How to turn PD into a Party!

The fall is one of my favorite seasons. In Alabama, it means football Saturdays, cooler mornings, beautiful landscapes, sweaters and scarves, and a TWITTER PARTY at school!

We recently held our FIFTH annual Twitter Party at our school. It's a fun event where teachers get to learn about connecting and celebrating our school on social media, without the traditional "sit and get" learning!

A New Twist on Think-Pair-Share

One simple way for teachers to increase engagement in a classroom is to increase the number of students involved in discussion. To make this increase, the teacher has to realize that he or she cannot be a common factor in the discussion. 

The Importance of What If Questions

I love asking "What if.." questions. They help me to think big... to think the impossible... to have hope. When I reflect on my blog posts, tweets, and comments, I tend to ask "What if" questions a lot. I also use them when I'm coaching or mentoring another person. Asking "What if" allows others to thinking beyond their current realities and barriers.

Over the summer, I shared the question below on twitter, and it resonated with many people. 

How big can you dream?? Everyone needs a champion, especially kids! #ISTE17 #ModelSchools #courageousleadership pic.twitter.com/jmqbqKmCia

— Jennifer Hogan (@Jennifer_Hogan) June 26, 2017

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Here are a few other of my "What if" questions. 

(I led a book study via Voxer for teachers on The Golden Rules by Bob Bowman, coach for Michael Phelps.)

What if we set up school PD like Edcamps? 

(blog post)

What if we treated teachers like football stars?

(video)

What if today was your last day?

(blog post)

What if every educator sent out 1 tweet per day of something positive in their school? 

(blog post)

I shared on twitter how our school rewards positive behavior with Praise Referrals, and got asked the AWESOME "What if" question below...

What if more Ss were sent to the office for praise referrals than for "punishment?" https://t.co/st5EmNiiNU

— Tim Sparacino (@sparacino) June 12, 2017

By asking questions that push the boundaries, it can create a change in mindset and approach to a problem. "What if" also implies the hypothetical and sets no demands, which reduces anxiety about change. It does open doors for creativity and opportunity, and it sometimes exposes the root of the problem.  

"What if" opens doors for creativity and opportunity, and it sometimes exposes the root of the problem. 

When asking someone else these types of questions, it helps others to develop a vision for what could be. We also must remember that it can be overwhelming to some, especially in situations where the other person(s) is not used to generating ideas to solve a problem. 

Have you asked or been asked a "What if" question that you found impactful? I would love to continue the conversation. You can tweet me or share in the comments below.