Patio PD

In an effort to personalize professional learning this summer, we hosted our first Patio PD at a local restaurant. The event was held to allow teachers to collaborate and connect in an informal setting where building relationships and networking was just as important as learning new tools and strategies.

We chose to structure our #PatioPD event like a trivia night that is held at many local establishments. As teachers arrived, a variety of conversation starters were placed on their tables that allowed them to discuss topics informally until we started the learning activity.

We chose to model the learning activity after Scatteggories in which teams of teachers were given a topic and they were asked to generate as many resources or ideas that related to that topic in one minute before sharing them with the larger group. Teams were awarded points when they shared a resource that no other team had written down.

Topics included:

  • Favorite Hashtags to follow
  • Must read professional books
  • Tools for developing a PLN
  • Strategies for communicating with families
  • Must use tech tools in the classroom

To add to the fun of the event, we gave prizes to the winning teams that included a variety of classroom supplies, books, and PatioPD decals and mugs!

Hosting a PatioPD event is easy and proved to be a lot of fun. Watching teachers come together to learn and grow together in an informal environment proved powerful, meaningful and effective.

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