One of the big projects we’ve been most excited about that P2PU is the recently launched School Of Education pilot. This pilot represents the first step in finding out if the model of open, community-based peer learning can be used to enrich professional development for K-12 teachers.
In a very short amount of time we’ve seen a great response, and the pilot has been the springboard for some great discussions and debates around the potential on the Web for a volunteer-run School of Education that could award a global teaching certification. As always, it’s better to read these discussion in situ – Karen Fasimpaur has written a great series of blog posts tagged “Formal vs DIY” – you can read all of them here. Anna Batchelder over at Bon Education’s dot.Learntblog also put together this great summary, which exposes the problems inherent in teacher training (insufficient teacher training, little ongoing professional development, a chronic lack of funding in schools) and explores possible solutions, including a vision of what a completely free School of Education run by volunteers might look like.
Reading these blogs, it’s easy to feel inspired, and it quickly becomes clear that these possibilities are very close to becoming reality – and we at P2pU think that’s just about the most exciting thing we can imagine. If you’re interested in joining the growing community that’s working on this project, we’d love to have you – feel free to join the School of Education pilot at P2PU, either as a participant in a course or as a community member.
Image: CC BY 2.0, by Sean MacEntee on Flickr.