Events like CSISD’s You Matter Conference offer more than most people can take in during a single day. With so much great learning happening, it often feels like you’re missing out on something great that’s happening across the campus. So how do you make the most of your time on August 18th? Here’s a few tips to get the most out of your learning!
1) Go to a session and plan to report what you learned to a friend. Having to have something to say after a session increases the odds of you leaving with something truly applicable to your classroom. In addition to just knowing that you’ll be accountable for the session you attend, we know that summarizing helps increase retention. With that in mind, it’s probably a good idea to…
2) Take time to summarize your learning at the end of each session. Think about the take aways. Were they concrete ideas that are ready to implement on the first day of school? Were they abstract ideas you’ll continue to wrestle with? Either way, take notes about what you remember before you love to the next session. It’ll increase your retention remarkably. In addition to taking down what you learned…
3) Write down names/contact info for the new people you meet in your sessions. You are going to meet great people today throughout CSISD who you didn’t know before. Why risk not remembering that other teacher’s name at the end of the day? Take down that person’s name along with your summary. If he or she is on Twitter…
4) Take time to post a one sentence summary of your session on Twitter and tag a friend. Whether you’re new to the Twitterverse or you’re a seasoned tweeter, sharing your learning on Twitter is a way for every learner to grow. You have something valuable to say that will challenge others. (Don’t believe me? Watch this and tell me you don’t have something to add.)
5) Share your “Three things I want to learn more about this year.” You will encounter an overwhelming number of great ideas at the You Matter Conference. If you don’t limit yourself to a few actionable items as you leave, you run the risk of trying to implement too many new ideas in your classroom. Without an intentional plan to implement new ideas, you also run the risk of getting overwhelmed and not changing anything. Speaking of getting overwhelmed…
6) Give yourself a break. You can push yourself all day, but remember that we have to work tomorrow. You can give yourself a brain break by watching one of these videos. (For what it’s worth, some of these videos are played between TED talks at the live conferences. Everyone needs a brain break from time to time.)
7) Make lunch a learning experience, too. Ask what other people have learned about so far, or check the #YouMatterCSISD hashtag to see what people are sharing from their learning throughout the morning sessions.
8) Plan to participate in the launch of #CSISDchat on Twitter at 8:00pm after the You Matter conference. We’re going to be talking about the importance of relationships in education, and we’d love to have your voice included in the conversation! Never been in a Twitter chat before? Check out this video (or join me for session 2 “Twitterchat From Your Phone”) to get the hang of it.
I hope you have a fantastic time at You Matter, and I’m looking forward to learning alongside you in person and online!