What are my #FacilitatorGoals?

 I recently (re)heard the cliche "write the book you want to read," and that sparked my idea of my goal to "Design the PD that I want to attend." Rabbit-hole: I wanted to find who authored the book quote, and it's most often attributed to Toni Morrison, but there are many others who shared...

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Purposeful PD: Launching the Learning (Take 2!)

InspirationAs mentioned multiple times in my posts, I'm constantly reflecting on ideas from Priya Parker's The Art of Gathering to upgrade my professional learning sessions, meetings, and personal gatherings.For today's reflections, I share a more structured approach to the way I begin, or as Priya...

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I'm Taking Better Breaks to Beat Burnout

Know anyone who might be experiencing some form of burnout? 🙋🏻‍♀️Burnout BackgroundI started curating information about burnout in the fall of 2020 after hearing Brené Brown's podcast interview with Drs. Emily and Amelia Nagoski about their book Burnout. In the spring of 2022, burnout seemed...

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Purposeful PD: Primed for Learning

Preparing Your ParticipantsAs mentioned in several other Purposeful PD posts, my new "textbook" for designing professional learning sessions is The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker. Priya's notion that the event begins at the moment of discovery and her quote below inform my thinking about how...

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Purposeful PD: Timing is Everything

Because of the pandemic and all of the virtual learning experiences, I feel that one of the most important questions I've asked this year is "What's the best use of our synchronous time?" This question is one that I will keep at the forefront of my brain post-pandemic, too.I don't often share specific...

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Purposeful PD: Knowing Me, Knowing You

Over the past few years, I've been reflecting on my own learning preferences, which leads me to consider how I design professional learning for others.(Yes, the ABBA song "Knowing Me Knowing You" inspired the title of this post, but these reflections aren't too much about a breakup! Feel free to...

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Purposeful PD: How can I extend the learning experience?

Several years ago, I became part of a committee that developed a new framework for how our service center "does" professional learning. (By the way, my director Craig gave me the book The New Pillars of Modern Teaching to help prepare for this committee work, and that book completely changed how I think...

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Purposeful PD: Begin with a Bang

I recently reflected on my journey as a professional learning facilitator, so after one full year of remote learning, I can now admit that I am completely obsessed with improving how I design professional learning experiences.In previous posts, I shared reflections on my learning preferences...

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Purposeful PD: What are the -INGs of your PD session (or classroom)?

Because of the one-year "milestone" of the pandemic, and now with a bit more hope around the corner, I've been reflecting a lot about what happens moving forward. I don't want to have the TTWWADI (that's the way we've always done it) mindset. I feel like I've learned so much this past year, and I want...

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I used to think _____________, but now I think ________.

I can't believe it's been a whole year since the world changed. One. Very. Long. Year. We are resilient. We are grateful. We are choosing gratitude. Come join our #coffeeedu 🍵☕️🫖🧃🧋🥤🥧🍰🍪🍩#EduFriends this Saturday. Can’t wait to see your faces! https://t.co/7B9SwsAiqR— Marvia Davidson (@MarviaDavidson)...

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Don't make my mistakes about learner preferences!

My very first day of working safely at home was March 17, 2020. I think it's very symmetrical 🤓 that my very first (limited-staff) day "back" in the office is August 17, 2020. During the past 5 months, I know most educators have been working non-stop, so I'm grateful to take time this morning to reflect...

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