Two years ago, as a recently qualified teacher and leader of learning, I set up a professional Twitter account to share good practice within our school community. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would have nearly 800 followers and a global community of educational professionals to connect with, learn from and disagree with.
#EduTwitter has become an innovative and meaningful way to engage professionally with colleagues near and far. Not only do I share my own practice but I also regularly benefit from the good practice of others. We shamelessly “borrow” ideas from one another (Christmas homework advent calendar, anyone?), brag about the fantastic work our pupils are doing and have a captive audience of willing supporters when we just can’t crack that tough class.
The power of Twitter
People such as @pauldixtweets use the platform to support fellow professionals with practical strategies, but also to challenge thinking when this is required, too. I’ve had many a chuckle over my popcorn when watching EduTwitter lose it over a non-issue, while reminding myself that this passion should never be lost, regardless of whether or not I agree.
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Communication with young people, their families and our learning community has been enhanced by teachers using Twitter to share what their young people are learning. “I saw that on Twitter” is the new mantra of the tech-savvy parent/carer at reporting evenings.
Young people themselves are able to refer to their learning in school through Twitter while working at home, making valuable connections between home and school, which are often considered to be two completely different spheres.
Almost every school in Glasgow has a Twitter presence, with secondary schools often boasting departmental and faculty accounts, too. It’s amusing to imagine my own teachers tweeting about Hamlet storyboarding, but using Twitter in the 21st century as a tool for communicating learning and teaching is becoming common. It’s another step in the right direction of building meaningful relationships with our communities outwith the confines of the school day.
These relationships with primary schools and our wider community are crucial in ensuring that positive communication of learning is accepted as the norm, and also that our young people feel both supported and valued.
Twitter, if used wisely, has a big role to play in these changes .
Louise-Anne Greeves is principal teacher of literacy at St Andrew’s Secondary School, in Glasgow. She tweets @helpmemrsg
