Personal Learning Network, Cochrane

Personal Learning Goals:
Keep abreast of new findings in motivation and behavioral theory by reading 2-3 books a year on the subject. After reading Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us ''by Daniel Pink, I have been inspired to think about the importance of intrinsic motivation in the classroom, rather than extrinsic. As a teaching professional, it is important to be aware of how students perceive the world and what can help them achieve 21st century skills. One of the best ways to do this is to inspire and maintain intrinsic motivation in the classroom. I plan to reduce, if not eliminate “if-then” rewards in my classroom.''

Integrate motivation and behavioral theory into lesson plans and curriculum. ''One example of this integration is how I plan to use Daniel Pink’s research in my classroom. Once I have my own classroom, I plan to integrate “FedEx Days” (so named because students have to deliver something overnight). These are days mentioned by Pink, in which students have absolute autonomy over their work, but they must deliver a project or result of their endeavors the next day. This will truly train students for a world in which they will more than likely need to be self-motivated. Research shows that “FedEx Days” are days when companies do their best work. I think this could also be true for students as long as they know what is expected and find a subject and method that truly motivates them. In advance of “FedEx Days” we will brainstorm personal interests, which may or may not be related to the subjects studied in class. Students also will have complete freedom on what is produced – something technology centered or completely analog.''

Share successes online. ''Through Twitter, Blogs, and other methods of communication, I plan to share my students’ successes online. Whether these are successes from “FedEx Days” or other innovative lesson plans, sharing information with other professionals is one of the best ways to be part of an international community and learning network.''

Participate in professional development through conferences, classes, and courses, including National Board Certification and International Baccalaureate Certification, and join organizations which reflect my interests as a teacher. ''Currently I follow and am part of organizations which support English Language Teaching, such as Cambridge English Teacher and Edutopia. As a teacher in a “regular classroom” at an international school, hopefully starting the 2016-2017 or 2017-2018 school year, I plan to join additional organizations which will provide resources for professional development.''

Bring innovative teaching further into my currently classroom. ''Many of my goals are based on a future position at a future school. I am currently and would like to continue, integrating innovating teaching into my current position. One of the ways I have done this is to use varied, project-based lessons when possible. I plan to develop and implement project-based lesson plans in select classes (some have very strict curriculum) once a quarter. One such project has been completed this year. I learned a lot about flexibility in planning and the need for clear, set goals at the outset of the project. The next project-based lesson I plan to implement is on “Lieland”. You can see a description here: http://kimberlyteacher.blogspot.kr/2015/06/teaching-lieland-by-etgar-keret-to.html ''As the first class makes its way through this project, the lesson will change and adapt.

Continue building and adapting my Personal Learning Network (PLN). ''Since I started teaching English in 2008, this has been an evolving process and network. My list of go-tos changes constantly based on needs of the project at hand. One of the biggest assets I have found is simply Google. Using Google in an effective way has connected me with great resources, such as Educade, Edutopia, and other resources. My goal (for this activity and beyond) will be to keep better track of these resources, so I can easily reference and find them later.''

Continue maintaining a healthy work-life balance. ''Over the past seven years of working in education, from teaching English in Russia, to working in an art museum, to teaching English in a constricted environment, to my current position teaching English in Korea, I have learned the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. I will always aim to have at least one day of the week to myself with no work and no study. I also will aim to keep work at work as much as possible. Maintaining this balance can be tricky, but it is essential. Productivity and efficiency increase 10 fold when I take time for myself.''

Personal Learning Network (PLN):
My personal learning network is an ever-changing, growing, and evolving set of resources and people. I do not expect that this network will remain static, so I have never made a list of who and what is involved. For the sake of Teach-Now and my working understanding of a Personal Learning Network, I will refer to only online sources in my list. Some of these resources are yet to be fully vetted. They may or may not stay on the list. In order to keep my PLN separate from my personal life, and meet my goal of maintaining a healthy work-life balance, I follow all organizations possible on Twitter, rather than Facebook.

Edutopia http://www.edutopia.org/ - I discovered this resource a few months ago, and I have found myself returning to it again and again. Edutopia provides videos, articles, and other resources on current trends in education. The organization can be followed on Twitter and Facebook, and they provide forum for discussion. I look forward to using this resource more and more.

MindShift http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/ - This resource is closely related to Carol Dweck's research on growth mindset. Supported by both NPR and PBS, the website provides a variety of resources related to the classroom, education, games, learning, and lesson plans. The publication can be followed on Twitter and Facebook.

Cambridge English Teacher http://www.cambridgeenglishteacher.org/ - This organization has a minimal annual membership fee and provides a variety of professional development and resources, including a news letter, webinars, and articles written by professional educators on topics essential for English language teaching. I joined the network in November 2014, and I plan to continue my membership while teaching English as a foreign language.

TED Ed http://ed.ted.com/ - I have always enjoyed TED Talks, and I have previously adapted some of the shorter talks into lessons for listening and discussion. I like that TED Ed provides outlines for lesson plans, and also provides student-friendly follow-up questions and discussion questions. This would work well as a resource for students on "FedEx Days", see personal learning goals above.

Buck Institute for Education http://bie.org/ - This is an organization that supports educators in understanding and incorporating project-based learning for all grade levels.