By LeeAnne Lavender, PeerSphere Storyteller
Press Start Academy, known for its engaging approaches with technology and gamification in K-12 education, recently joined forces with PeerSphere. Vince Siu shares insights into this collaboration and the significance of what PeerSphere is doing for educators seeking to enrich their classroom practice.
PeerSphere operates on the premise that educators have a wealth of knowledge and experiences to share. It provides a platform for educators to engage in collaborative learning, exchange ideas, and gain fresh perspectives from peers. Vince highlights the value of this approach, emphasizing the power of collective wisdom in driving professional growth.
“Cookie-cutter professional development programs often fall short in addressing educators’ unique challenges and aspirations,” he notes.
Vince became involved with a PeerSphere Peer Learning Community (PLC) session earlier this year through Ross Dawson. Ross is the host of the elementary/primary principals PeerSphere PLC and is an elementary school principal at Victoria Shanghai Academy in Hong Kong. Ross invited Vince to participate in a PLC conversation about AI in education, and Vince readily agreed. In fact, he had stumbled across PeerSphere before Ross extended this invitation, and the PeerSphere website was open on a tab of his browser. The participatory nature of PeerSphere aligns with Vince’s mission and vision for Press Start Academy, so it was a natural fit for him to say yes to Ross and engage in a PLC session.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect in the session and had a talk about AI prepared,” recalls Vince. “Once I saw the profiles of the school leaders on the call, I threw out that plan and switched to facilitating and asking questions about how each attendee thought of and used AI in their schools. My thought was that school leaders who turn up to a peer event would probably want to spend more time learning from their peers rather than listening to a speaker.”
The session was successful and featured a rich dialogue about the role of AI across several schools. Vince was contacted by one leader immediately after the PLC session to come to Beijing and lead a school-wide PD workshop about AI.
Vince took part in Ross’s session at the beginning of March and then met Michael in person at the 21CL conference in Hong Kong a week later.
“There were all of these PeerSphere moments that opened up,” he smiles, adding that he’s excited to see how he might partner more with PeerSphere in the coming years.
Vince started Press Start Academy about four years ago, just as the pandemic was sweeping the globe. Teachers and students were mostly online, and Vince was able to launch Press Start by supporting teachers in delivering engaging, valuable learning experiences online. He has been a fan of games for a long time, and can testify to the ways that Press Start learning games engage students and lead to deep learning.
“We wrap the learning in layers of fun, and students love it,” says Vince.
It’s exciting to see how an independent entrepreneur and educational designer like Vince has connected with PeerSphere this year, and the value he encountered in the PLC space. Stay tuned for more collaboration between Press Start Academy and PeerSphere.
Below: a screenshot from the March elementary/primary principals PLC. Above: A photo of Vince delivering Press Start PD.
