A new type of learning is slowing becoming commonplace in our schools and workplaces. Play and questioning are at the heart of this, "Arc-of-Life" learning philosophy. I believe our organization is ahead of the game when it comes to allowing colleagues and partners to cultivate new ideas in order to make our products and programs stronger year after year.
Being a not-for-profit research group, specializing in programs that support early literacy skills, Waterford.org is always looking for ways to improve and better support our little learners and school and family partners. As Thomas and Brown (2011) share, cultivating imagination in our learners requires a shift in thinking and a new model of learning. They believe this can happen when we change the learning environments in our classrooms and boardrooms.
So what mindshifts and environmental changes can further the goals and mission at our organization? I propose three areas that would benefit from this new culture of learning and would fit nicely with my Innovative Proposal Plan.
Change #1: Onboarding & Ongoing Preparation:
Just as Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, said, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man.” This applies in so many aspects of our onboarding and day-to-day events. We often have new hires practice a powerpoint deck and present to colleagues who give feedback and either release them to the wolves, in our case school or family partners, or require further practice. However, talking through a slide deck does not a consultant make.
When we are partnered with a district, we must understand their needs beyond the
online program and students working on iPads. We can deliver a presentation showing
where to click and how the screen fuctions work, but are we truly testing and preparing
for real world interactions? We should not be okay simply knowing educators and
partners can use our software. We must be able to truly guide and assist with
overarching goals of a student, classroom, campus, and district. Afterall, each time we
step into that "river"- classroom, administrator meeting, or family event, the
circumstances are unique, therefore our options for supporting their needs should be,
too.
Let's adjust the way in which we teach our newly hired collegues to approach our work. Yes, presenting is key, but that just skims the surface. Let's provide opportunities for shadowing more experienced colleagues. Let's allow for partner-presenting more often. Let's plan times for role playing and also for sharing our unique implementation needs during our team meetings. Just as teachers feel that some PD can be covered in an email, I also feel that some of our team meetings can be handled by other means, providing time for more meaningful consultative preparation.
Change #2: Receiving Feedforward:
I taught 4th Grade for five years. Each of those years was entirely different. My students were different. The pacing was different. MY skill level and delivery were different and sometimes, my state-required objectives were different. The one thing that stayed the same was having administrators visit my classroom and offer feedback and generally, the sandwich or hamburger method was used: some good points were given, some not-good/points to improve were shared, followed by a wrap up with positivity.
Since learning about feedforward (Marshall Goldsmith, 2007), I find myself looking for opportunities to put this practice to work. The beauty of this approach to coaching and learning is that it can be given and received by colleagues and partners of all experience levels. Thomas and Brown (2011) discuss the story of Allen, the computer coder that worked as a freelance hacker. He turned to his online community of experts after receiving error messages on a project. They shared feedforward and he received their advice in a way that made him a stronger coder and professional, overall.
Our Professional Learning team is tasked with providing software training, administrator support, data reviews for general and special education settings, and family empowerment events. We need to lean on colleagues that know about specific approaches to help guide our recommendations. For example, if I'm meeting with teachers of students with exceptional needs, I'll pull from what I know and from research, but also work with colleagues specializing in this area. Likewise, I'd like to encourage colleagues to reach out to me to better prepare for sessions involving emergent English learners.
Feedforward can come in various forms. We can build on what the primary consultant knows of the implementation or specific student need. Similar to a point made in change #1, we can role play situations and practice how to best engage specific questions or concerns. We can also reach out to colleagues across the organization, on other teams, with knowledge to share to truly come with a learner's mindset and group consulting approach.
Ultimately, feedforward should become commonplace in our organization. We should keep student literacy and learning at the forefront, always, and like Allen, use our expert resources to help us become stronger and better professionals.
Change #3: Meeting our partners where they are:
In 2017, Hurricane Harvey hit the Gulf Coast region of Texas to Mississippi, specifically causing widespread flooding in the greater-Houston, Tx, area. Schools were closed for weeks, homes were flooded or swept away is some cases, and the 4th largest city in America was brought to a soggy halt. While this was not the first time I'd experienced flooding as a Houston resident, it was the first time for my home and work lives to be devastated by natural disaster.
At this time, my school partners needed support far outside my usual role as a software trainer and school consultant. We helped school partners rebuild libraries, restore and replace damaged devices, and enable students to continue to learn via Waterford software whereever they had been displaced. Many lessons were learned during that 2-month timeframe and it provided an unexpected advantage when schools were forced to close suddenly with the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
In both situations, families confided that these disasters and disruptions allowed them to be more present and aware of the learning taking place for their students. Online learning, virtual classes, and shut downs all around brought a learning opportunity for everyone Thomas and Brown (2011) discuss the impact of generational gaming and I've seen this firsthand in my home. Once Covid kept us home, my fiancee purchased an X-Box and started playing games with his grandkids and his nephews. His brothers and sister-in-law also played and we all become closer at that time that we had been for many years prior. Today, he'll ask his 14-year-old grandson and 12-year-old granddaughter to help him with, "builds" or "skins." I know he enjoys this as much as they do. I have even heard them introduce their PoPo to other online friends on an online-Friday-night just as described in the book.
Now, how do we take all of this and apply it to what we do at Waterford? We must be able to adapt and meet our partners~students, teachers, families~where they are. If parent events aren't well attended, let's plan virtual events. If teachers are having trouble integrating technology, let's bring in a blended approach like a rotation model or intervention grouping based on Waterford data. Finally, don't discount anyone for any reason. We may have a very seasoned PreK teacher who's reluctant to introduce techology to her young students. Let's make sure she is comfortable with the devices and program even if this means individual coaching and modeling. Even our less experienced teachers may know how to use a device, but not necessarily how to use technology to enhance teaching and learning outcomes. In all instances, we must be able to adapt and adjust in order to meet the needs of all of our partners, where ever they may be and in whatever means will be most helpful.
I thoroughly enjoyed all of the examples of how a new culture of learning has lead to innovative approaches acquiring knowledge, personal growth, and expansion of technologies. We are fortunate to be flexible in our approach to work and experimenting with alternative support methods for both our internal and external partners at Waterford.org. In my new role as Director of Educator and Family Partnerships, I look forward to encouraging play and a culture of creativity and collaborations while embracing and cultivating unique learning environments. Our team has a unique platform with which to share and model these ideas and concepts with educators and I plan to implement many of these approaches as we enter Quarter 1 of our new fiscal year.
Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A new culture of learning: cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. http://www.newcultureoflearning.com/newcultureoflearning.pdf
Marshall Goldsmith. (2007, February 27). Marshall Goldsmith and FeedForward [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFX74GIxca4
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