Initially when I started to explore Extend,well, I was overwhelmed. I wish I had a few weeks to read through everything because my first impression was that it’s obviously a useful, valuable, and meaningful resource when it comes to all things teaching. I like that there is a visual for the framework. I looked at it and immediately gravitated towards which badges would be my ‘areas for further development.’ Classic Marlee, ‘in what areas am I lacking?’ Wait! Shift that thinking, what areas provided in the Extend framework could I further explore, to better inform my teaching practice and add to my professional teacher toolbox?”
Before I tell you what is missing for me, I’ll tell you what fits. When looking at the teacher and curator badges and reading both overviews, I had a mental checklist going on and felt confident that the attributes and skills mentioned are an ongoing work in positive progress for me. I feel very confident in how my students learn, what motivates them, and the learning environment I create for them. In my classroom, we always have open discussions about how we’re feeling, what our individual goals are, and my students are receiving feedback all day long. I wouldn’t say I’m a master of this Extend badge by any means, however the overview and objectives seemed to describe much of what I’m doing in my current teaching practice. I also felt the same way about the ‘Curator’ badge. Aren’t teachers ‘master curators?’ What are teachers doing if they’re not collecting resources, information, and sourcing out opportunities for their students? I’ve been jumping between grades one through five for nearly a decade, never really knowing where I’ll end up, so I have curated oodles of resources and have a relatively good idea of how to approach colleagues with questions about content, and also share my ideas with them. Again, it was nice to look at the Extend framework and understand that there are areas in which I feel strong in and areas that need more attention.
The Extend framework is well thought out and organized. I wouldn’t take anything away, but if I had to add a couple badges, there would be one around assessment practices, and if I could be so bold to say, a badge of work/life balance. I’m not sure if that’s the exact title I would go with, however, in my opinion, in order to facilitate all aspects of the Extend framework you need to be good at time management, prioritizing, and all things related to maintaining positive mental health.
As for the areas of further development, I would say I participate in collaboration everyday, however there’s never really been a concrete place for sharing our ideas, thoughts, and resources. The collaboration seems to happen at the beginning and ending of a school day. Teachers pop into each other’s classrooms asking how the day went, what worked well, what didn’t, they ask for ideas for communicating student learning, they inquire about different learning strategies, ask each other how they’re showcasing and organizing assessment etc. I think that the Extend Badge for Collaboration would be something that would hugely benefit my teaching practice as it “explores tools for online collaborations and ways to create and extend professional and personal learning networks (PLNs) through collaborations within, across, and between disciplines.”
The Extend Framework, while initially overwhelming, seems like a solid resource for teachers to refer to when reflecting on their own teaching practices. There’s a ton of information there to absorb, and while it looks like a lot, it seems like the outcomes of the modules and badges are something we teachers are getting better at developing over time throughout our professional development journeys.
Resources: https://extend.ecampusontario.ca/collaborator-overview/