The Big Fresh January 25, 2014 The Unconference

If you’ve never been to one of these events, it’s hard to imagine how they can work — especially if you’ve been on the other end of conference organizing, and know how much work goes into finding and vetting presenters, putting together a schedule for the day, and figuring out room arrangements and AV needs. Yet the format worked beautifully.  People sign up in advance, and the event was limited to 200 people to ensure there would be room for everyone and the group would be a manageable size. Participants paid nothing, unless they wanted to purchase a delicious $5 lunch available onsite. The high school donated the use of the facilities, a local coffee shop donated coffee and pastries, and nearby Poland Springs contributed bottled water.

After picking up nametags and ample goodie bags filled with free books from publishers, everyone convened in the auditorium. Participants shared topics of sessions they would like to attend. There were two one-hour workshop slots in the morning, and each had nine different options, ranging from specific grade levels (K-2 , 3-5, middle school, high school) or general interest (K-12).  As everyone threw out topics, audience members with some expertise on the topic volunteered to lead individual sessions. It was understood that the leaders wouldn’t give formal presentations, since nothing was prepared in advance. Rooms were assigned to topics using a shared Google Doc on a large screen in the front of the room that anyone could access with a smart phone or laptop (we were all asked to bring a fully charged device). The same guide was simultaneously written out on chart paper to post outside the auditorium for those without access to tech tools. A notetaker was asked to volunteer for each session, and these volunteers posted their detailed notes from each session on the master Google doc, so that everyone could read notes from all discussions after the event ended.

In one session I attended, the leader had vast experience with the topic of leading book clubs in grades K-5, so she shared a wealth of tips and materials. In another session on reader response, the session leader spent most of her time guiding the group, and dozens of resources and tips came from participants.  After the two morning sessions, everyone convened again for lunch and to spend another 30 minutes together deciding on the afternoon sessions.

It was an amazing day of learning, not even marred by the surprise blizzard that afternoon. On the drive home, I thought about how teacher leaders are facing an impossible task of trying to keep up with all the demands of the profession. One of the things falling by the wayside for many is organizing regional and state conference events. It’s just one task too many to handle these days. The EduCamp format cuts the work of organizers substantially, and the expenses for these events are minimal. Organizers eliminated the headaches of soliciting presenters, paying for keynoters, guessing which topics would be most popular, and trying to assign rooms accordingly. In return, everyone decided together which topics would be most interesting, new friendships and professional connections were forged, and everyone left eager to try out new teaching techniques and learning resources.

Free for All

Here are two features from the archives on different facets of formative assessment.