Staff Pd Teacher Bingo

Caroline Mae

2 min read

·

01-01-2025

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Teacher professional development (PD) can sometimes feel like a drag. Long days, repetitive information, and the ever-present feeling that you're supposed to be enthusiastic about the latest educational trend, even if it doesn't quite resonate with your classroom reality. But what if we told you there was a way to inject a little fun – and perhaps even some genuine engagement – into your next PD session? Enter: Staff PD Teacher Bingo!

How to Play

This isn't your grandma's bingo. Instead of numbers, each square contains a common PD experience or observation. The goal? To get bingo by marking off squares that resonate with your own experiences. Here's how to set it up:

Creating the Bingo Cards

1. Brainstorm Common PD Experiences: Think about what typically happens at your staff PD sessions. Examples include: "Presenter reads directly from slides," "Technology fails spectacularly," "A participant asks a question that's already been addressed," "The session runs over time," or "You learn something genuinely useful."

2. Create the Cards: Design bingo cards with 25 squares. Fill each square with a different, relevant PD experience. You can even tailor these to your specific school's PD culture for added laughs.

3. Print & Distribute: Print enough cards for everyone attending the PD session.

During the PD Session

1. Distribute Cards: Hand out the bingo cards before the session begins.

2. Play the Game: As the session unfolds, participants mark off squares that match what’s happening in real-time.

3. Bingo!: The first person to get bingo shouts "Bingo!" and wins bragging rights (and maybe a small prize!). You can also adapt the game to have multiple winners or different bingo patterns (e.g., diagonal, four corners).

Beyond the Game: Using Bingo for Reflection

The real power of Staff PD Teacher Bingo lies not just in the game itself, but in the opportunity for reflection and discussion it provides afterward. Consider these follow-up activities:

• Group Discussion: After the game, facilitate a discussion about the squares that were most commonly marked. What does this say about your PD experiences? What can be improved?
• Anonymous Feedback: Encourage anonymous feedback on the PD session, using the bingo squares as prompts. This can provide valuable insights without the pressure of direct criticism.
• Action Planning: Based on the discussion and feedback, collaboratively create an action plan for improving future PD sessions.

Making it Work for You

The beauty of Staff PD Teacher Bingo lies in its adaptability. Adjust the squares to reflect your specific context and concerns. Make it lighthearted, but also use it as a tool to spark meaningful conversations about how to create more effective and engaging professional development experiences for everyone. Remember, the goal isn't just to have fun, but to improve the overall quality of your PD sessions.