So unfortunately I came into this class late as I accidentally slept in. I came in when the woman on screen was explaining how it is all learner led. She said something similar to if you are not feeling the lesson you are in, but you saw one on the board that looked interesting, you could just leave no judgement or questions. I think this is useful because often if adults do not want to learn something, they simply will not learn it. As much as I love this idea, I do not think it would work as well in classrooms due to the curriculum requiring students to learn specific things. Overall the Edcamp videos reminded me of what I always imagined a ProD to look like. I really liked that they were all on an even playing field, all bringing something to the table to learn.
The second part was our own Edcamp sessions, which were 20 minutes long each. There were lots of different options, but the three I went to were Gender Identity, Classroom Management, and Mental Health. I was a kid that went through a time where I was very confused about my gender and I had a few friends that had varying gender identities. Due to this being a big thing in my high school experience I really want to ensure my class is a safe space and always inclusive. I had a couple friends that just would not go to the restroom the entire school day are some would dehydrate themselves just to avoid it. We discussed gender neutral bathrooms and I think that as long as they are partitioned properly and student exclusive, at least one should be implemented. There could even be a girls, boys, and neutral bathroom options dependent on size of the school.
The session on classroom management was very informative. We talked a lot about subs which I think was great as I notice we do not hear as much about it. Most information focuses on when you have your own classroom and less about what it is like when you are put into someone else’s. I really liked the specific point about a sub tote with like two books, some planned worksheets, and videos. I think that it will be a great idea for the future and can work with various grade groups regardless of difficulty levels. Grade 8’s will still enjoy grade 2 worksheets even if they aren’t particularly difficult.
Overall I really enjoyed the Edcamp sessions as they were super informative and reassured me that my worries and concerns are the same as my peers. Everyone learning together and bouncing ideas off each other!