Every summer, wherever I am in the world, I always make time for the Hive Summit. Organised and hosted by Michael Matera, the Hive offers free, beneficial and inspiring professional development (and eases me back into work mode!). Like previous years, a new video was released each day, introducing us to new guest speakers. The run has now ended and all videos are available to watch, but only until the end of today (Sunday 16th August 2020). I strongly recommend that you make time for at least one of them. I have summarised the sessions below to give you a flavour of the content and to help you to prioritise.
To access the videos, sign up to the Hive here. Instructions on how to access the videos will then be emailed to you.
Day 1: Dene Gainey (@dene_gainey)
The 2020 Hive Summit kicked off with Dene Gainey, author of Journey to the Y in You. Dene discusses the power of understanding who we really are and the unique stories and experiences that only we can offer. By bringing our authentic selves, we can lean into the diversity of a group and learn from it. Watch this session to hear more of Dene’s game-changing message and to learn about the CLIMBE acronym.
“Once you know who you really are as a person, you are unstoppable!”
Dene Gainey
Day 2: Christine Pinto (@PintoBeanz11) and Jessica Twomey (@jlabar2me)
Despite being at different sides of the US, Christine and Jessica connect their classes in a yearlong relationship with daily interactions. I was blown away by this strong partnership and the power that it has. With friends in a very different context, these kindergarten students learn to think beyond themselves and care beyond their immediate environment. Watch this session to learn about the rituals and routines that support such a strong partnership, and how these young children develop technological fluency through meaningful integration.
“Kids need to know that their thoughts are powerful.”
Christine Pinto and Jessica Twomey
Day 3: Michael Matera (@mrmatera)
The Hive Summit is designed to offer advice that can apply to all teachers at any time. It was a conscious effort not to overly focus on the pandemic and the unpredictable year ahead. This was the one session that addressed the elephant in the room. Michael offers invaluable advice for staying flexible and focusing on what truly matters, regardless of your current situation and how it might change. The session also includes practical ideas for remote teaching and learning, as well as recommendations for online tools.
“If you don’t have a good layered foundation of relationships, all the other little tips and tricks don’t matter.”
Michael Matera
Day 4: Alexis Wiggins (@alexiswiggins)
Spider web discussion, as Alexis explains, is a classroom tool for deep, critical class discussions that promote active participation. As the students discuss, the teacher steps aside and creates the web. On paper, students’ names are spread out and then lines are drawn to connect them as they contribute. At the end of the discussion, the web offers a visual representation of the conversation that can be used for feedback. Ideally, the web should be evenly spread. To make this happen, students have their own individual goals. Some need to speak up more, while others need to hold back and invite others to contribute. Importantly, every student gets the same grade based on the group’s performance. Watch this session for a better explanation and examples, or click here to buy the book.
“Quiet kids had a lot to say and they needed the space to say it.”
Alexis Wiggins
Day 5: Brad Weinstein (@WeinsteinEDU) and Nathan Maynard (@NmaynardEdu)
Brad and Nathan, co-authors of Hacking School Discipline, outline their approach to behaviour management through restorative and proactive practices. Built on real relationships with students, these approaches aim to develop intrinsic motivation, reflection and empathy. This session offers practical ideas for managing behaviour in ways that will have a lasting impact. It also highlights some common teacher mistakes that can have a negative effect, such as tokenistic relationships and sarcasm.
“It’s not about winning; it’s about connecting.”
Brad Weinstein and Nathan Maynard
Day 6: Adam Moreno (@MrMorenoEDU)
In order to offer purpose-driven learning, Adam challenges us to consider the purpose of school. Does our practice align with this? Adam has developed the Ten Keys of Purpose-Driven Learning to drive his practice. We should be making a conscious effort to develop these ten characteristics in our students: confidence, enthusiasm, effort, focus, creativity, initiative, curiosity, empathy, dependability and resilience. The “new language of learning” adds intentionality to what great teachers are already promoting and modelling. As I pointed out to Adam on Twitter, there are strong connections to the IB Learner Profile.
“If you start to grade it, you’re going to crush it.”
Adam Moreno
Day 7: Jon Corippo (@jcorippo) and Marlena Hebern (@mhebern)
Jon and Marlena are co-authors of the two Eduprotocols books. The books provide classroom routines and protocols that are practical and impactful. Watch this video to hear about a small sample of them, including Cyber Sandwich and Number Mania. Jon and Marena offer some pro tips to consider when implementing these protocols, and highlight some online tools that can help. These protocols are designed to enhance learning but also add a layer of fun to the classroom.
“Few of the protocols should be more than 20-25 minutes.”
Jon Corippo and Marlena Hebern
Day 8: Bridget Spackman (@LetteredClass)
In this session, Bridget shares how she manages “mass customisation of learning” by setting up systems and routines for students to set goals and pursue them independently. When she is conferring with individuals, the rest of her students know exactly what to be getting on with and have access to prepared flipped content to support. Bridget also talks about utilising time by “getting rid of the fluff” and how she had the lightbulb moment of bridging reading and writing instruction.
“Individual conferences are the most personalised instruction that you could ever give.”
Bridget Spackman
Day 9: Derek McCoy (@mccoyderek)
Derek, the co-author of The Revolution, talks about the revolution that is needed in our schools and the importance of empowering all learners, children and adults. In this session, Michael and Derek explore how we can nurture our students to be agile and global learners, prepared for the changing world. Derek also outlines his approach to creating a culture of empowerment in his school: risk, fail, learn, make it better.
“We know better. Are we empowered to do better?”
Derek McCoy
I hope that these short summaries were useful. Once again, here is the link to sign up and gain access. Swing back here afterwards and let me know which sessions resonated with you!
Like I said, the Hive Summit is completely free. However, you can consider offering an optional donation to the Kiva fund. This is a nice way to show appreciation to Michael and the other speakers, while also doing some good. Click here for more information.
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