Do you often have to lead meetings with teachers or are you a mentor to some new educators?
If so, you would probably need to organise regular meetups in the centre to discuss work matters. Although these sessions have a clear work related agenda, you could also inject some memorable reading material that can help them reflect about their teaching practice.
Here are 3 simple ideas you can incorporate into your meetings easily. I usually prefer to use this at the start of a meeting . You can decide to print it out or give the links if you have a tech savvy group ! It will be especially useful for that 5-10 minute wait as everyone trickles in to the room. Do choose your content carefully and ensure it is a topic your group can relate to.
1. Start with a short article
Teachers are often busy and they may not be able to find the time to read during their workday. Introduce them to an easy- to-read one page article related to their work. This might refresh their ideas about their practice . It may also serve as a good discussion starter if there are related issues you would like address.
You can download some free pdf articles from
https://www.childcareexchange.com/
2. Start with a quote sticker
As you know , quotes are MY THING! You can print text only quotes and paste it on tongue depressors (these are wider) to make quote sticks!
Alternatively, you can just print them out on sticker labels if you wish. It makes a nice take away for every meeting. Teachers always love stickers:)
There are loads of quote sites out there. These are some of my favourites:
http://www.curatedquotes.com/quotes-for-teachers/
http://www.uniqueteachingresources.com/Teacher-Quotes.html
and of course if you want visual quotes you can use those on my Shailosophy quote page
/quotes.html
Do remember to include the links for all these sites!
3. Start with a story or joke
Work related stories , fables or riddles for adults may be hard to come by but you may like to look at the following site for some awesome ideas. It has a lovely collection and can be used for any occasion.
http://www.businessballs.com/stories.htm
Have a look at the other sections of this site too. There are loads of ideas you can adapt to ensure your meetings are productive and at the same time a joyful learning experience!
By the way, if you have any questions , suggestions or topics you would like me to write about, please add a comment in the form by the side bar. Any suggestions are welcome! I can't promise that I'll be able to answer them all but I will definitely try. Have a lovely week ahead!