Reflecting on Goals – The Start of Another Cohort Journey

I have been a part of Cohort21 since Season 6. While I had read a little about Design Thinking before joining, it was the first place that I had an authentic opportunity to really use it to explore an issue. In subsequent years, I enjoyed deepening my understanding of Design Thinking, took the Stanford d.school Design Thinking Course for Educators, used Design Thinking with students in my Design classes and used it to support colleagues to “undertake innovative areas of research and development, to advance learning, teaching and operational effectiveness” as part of Principal’s Innovation Fund projects.

My reason for joining Cohort again this year is twofold:

  1. to support others to use Design thinking to explore their goals
  2. to have some dedicated time to work on my goals

I have been thinking a lot about professional goals in the last few months… As part of my ISTE Educator Certification I needed to set goals and at school this fall we were expected to document professional goals we would like to work on.

As a technology integrator and co-ordinator, I find that a lot of my day is spent working on things for other people. These tend to be what’s urgent.

I want to also make time for things that are important to me:

  1. Focus on Technology as a Tool for Learning  – I would like to explore how I might leverage Seesaw to help students take an active role in demonstrating competency of learning goals (specifically ATL skills and Learner Profile).
  2. Focus on Coding – I would like to explore how I might plan and prepare a JK- 5 Coding Curriculum as well as influence and inspire others to teach coding/ computational thinking
  3. Coaching and Developing Others in positive digital citizenship – I would like to explore how I might provide guidance and support to teachers and students so they can deepen their understanding of digital citizenship and appreciate the responsibilities and opportunities of online activities as well as the purposeful use of technology

I worry that this might be too much for one school year. Too much for me to do and also too much for teachers to explore with me since they also have all their own goals and job-demands.

Regardless of the exploration I settle on, they all can all fall under the Cohort Strand Leading Change through Wellbeing. This is a good reminder to keep it all manageable.

 

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One comment to “Reflecting on Goals – The Start of Another Cohort Journey”
  1. I feel like I’ve come across this at the perfect time! I’m just sitting down now to come up with two goals for the school year (as all teachers at the school have to do) … and in reading your blog I’ve realized that both my goals aren’t really focused on me at all. Rather, they are focused on things for other people, as that’s what typically urgent! I will continue to reflect on what is important to me, and make that one of my goals too 🙂

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