pd² Vision

SENSEMAKING

We invite teachers' thoughtful consideration of the places, people, activities, and discussions at our meet-ups. Some of the day is intentionally designed to feel open without resolution, while other times we engage in tasks to directly take and try with students.  We mostly focus on math-and-science integration; however, we also purposefully include social studies and ELA connections, too.  We intend for teachers to consider how these tasks make them feel, think, wonder.

PLACE

We explore places in and around Seattle to notice and experience real-world learning opportunities that: ignite curiosity, invite connections, help us understand histories of place, deepen our content knowledge, and let us practice widening our lenses to "see" learning opportunities near our schools and surrounding areas.

ANALYSIS

We engage in noticing and analyzing patterns and trends in the spaces we explore. Sometimes this is actively deciding what data to collect, display, and analyze and other times it is noticing and analyzing existing patterns in the nature, architecture, and landscaping within the spaces we visit.  Depending on the location, analysis of human impacts over time or across histories may also emerge.

ROUTINES

We share some of our favorite instructional activities and sensemaking routines that complement opportunities in each space. These standards-anchored routines are easily transferrable to classrooms for immediate use. Teachers experience these routines and have access to additional resources should they want more information to enact routines in their classrooms.

KNOWLEDGE

We encourage teachers to network, share knowledge, ask questions, and seek input from colleagues at our meet-ups. We build knowledge best with others. We learn best when we are open to pushing and changing our current conceptions and getting curious together.  We expect participating teachers to come ready to share ideas and questions while being open to revising and expanding these conceptions with input from others' experiences.