Description:
This 5:30-minute Call to Action video advocates for transforming professional learning at Smith Elementary from “Sit & Get” to “Go & Show.” It highlights the five key principles of effective professional learning (Gulamhussein, 2013) and connects to my innovation plan, Tech Time: My Time in Kindergarten. The presentation encourages teachers to embrace ongoing, authentic, and collaborative learning experiences that lead to meaningful classroom transformation.
Behind the Presentation – My Journey to Advocate for Alternate Professional Learning
The idea for this presentation was born from my own experiences with traditional professional learning, where teachers often sit, listen, and leave with little time or support to apply what they have learned. As a Kindergarten teacher at Smith Elementary, I have attended many “sit and get” sessions that felt disconnected from my daily classroom reality. These sessions rarely addressed the challenges we face when integrating technology or promoting student independence.
This project was also shaped by the collaborative discussions and weekly guidance provided through EDLD 5389. Engaging with my peers’ perspectives and the ideas shared by Dr. Harapnuik during his weekly lectures helped me refine my vision and connect theory with classroom realities. Through this process, I realized that meaningful professional learning emerges from authentic collaboration, reflection, and shared growth.
The Why
When I began implementing my innovation plan, Tech Time: My Time in Kindergarten, I realized that what truly changes teaching practices is not a one-time session it’s continuous learning, collaboration, and modeling. Watching the video Innovation That Sticks – OCSB: Risk Taking (Ottawa Catholic School Board, 2013) deeply inspired me. It showed how powerful it can be when teachers and leaders take risks and learn with their students. Similarly, Kristin Daniels’ (n.d.) message in Empowering the Teacher Technophobe resonated with me because she highlighted that teachers need coaching, not compliance.
These ideas helped me see that meaningful professional learning must be active, ongoing, and context specific. My motivation for this project was to advocate for that change in my school community to help move from “sit and get” to “go and show,” where teachers become learners, creators, and collaborators.
The What
My presentation, Alternate PL – Call to Action: Rethinking Professional Learning at Smith Elementary, was designed as a persuasive call to action for my colleagues and administrators. Its goal is to inspire our school to adopt an alternate model of professional learning aligned with the five key principles outlined by Gulamhussein (2013): extended duration, ongoing support, active engagement, leader modeling, and subject-specific relevance.
Rather than focusing on what a PL plan looks like, I emphasized why this change is urgently needed and what opportunities we may lose if we continue with outdated models. I also highlighted how my innovation, Tech Time: My Time in Kindergarten, reflects these principles teachers can learn by doing, experimenting, and reflecting alongside their students.
The presentation follows the storytelling approach suggested by Nancy Duarte (2010) and the Presentation Zen design philosophy. I used simple visuals, strong contrasts, and a narrative flow that moves from “What is” (the current reality) to “What could be” (a more empowering model of PL) and ends with a hopeful “Call to Action.”
The How
To create this presentation, I revisited our course readings and discussion posts from EDLD 5389, especially those focused on rethinking professional learning. I extracted common themes from the literature, such as the need for ongoing support (Darling-Hammond et al., 2009) and the importance of contextual, job-embedded learning (TNTP, 2015).
I structured the slide deck following Duarte’s (2010) storytelling model and applied Presentation Zen techniques: minimal text, powerful visuals, and clean design to maintain audience focus. I designed the slides using Google Slides because it allows continuous updating and sharing with my team. The tone of the presentation is motivational yet grounded in research, aiming to make colleagues feel empowered to act, not just informed.
For the visual content, I selected images that represent real teacher collaboration, technology integration, and student-centered learning. My color palette and typography were intentionally simple to enhance clarity. Finally, I embedded the presentation in my portfolio, along with this reflective narrative, so that both the process and the final product serve as evidence of my growth as a self-differentiated leader.
Final Reflection
Creating this Call to Action helped me connect theory with practice and see myself not just as a teacher but as a learning advocate. The process reinforced that sustainable change begins when educators are trusted to explore, reflect, and take ownership of their professional growth.
This assignment represents more than a presentation it’s a movement toward transforming professional learning into an authentic, collaborative, and ongoing journey that truly impacts our classrooms and our students’ futures.
📚 References (APA 7th Edition)
Daniels, K. (n.d.). Empowering the teacher technophobe. [Video]. EdTechTeam.
Darling-Hammond, L., Wei, R. C., Andree, A., Richardson, N., & Orphanos, S. (2009). Professional learning in the learning profession: A status report on teacher development in the U.S. and abroad. National Staff Development Council.
Duarte, N. (2010). Resonate: Present visual stories that transform audiences. Wiley.
Gulamhussein, A. (2013). Teaching the teachers: Effective professional development in an era of high stakes accountability. Center for Public Education.
Ottawa Catholic School Board. (2013). Innovation that sticks: Risk taking. [Video]. YouTube.
The New Teacher Project (TNTP). (2015). The Mirage: Confronting the hard truth about our quest for teacher development. TNTP.