This time the prompt - from Tracy Riley - has reminded me of the importance of my tribe and how we as a group can be strong advocates for those who need their voices heard (there is a great article in this link). In this case, our gifted learners and also their teachers who believe in them need this advocacy.
8 years ago I watched this clip on YouTube and saw it gain great momentum. It is still one of my favourites and a great reminder that while it's okay to be the lone nut and the first follower, it's also vital that, as part of it, you can find your tribe or your professional learning network (PLN). Tribes can be powerful catalysts for change. Teacher leadership leads the change through support from the tribe.
Now, more than ever, our gifted students are relying on us to utilise the strengths of our tribe to enable their voices to be heard. We need to work with our tribe to create honest, open and reflective conversations and discussions around what it means to be gifted. These students are learners in our system who have unique social, emotional and learning needs. We have to increase our understanding and knowledge of specific types of giftedness - for example, our twice-exceptional students, our underachievers, the different cultural aspects of giftedness.
Often, we find ourselves being criticised for even mentioning the word 'gifted.' It's almost as if we are doing something wrong by daring to suggest that giftedness exists. But it does and we know it does - to deny it, in my view, is denying a group of individuals their right to an education that meets their individual needs.
One way of fighting against this - and we must fight against it - is to find your tribe, your PLN or be a part of a community of practice which has a common goal of working to create an equitable learning environment for our gifted students.
Finding our tribe helps us become part of a community of practice (different to our current CoLs).
A community of practice (CoP) is all about ownership and leadership. Everyone is on an equal footing and has something of value to share no matter whether you're a student teacher or a professor - what you think and have to say is valued and respected. Learning happens with others and through discussion and sharing of thinking, new learning and understandings can evolve. It is not a top-down model. That's a CoP in a nutshell. If you want to know more, the link below takes you to my presentation on CoPs which grew out of my Masters. I have an absolute passion for this form of a professional community because the learning is owned by its members.
Pathways to collaboration changing the face of teacher professional learning and development from Justine Hughes / PhD Candidate/Teacher
What Does Your Tribe Have to Offer?
Your tribe discussions will be some of the best professional learning you can get - if not THE best as you all own it and drive it.
They will challenge your thinking - and their own at the same time.
They 'get' you and understand and share your passions.
Your tribe provides a group of 'critical friends' who are there to help you reflect on your practice and be a reflexive teacher.
Your tribe contains a group of 'like-minds' who you can learn from and with.
Sylvia Duckworth (@sylviaduckworth on Twitter) sums up, in this sketchnote, the value of having a tribe and what it means to be a part of one...
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| Image Source: Sylvia Duckworth |
We need to challenge the thinking that there's no such thing as giftedness or that 'all children are gifted' and the other myths out there. We need to fight it and with our tribe I believe we can do just that. We accept and value other groups of learners so:
...why is there such animosity towards the concept of giftedness when there is a wealth of research and other evidence to show that these students absolutely do exist.
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| From the #gtchat in December 2017 |
To end this post, Seth Godin talks in this TED-Ed presentation on tribes being "Founded on shared ideas and values," and that ..."tribes give ordinary people the power to lead and make big change. He urges us to do so."
I love how you have championed this tribe... leading the charge for our gifted tamariki. I know I am being stretched and challenged a lot. One of the things I think that is essential with a tribe where you really belong is trust, an environment where it is safe to be yourself, to be vulnerable, to be right or wrong and that's OK.
ReplyDeleteThanks Meg- that means an enormous amount! I always go back to this video as a good reminder of what it's all about - this one and Simon Sinek's one on knowing your 'why.' (And let's not forget Rita Pierson!!)
ReplyDeleteI think one of the things I love most about the group is that no one is afraid to have a different opinion or idea - every single one is valued and we learn from and with each other. That's a true community of practice in action.