My short introductory presentation at TeachMeet Melbourne 16 Feb 2012
I would like to set the scene as to where our gathering today fits in to a much larger picture.
1. The concept of Teachmeet is not new – the earliest mentions I found seemed to be around 2005 and associated with Ewan McIntosh from Scotland. Today, Teachmeets occur in many countries around the world. Highly evident in the UK, I also found mentions in USA and South Africa. There is also a Kidsmeet and Studentsmeet movement. There is a similar movement that seems much bigger in the USA referred to as Edcamp – the difference between these is not as obvious as the similarities.
2. Our Melbourne meetings were directly inspired by the Sydney experience where Teachmeets have grown dramatically in the past 12 months. Henrietta Miller and the Sydney team are amazing examples of enthusiastic teachers who began a movement that is now exploding. They are currently working on a world record TM with 160+ people already registered. A website has been created by them to keep the communication open and we are grateful to be included in that. The mission is clear and simple – teachers sharing with teachers.
3. The format for most meetings seems similar and we have chosen the 2 or 7 min presentation style. Two min micro presentations and slightly longer seven minutes presentations. If it happens that you are listening to a session that does not exactly thrill you or is not relevant to your current needs – the longest you will have to wait is 7 min until another session starts. The conversations and connections we make – putting faces to Twitter names etc are as valuable as the presentations.
The format depends on the willingness of participants to present and we are very grateful to those who have put their hand up for today. Obviously the example and experience of the team who presented at No 1. was motivating and we acknowledge that without volunteers, there is no TeachMeet.
4. So, in summary a Teachmeet has the following features and benefits –
5. TeachMeet International has also evolved as an online option for those who cannot meet personally . The second one is happening in March. As you can see it lives up to it’s international name with presentations from all around the world.
So, I am sure there will be a post after this one …….
My colleague (William King) and I have conducting two TeachmeetKY events and they have been overwhelmingly successful. We also do Teachmeet as PD for our district. We are planning our second District Only TeachmeetBGISD and we are planning TeachmeetKY for October 5, 2012 at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green KY
Thanks Allen
The Teachmeet movement has certainly some amazing possibilities. I love how it evolves and how each meeting seems different to the next. It really revolves around the people who participate. We are in early stages, but I am encouraged and awaiting the next stage. Thanks for your comment.