{"id":30362,"date":"2020-06-24T17:05:43","date_gmt":"2020-06-24T14:05:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/?p=30362"},"modified":"2020-07-07T17:06:13","modified_gmt":"2020-07-07T14:06:13","slug":"professional-learning-communities-transform-teachers-from-individual-missionaries-into-collective-visionaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zaednovchas.bg\/en\/professional-learning-communities-transform-teachers-from-individual-missionaries-into-collective-visionaries\/","title":{"rendered":"Professional Learning Communities Transform Teachers \u201cfrom Individual Missionaries into Collective Visionaries\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

And Foster the Development of 21st Century Skills in the Classroom<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

These are two of the conclusions from the final conference of the EU project From Inclusive Education to Real Scale Transfer (FIERST)<\/strong><\/a>. 300 teachers, principals, and education experts took part in the conference on June 22, 2020, entirely online – the guests conferred on zoom and the event was streamed on Facebook Live.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch the opening and the first discussion panel <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>!<\/em>
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Not Only to Support Each Other, but Also to Learn More and More from Each Other \u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Gergana Efremova, FIERST Project Manager for Teach For Bulgaria, opened the conference with a special message of appreciation for all 26 schools which participated in the project:
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\u201cThey had the courage to go out of their comfort zone and challenge themselves to serve their students in the best way possible. I do believe that the newly established professional learning communities helped them find a way not only to support each other, but also to learn more and more from each other.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Chairperson of the Bulgarian Union of Teachers, Dr. Yanka Takeva, reminded the participants that \u201cevery education policy has one very important main purpose: to inspire motivation, teamwork, and leadership not only in the school staff, but also among the students in the classroom as well\u201d. The Bulgarian Union of Teachers is an associated partner of the project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lazar Dodev, \u201cOrganization and Control\u201d Senior Expert and FIERST Project Manager for the Ministry of Education and Science, also thanked the teachers and encouraged them to work with the same passion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe view professional learning communities as school structures – a series of professional meetings which happen regularly and give teachers the opportunity to discuss a variety of topics related to building students\u2019 skills. Our concept of skill building is that it doesn\u2019t happen before, after, or instead of teaching the content. On the contrary, skill building happens while students master the content. This is possible thanks to teachers\u2019 purposeful work, diagnostic assessment, skill-building activities, and tracking students\u2019 progress,\u201d shared Kristina Nikolova, a FIERST trainer and Teach For Bulgaria\u2019s \u201cA New Way to Teaching\u201d alumna. She moderated the first discussion panel focused on professional learning communities. \u00a0
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The panelists were teachers and principals from the 18 schools which participated in the project during the 2019\/2020 school year.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Individual Missionaries to Collective Visioners<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amide Draguteva, teacher at \u201cSt. Kliment Ohridski\u201d School in the village of Dreben, Blagoevgrad, quoted the famous American educator Robert John Meehan. She also shared that the most valuable takeaway for all teachers in Dreben was that by joining a professional learning community they learned how to receive feedback as a source of useful information, not personal criticism. They also managed to engage the parents because they discovered they had a common goal – happy and successful children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Iren Kalvacheva from Primary School \u201cGeo Milev\u201d in the village of Belozem, she and her colleagues were not very confident in the beginning, but they started sharing more openly with each other with time. As a result, they felt closer to each other than ever and created a shared mission and vision. Mrs. Kalvacheva challenged everyone at the conference to establish professional learning communities at their schools in order to transform \u201cfrom individual missionaries to collective visionaries\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The principal of Primary School \u201cAnton Strashimirov in the village of Bohot (Pleven), Temenuzhka Histova, pointed out that professional learning communities are only effective when they are built on trust. The teachers from Bohot realized how important it was for them to learn and grow because leading by example seemed to be the best way to motivate their students. The other panelists agreed with her and added that learning is most effective when the learner is an active participant in the process and has the opportunity to experience what they are being taught. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understandably so, remote learning definitely had an impact on the professional learning communities and put teachers\u2019 adaptability and resourcefulness to the test. Lidia Bakalska from Secondary School \u201cLyuben Karavelov\u201d in Plovdiv shared impressive details from their remote learning strategy which included a special website dedicated to the project where teachers uploaded all materials, resources, and general information, a FIERST group on Viber, FIERST Google Calendar, Google Meet, and shared folders on Google Drive. Fatme Uruk from Primary School \u201cPeyo Kracholov Yavorov\u201d in the village of Gyovren, Devin Municipality, shared that they had organized open math and history lessons with Google Classroom.
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You can find best practices from the conference and more on prepodavame.bg <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

How to Build Skills of the Future <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The participants in the project also focused on developing a 21st century skill of their choice in their classrooms during the school year.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Which skill did each school choose, why, and what activities did teachers do in class? Find out in the interactive gallery of posters and presentations.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only did each school prepare a special presentation or a poster to illustrate their journey, but four of the schools also led interactive workshops during the conference. The workshops allowed guests to experience a variety of different teaching methods. Here are some details:<\/p>\n\n\n\n