EdCamp

EdCamp EdCamp is an informal, participant-driven professional development movement for teachers, educators, and school administrators that adopts an unconference model to promote peer-led learning. Originating in the early 2010s, it emphasizes voluntary participation, session choice, and collaboration among practitioners from public school, private school, and charter school settings. The movement has intersected with technology companies, nonprofit organizations, and higher education institutions while influencing policy discussions among departments of education and philanthropic funders.

History

The movement emerged from grassroots gatherings inspired by unconference formats popularized in the technology sector such as BarCamp, and drew on ideas from professional networks associated with organizations like ISTE, NEA, and ASCD. Early adopters included classroom leaders from districts in the United States, with rapid replication in regions served by networks connected to Teach for America, KIPP Foundation, and university schools of education at institutions like Harvard Graduate School of Education, Stanford Graduate School of Education, and Columbia University Teachers College. Influential early events attracted attention from education journalists at outlets such as Edutopia, The Hechinger Report, and Education Week, which helped spread the model to practitioners in United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, and South Africa. As the model matured, municipal education agencies and nonprofit intermediaries including NewSchools Venture Fund, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and local teacher unions occasionally collaborated with grassroots organizers to host larger regional unconferences.

Format and Structure

Sessions are determined on arrival through a mutable schedule often written on whiteboards or large sheets, echoing facilitation techniques used at World Economic Forum satellite events and technology gatherings like SXSW Interactive. Typical participants include classroom practitioners affiliated with organizations such as Teach for America, representatives from edtech firms like Google for Education and Microsoft Education, pre-service candidates from institutions such as Boston University, and district leaders from offices modeled after Los Angeles Unified School District or New York City Department of Education. Sessions vary from micro-presentations influenced by PechaKucha style to roundtable discussions resembling practitioner salons at TEDx events. Logistics commonly rely on volunteer teams drawn from local chapters of professional associations such as National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and on sponsorship from foundations like Gates Foundation or technology partners including Apple Inc. and Adobe Systems.

Principles and Philosophy

The core principles reflect participant-driven learning seen in peer networks associated with LinkedIn Learning, collaborative inquiry models used by researchers at Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and reflective practice promoted by scholars at Johns Hopkins University and University of Chicago. Emphasis is placed on egalitarian facilitation, open sharing of resources consistent with practices at Creative Commons and open educational resources initiatives like OER Commons, and flattening hierarchies common to movements linked to Occupy Wall Street-era organizing techniques. The philosophy aligns with adult learning theories advanced by figures connected to Harvard Business School and organizational learning concepts from Peter Senge-influenced networks, privileging practitioner expertise over top-down mandates from ministries exemplified by Department for Education (England) or national curricula bodies.

Global Spread and Notable Events

Adoption proliferated across continents with notable gatherings hosted in cities such as New York City, London, Toronto, Sydney, Bangalore, and Johannesburg. Large-scale events sometimes coincided with major conferences including ISTE Conference & Expo, BETT Show, and regional meetings of Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, enabling cross-pollination between unconference attendees and keynote-driven conference participants. Prominent one-day and multi-day unconferences have featured collaborative strands connecting with initiatives at UNESCO and OECD education forums. In several countries, national networks formed that organized annual unconferences linked with teacher award programs like Global Teacher Prize finalists and showcased practitioner research reminiscent of poster sessions at American Educational Research Association conventions.

Impact and Criticism

Advocates credit the model with accelerating adoption of classroom practices associated with blended learning from providers such as Khan Academy and formative assessment techniques promoted by organizations like Learning Sciences International. Studies and case reports from university partners including Michigan State University and University of Pennsylvania describe increased teacher agency, professional networks, and informal mentoring that echo findings from literature on professional learning communities at DuFour-influenced districts. Criticisms have included concerns about uneven access when sponsorship favors urban centers linked to philanthropic networks such as Gates Foundation or corporate partners like Amazon Web Services, potential reinforcement of existing inequalities noted in reports from OECD analysts, and questions about rigor compared with traditional, accredited programs offered by institutions like Open University or state teacher certification pathways. Additional critiques address commercialization when sessions incorporate product demonstrations by companies such as Pearson PLC or Promethean, and the challenge of measuring long-term student outcomes in impact evaluations comparable to randomized trials conducted by research teams at Brookings Institution or RAND Corporation.

Category:Professional development