfortable
clothes and shoes – nothing worse than being uncomfortable! Bring an extra layer in case the room is
chilly.
7. Get a good night’s
sleep.
I know it’s hard sometimes. The kids need you. You’ve got lessons to plan. You need to see who the Bachelorette kicks
off. But you’re investing the time (and
money) to go to a workshop and getting credit hours (I hope) for the training,
please take the time to be in your best receptive mode.
AT THE WORKSHOP OR CONFERENCE:
8.
Get there on time! You’ve committed to it – do it. Give yourself time to find the venue, the
room, the bathrooms, and settle in.
9.
Listen, learn and DO! Take advantage of all the educational opportunities
presented. If there are chances to be
a victim demonstrate a point the presenter is making – go for it! Practice active listening. Please don’t hold conversations with the
folks around you. Save networking time
for before or after the presentation is over.
10.
Ask questions, comment or clarify what you don’t understand.
Presenters should be experts in their field, but we don’t
know EVERYTHING. If the presenter
invites your input, don’t be shy!
Whether you’re a new teacher or someone with vast experience, you have
something to offer.
11.
Use the time before/after the presentation to network with other
attendees or the presenter. Some of the most interesting people
come to workshops, and you must have something in common because you chose the
same workshop! Be sure to shoot a brief email to them when you get home.
AFTER THE WORKSHOP:
12.
Make a time to look over your notes, handouts or website
connections.
Pick at least one thing you plan to
use in the classroom TOMORROW!
USE IT OR
LOSE IT!
If
that handout goes into a pile on your desk, it may take weeks before you look
at it again. By then, you may not
remember how the song went, or what the presenter meant when he said, “Surprise
them!” Sure, that’s what you wrote in
your notes, but did it mean you had to wear a bat costume and hang from the
ceiling?
This is probably
the part that I am worst at – the afterward.
I am trying to get better at it.
I’d love to know what tips YOU have for getting the most from a
training, workshop or conference. Please comment on this blog! Is this helpful?
If you’d like to
find out where I will be presenting a workshop, take a look at MacaroniSoup.com – the Event’sCalendar. This year I’ll be in IA, IL, WI,
NY, MA, RI, CA (so far!) – and still waiting to hear about NAEYC! If you’d like to have a workshop about
participatory, developmentally appropriate music that teachers love to use at
your conference or school, contact me! I
travel all over the USA and abroad.
Yours for a Song!
“Miss Carole” Stephens
Macaroni
Soup! Active Music for Kids!
847-384-1404
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