This isn’t a new idea by any means- lots of PD Bingo cards have crossed my path over the last 20 years. So why am I sharing this one? Because of the way it came about. Early this morning, I received the following tweet:
For all my friends in district mandated PD today http://t.co/xUFOB3RO8O Thanks to @CriticalSkills1 for this!
— Justin Aion (@JustinAion) August 13, 2013
I responded with this little piece of snark:
@JustinAion thanks- I feel like I should have made a bingo card or something!
— Laura Thomas (@CriticalSkills1) August 13, 2013
Which quickly turned into this
Now, like I said, the concept (and the content, for that matter) aren’t exactly earth shattering- these things have been floating around forever. What I found fascinating was the conversation I had while creating it, both with @JustinAion (who graciously agreed to let me repost pieces of our conversation here):
Justin Aion 11:16 AM I’m having LOTS of fun with this.. Perhaps too much
me 11:16 AM Let’s just be sure it reflects both good and bad PD
Justin Aion 11:16 AM Good point
Justin Aion 11:24 AM It would be interesting to do something like this for the classroom, to have students fill out as a way of teacher self-evaluation.
me 11:25 AM Good point! I think there are a lot of these things that we do in our own classrooms without even thinking about it. We do it to kids, but resent when it’s done to us.
Justin Aion 11:26 AM Exactly. Teachers are the worst audience to present to
And some folks on Twitter who wanted to push me to think a bit deeper:
me 11:26 AM I’ve gotten some good pushback on Twitter too.
Justin Aion 11:27 AM What do you mean?
me 11:27 AM Just some questions about the items- not all are purely good or bad, many can be done well or poorly.
For example:
@CriticalSkills1 anything on that board can be done well, or done poorly.
— Jennifer Borgioli (@DataDiva) August 13, 2013
@CriticalSkills1 the challenge with boards like that is that suggests that exit cards are always bad; that CCSS should not be talked about.
— Jennifer Borgioli (@DataDiva) August 13, 2013
The gracious @DataDiva pushed me to think about what we were doing (this thing that started as a lark)- particularly since I was so intentional about not turning into a tool to bash well intentioned (if poorly implemented) professional learning.
@CriticalSkills1 I’m not sure I’m clear on the point then. Is it that Charlotte Danielson is good? Bad? Both. She’s a person, not a concept.
— Jennifer Borgioli (@DataDiva) August 13, 2013
Meanwhile, Justin and I were still chatting away while we merrily filled in squares:
Justin Aion 11:29 AM We had a discussion similar to that about homework. Like almost everything else, I feel it’s a tool that could be used for good or evil, but isn’t inherently one or the other In theory, you could hit all of these spaces and still have a fabulous professional learning environment My main thought about PD, which I’m going to try to use in my class this year, is that if what you’re saying/presenting can be e-mailed, then it probably should be.
Which absolutely mirrors the direction of my online conversation with @DataDiva:
@CriticalSkills1 Sure – but what’s the point of board? If I print it out and give it to people in my PD sessions, is the goal to get BINGO?
— Jennifer Borgioli (@DataDiva) August 13, 2013
Which pushed me to add this note to the bottom of the board:
Note: The goal isn’t so much to get a BINGO as it is to notice the choices that have been made- as a teacher and as a learner- and to ask yourself what you’re learning from them. How do they reflect the choices you make- or don’t make- in your own classroom? What can you learn from this experience that will make you a better teacher?
I guess, ultimately, it’s all about a variation on the golden rule:
Do unto your learners as you would have your teachers do unto you.
Or something like that.
The Critical Skills Classroom 
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