A call to action
‘The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.’ ― William Arthur Ward
The What
The Why
​
I currently work at a small, private Catholic school where professional development (PD) is offered throughout the year. However, due to the school’s size and its reliance on private funding, the PD sessions tend to be designed with the majority in mind, often overlooking the specific needs of those of us who teach "Specials" courses such as World Language, music, or technology. While the content of these sessions is often interesting, it rarely aligns with the unique challenges or subjects we teach. We attend because it is required, and occasionally, we find small takeaways that we can apply to our own classrooms. However, for the most part, the PD offered is not relevant to our content areas.
​
Interestingly, from conversations with friends who work in public schools, it seems that the situation is quite similar there, despite the fact that public schools generally have access to more substantial funding. The core issue appears to lie less in the content of the PD and more in the way it is delivered. Regardless of the content’s relevance, we are still required to participate in these training sessions. However, the delivery model could be significantly improved from the "get and sit" model to a "go and show" model.
​
Shifting from the traditional "sit and get" approach to a more dynamic "go and show" model would make a world of difference. In this model, teachers would be active participants in their own learning, engaging with the material in ways that are hands-on and interactive. Even if the topic at hand doesn't directly relate to my subject area, I would find the experience much more enjoyable and worthwhile if I were actively involved in the process and if the presentation was more engaging; and if there was continuing support to implement the strategies learned in the course.
​
This highlights the importance of a call to action regarding professional development. Transitioning from the static, often passive PD format to a more engaging professional learning environment—where there is active participation and ongoing support—seems to be the ideal way forward. It’s about moving beyond the status quo to create a more enriching and effective learning experience for educators that ultimately benefits our students.
Screenshot of my working desktop
The How
I spent quite a lot of time thinking about how I would be producing the call to action video. I have taught and used Capcut in the past and considered using it. In the end, I decided to use Canva mostly because it offered videos that I could incorporate into the production on my own video. Finding appropriate video in Canva to fit my narrative did take some time but in the end I felt like I was able to match the available videos to my narrative.
​
I also tried a couple of different methods to record my narrative and sync it to my chosen videos on Canva. I have a great podcast microphone and decided to use the recording device on my desktop along with the microphone to get a clear recording. I quickly realized that this method wasn't going to work because my desktop needed a major update and I didn't want to waste the time. Instead, I went back to a method I have used previously. To record the narrative, I broke it down into sections and used the recording device on my IPhone. I recorded one section at a time and then uploaded each section to my Google Drive. I did it this way so that I if I made a mistake on one section I could easily re-record it without having to re-record the whole thing. After recording each section, I uploaded each recording to my Google Drive from my IPhone and then uploaded each separate recording to Canva. It was a tedious process but it worked. I then placed the recordings in the appropriate spots to match the videos.
​
There's probably a faster and better way to sync recordings and videos but this method has worked well for me in the past. I'm not sure I achieve Duarte's ideal speech pattern but I'm pleased with how it all turned out.