Sometimes it’s the unexpected learning that surprises and captures us. For many teachers in the PLP Victoria, Australian community, the journey through PLPConnectU and their project-based learning showed them how powerful collaboration can be. The teams will be attending their culminating on November 29. Led by Sheryl Nussbaum Beach and Alan Levine, known as CogDog to many of us, the #plpconnectu teams will present their final work and hear...

We know you want more, and budgets are tight. So we want to give you something.  For free. PLP continues to provide long-term learning communities for schools and divisions, but we want to reach out to you–as an individual. Check this out! We are offering a series of e-courses, a way for individuals to participate in our virtual professional development experience without having to be part of a school team. This is so easy! We are...

As we consider whether the “flipped classroom” is the best approach for learning, PLP has a way for you to experience it. Shelley Wright, a teacher from Moose Jaw, Canada, has flipped the five-week e-course she and Sheryl Nussbaum Beach are co-teaching. That’s right. You’ll get the readings, videos, and activities ahead of time to ponder, peruse, and practice. Then, when the class meets synchronously, you will have a chance to share...

Talk about authentic learning. Canadian teachers Heather Durnin and Clarence Fisher and their 7th and 8th grade students just finished up an entire school year collaborating online. That in itself would have served as a terrific example of meaningful work, especially since they are 2700 kms (1677.702 miles) apart. But the culmination of the year proved to be, well, the icing on the cake. “It was such a big, big moment,” said Heather,...

A friend stopped by unexpectedly last night as I was about to go to bed. (I do turn out the lights early these days.) “I was on my way to the library,” she said. “And then I realized I could go to Susan’s house instead!” I laughed, completely understanding what she meant. In my years of teaching, I was also a reader. I collected books on writing, thinking, pedagogy, and leadership. On my shelf I have Shirky,...