Creating Significant Learning Environments, or 5313, gave me the opportunity to reflect upon how I currently design & conduct Professional Learning Events. During this class, I started a new position at Waterford.org and I'm excited to share that so much of what we've learned in this class has been instantly transferable to my new position.
We started with reading, reflecting, and discussing Thomas and Brown's (2011) ideas, which really had an impact on how I view my audiences. Generally, I'm working with adult educators and occasionally parents/caregivers of young learners. Understanding your audience can make or break a learning event. Dive into what I learned on the following post:
The more we dove into what a strong class or course design should look like, the more we had the opportunity to evaluate our own beliefs and philosophy on learning. As educators, we are expected to believe that every learner can be successful. We also believe each person learns differently and creativity on the educator's part is key. Click below to learn more about how we can approach each learner to have a greater impact.
Not only do we need to consider our audience as a whole and the needs of the individual learner, we must also consider the specific and special environments in which we are teaching or influencing. In my case, we are working to implement a change in the process of my organization's Professional Learning Team. We approach all goals just as we approach our learning design: begin with the end in mind. We ask what we want to accomplish and then we work on how we are going to accomplish the goal. My goal is that all educators we encounter will be able to fully utilize all aspects of the Waterford software program to better address the specific needs of their students. Click below to learn more about how I plan to accomplish this goal, while modeling & supporting my colleagues.
If Fink's 3-Column Table (2003) is the roadmap to reach the target destination, having the turn-by-turn directions would be the next step in a successful course design. This is where Understanding by Design (G. P. Wiggins & McTighe, 2012b), or UbD, comes into play. This allowed me to really think about what each lesson would look, feel, and sound like, plus pacing and possible bumps in the road. While my overall design would be applied to at least 9 separate classes, you can read more about my specific design considerations at the button below.
Creating a course that stays focused while addressing the needs of a specific, yet diverse, audience can be a bit frustrating at times. When learning is involved, psychology and sociology play a large role. In some cases the learner may not be open to learning a new approach or may feel that their tried and true processes don't need improvement. I learned over the course of the last 3 months that my excitement and best laid plans can't be, or won't be, executed well until trust is built and I am personally, "walking the talk." Teachers often live by a Maslow-before-Blooms thinking (K, 2023) and the same applies for adult learners. Once trust is built, learners are more likely to embrace the new, possibly-uncomfortable, process at work. With this knowledge I've revised by Original Growth Mindset Plan and humbly submit my Revised Growth Mindset Plan for your review.
Overall, I appreciate the pacing, intentionality, and timing of 5313: Creating Significant Learning Environments. Each piece of the puzzle was introduced in a way that was not overwhelming and gave me the chance to truly think about the best approach for my particular project. During one Zoom discussion, Dr. Grogan mentioned the importance of laying the foundational knowledge, how we often want to jump right in without laying the foundational skills. This helped to shift my thinking in not only how I'll create my learning events, but also in how I will approach my team with my plans in the future.
Fink, L. D. (2003). Creating significant learning experiences: an integrated approach to designing college courses. http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA61809053
K, N. (2023, September 6). Maslow Before Bloom: Putting students’ hearts before their heads. The Teach Simple Blog. https://teachsimple.com/blog/teaching-strategies/maslow-before-bloom/(K, 2023)
Thomas, D. 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
Wiggins, G., & Mctighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design, Expanded 2nd Edition. Danvers, MA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
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