How to Plan a Successful Lunch and Learn at Your School
YOU ARE KNOWLEDGABLE…AND IT’S TIME TO SHARE YOUR IDEAS WITH YOUR STAFF!
Lunch and Learns, lunch meetings, Lunchtime PD, whatever you want to call these sessions….they are an effective way to share ideas with educators in a short amount of time. If you haven’t planned a lunch and learn or you’re looking to get a few tips, keep reading to see how I plan sessions for my staff. This is written through the lens of a teacher-librarian, but if you are a teacher, early childhood educator, educational assistant, administrator, or any other type of educator…this is for you too!
WHAT TO SHARE?
When I get a lot of questions about a particular piece of software or web tool, it’s great to organize a lunch and learn to teach many people at once. Other times I learn about something new and want to share it with my staff. However it comes about, find something that your staff will be interested in and share what you know! Also, you don’t have to be an expert to host a session! I usually have a solid grasp of the topic, but I encourage input and ideas throughout the session, and sometimes even pair up with a knowledgeable co-worker!
DATES AND TIMES
Scheduling a lunch and learn can sometimes be the trickiest part of the whole process! If you want particular staff members to attend, it can be a juggling act to find a date that everyone can do. If my schedule will allow for it, I often do repeat sessions throughout the week of the same topic. This allows people with lunch duty and extra-curricular activities on different days of the week to attend one of the sessions.
If you are tight on time (or only want to host one session) try a digital poll to see what day the most people are available. My go-to tool for this is Doodle. Simply create a free account, enter your date options, share the link with your staff members, and see when the most people can attend. I send the link in an email with a due date to vote, and I also ask them to share ALL of the dates they are available to get a true representation of staff availability. I like Doodle because it’s free, you can check your dashboard to see who has voted all on one chart, and it’s easy to access on a phone or computer.
After you find the best availability date, you can send out an email and post announcements with the details of the lunch and learn session. Don’t forget to tell them to bring their lunch, notepads, and computer!
CONTENT
While you are waiting for replies to your availability poll you can plan your session. This will look different for each topic, but it is important to have something concrete prepared to share. Most of the time I prepare a simple Google Slides presentation with a couple of intro slides. After that I usually go through a demonstration, and then give ideas of how they can apply this in their classrooms. Sharing during a lunch hour doesn’t give you much time, so keep your slides to a minimum and focus on demonstration and application.
MATERIALS
This part of lunch and learns has really changed over the last few years. In the past I made handouts and printed tutorials to give to everyone that attended. More recently, I have been sharing guides and tutorials digitally via email or sharing a Google Drive folder with all of the resources in one spot. If I decide to share digitally, I always ask if anyone would like a paper copy to take with them.
SNACKS?
Everyone loves snacks, but that doesn’t mean you have to provide them. Attendees should have their lunch with them, so hopefully you won’t hear too many stomachs rumbling while you present! Sometimes I bring small snacks to share, and at some of my schools, the principal has provided snacks or even full lunch to anyone that attends! That being said, do what works for you and your budget.
TIME TO SHARE
It’s showtime! Make sure to have your furniture set up to match the style of your presentation. Leave out some paper, pens, and computers (if you have extras) for those people who forgot to bring something. I usually wait 3-5 minutes to get started until most people have arrived.
Go through your presentation, answering questions and checking for understanding as you go. Keep an eye on the clock to ensure you are sticking with your plan. If you have time, do a question and answer session at the end. This is a great time to clarify any questions that people have while others can hear your response. Thank everyone for coming, and explain to them how you are going to share any relevant support materials.
FOLLOW UP
Don’t forget to follow up with staff after your session. In the following days, ask people in person if they found the session helpful, and how they might implement the new ideas into their teaching. You can also send a follow-up email to those you attended with ideas and resources. This email can also be sent to all staff as a recap of what was shared at the session. People who couldn’t attend the lunch and learn will really appreciate this information!
Use the feedback you receive to inform your future lunch and learn sessions. You can also take note of things that went well (and not so well) to help make your next session even better! If you’re doing some 1:1 collaboration with staff, you might like these Collaboration Meeting Templates!
Have you hosted lunch-and-learns before? If you have, drop your session topics in the comments below!
Good luck!
Jenn