Passion Projects

What is a Passion Project?

Many schools and districts have been looking for more personalized learning opportunities for their teachers.

A passion project is a specific time for educators to learn about something that interests them in a format chosen by an individual educator.  Teachers will learn what, when, and how they want.

What is the purpose of doing Professional Learning this way?

Every person has their own learning needs.  This allows educators to have control of their own learning and it allows educators to learn about something they are passionate about.

When would you have time?

In our school, we have provided 11 hours of Professional Learning time to be dedicated to Passion Projects throughout the year. Many teachers will go far above that due to their interest in their topic. It is important for the building or district to provide time within the contractual day in order to emphasize the importance placed on this type of learning. The time also should not take away from personal planning time. As an administrator, you may have to give up that cool powerpoint you were planning on showing.

Elements of a High-Quality Passion Project-Tips for Teachers doing a Passion Project

Data Informed
1) Data informed-consider relevant information to improve student learning.
2) This is in contrast to “data-driven”-having data drive decisions implies that reading the data objectively determines your future actions.  

Strive to Get Better
1) Teachers take ownership of their learning.
2) Teachers learn because they know it is going to impact their students.

Further Reading
For those interested in creating Passion Projects in your school or district, read "Hacking Leadership" by Joe Sanfelippo and Tony Sinanis.

I will continue to keep you updated on projects that teachers are doing and on any pitfalls we might run into. I'm excited to see how this goes this year.

Please reach out to me if you want specific information about how it is going or any questions. @bcudly on twitter or comment in the comment section.