Hurray it’s P.D. Day!*
March 3, 2014 | Marie-Claude Fortin
ASGEMSQ, the in-school daycare association of Quebec, asked one of its members to describe how the Harfang-des-Neiges school (Premières Seigneuries school board) approaches professional development days. For the spring break, the association decided to republish the article below, which first appeared in the May 2013 issue of Gardavue.
The daycare team has stepped more than ever to offer its young users the very best it can deliver. For childcare workers and supervisors, this often means planning activities for next year even before the previous school year is out! It also means coming up with the best ideas, the coolest school trips, and so on.
But what if the best ideas come from within? How can you motivate your troops to go above and beyond, to innovate, and to reinvent professional development days?
Hurray it’s P.D. Day! – The birth of an idea
Yes, I still organize fun school trips for the children. Each one of us has their favorites, but beware of repetition! It’s a trap that’s easy to fall into. “Dare to be agents of change,” say the great motivational speakers.
Generally speaking, school trips only involve one aspect of a child’s development. Mixing up sports, arts and culture within a single outing is tougher to do.
With the Hurray it’s P.D. Day! initiative, we can do all that right here in the school! But keep in mind that FUN is the keyword.
Hurray it’s P.D. Day! – What’s it all about?
The process begins at the start of the school year. During the very first meeting, I present the professional development days and school trips that have been scheduled. To plan the remaining P.D. days, I split my team into subgroups. Each subgroup is responsible for a specific P.D. day. Each group must organize the very best Hurray it’s P.D. Day!
May the competition begin!
The theme
- Decide on a theme for the P.D. day
- Find a catchy title that will surprise children, parents and colleagues alike
The daycare centre’s management and its workers/supervisors give the educators carte blanche. Together the educators will tap into their imagination and leverage their strengths and interests.
Planning and organization
- Make available a room and materials for the day
- Organize workshops based on the theme
- Divide the tasks
- Organize group rotations and schedules for the day
During the planning phase, the team of educators must set aside some time to meet and finalize the program. Daycare workers and supervisors must then approve the shopping list and provide updates at team meeting.
Facilitation
- Organize an activity to break the ice and set things into motion
- Organize facilitation logistics
- Facilitate workshops during the day
The team of educators is responsible for planning and facilitating the activities during the day.
Keywords to remember
DARE
Brainstorm and make sure to keep the craziest ideas!
LET GO
Yes, there are safety rules… but this is the children’s day off. Can we agree to cut them a little slack?
GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
“We’ve always done it like this…”
“In the past, we’ve always…”
“That’s how we do things around here!”
ISN’T IT TIME FOR A CHANGE?
Why the Hurray it’s P.D. Day! initiative?
By organizing all of the activities themselves, educators gain a greater sense of ownership.
Dividing the team into subgroups to organize facilitation logistics for the day encourages healthy competition among teams.
“Wow! The last Hurray it’s P.D. Day! was great. How can we do better?”
The Hurray it’s P.D. Day! Initiative allows educators who have limited working hours during a regular week (e.g. lunch hours only) to work for a full day.
The educators are motivated by the concepts, ideas and themes they have developed.
P.D. days carried out inside the school in an atmosphere of fun significantly increase the children’s feeling of belonging: My school is my second home… It’s always quite relaxing to spend the day on our home turf… among friends!
“What have YOU got scheduled this spring break?”
* The initiative is called Pédago Go Go in French.
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