Atkinson school teachers participated in a Grade Level meeting that was inspired by an Edcamp experience. Edcamp is participant-driven and is sometimes referred to as an "unconference." Edcamps are:
- free
- non-commercial and conducted with a vendor-free presence
- hosted by any organization interested in furthering the edcamp mission
- made up of sessions that are determined on the day of the event
- events where anyone who attends can be a presenter
- reliant on the "law of two feet" that encourages participants to find a session that meets their needs
Choosing to eliminate the "law of two feet" rule and name them "Breakouts" instead of "Sessions," the school decided to call this event "Atkinson's Edcampish Grade Level Meeting." Teachers stepped up to help organize and they took risks and supported their colleagues' professional growth. There were two sets of 30-minute Breakouts that teachers selected to attend. Topics included RTI, Music for Humanities, Decoding Magic, Guided Reading and Book Clubs, Special Education Resources, Breaking Down Questions, and Social Studies Planning.