Contributions to My Learning: Creating Significant Learning Environments & Professional Learning

Reflections on Cultivating Learning Excellence

As I continue on the transformative journey through graduate school, this time spent focused on Creating Significant Learning Environments and Developing Effective Professional Learning has been particularly worth noting. The two courses taken simultaneously could not have come at a more fitting time or be such a powerful combination in my current role as a District Instructional Technology Coach. It was exhilarating and enlightening. From embracing a new culture of learning, to consistently conquering the intricacies of APA 7th edition style, each step has contributed to a richer understanding of education, the digital landscape, and personal growth. Here are a few key milestone moments that have shaped this leg of the educational journey.

The concept of a new culture of learning serves as the north star guiding this portion of my educational endeavors. It challenges the conventional and beckons innovation. The continuation and refining of my thoughts about learning had me take a deep dive into developing a philosophy of learning. This paradigm shift was especially empowering for me, as many beliefs I have grown are shared by many. It’s encouraging me to continue viewing challenges as opportunities for personal and academic advancement and keep moving forward.

At the heart of my educational odyssey lies the cultivation of a Growth Mindset. Delving into its intricacies, I found myself both challenged and reaffirmed personally and as a learner, which I have written about previously. Well, this semester I was presented with many opportunities to practice it in action. In my very first assignment for my brand new professor, I took a very creative approach to designing and sharing. After all my hard work and effort, I did not initially get the score I thought I earned. I hemmed and hawed… I mean, it wouldn’t be the end of the world grade-wise, but I couldn’t figure out what I was missing. So I was brave and asked my professor for a 1:1 appointment to go through my work. I was so anxious. I put myself out there with this first post which I made into an interactive presentation. It was another moment that I was second-guessing. Should I have just written a blog post? (This is where I used my grit...) My professor immediately put me at ease. While we worked through my submission, she took time to listen and then shared with me the missing pieces of what I needed to push out just a little bit more. She didn't tell me to write it as a blog post. In fact, she encouraged my creativity! This was a life-giving conversation with genuine feed-forward that resulted in authentic learning. That was a milestone moment where things really started shifting for me. I resubmitted my work, confident that I had learned the concepts. For me, it wasn't about the grade. It was about the understanding of the concept.

Another struggle I learned to overcome was surprisingly revisiting Growth Mindset. The core concepts aren’t new to me. This is a topic I have read extensively about and used in the classroom before Class Dojo created a curriculum and the posters were available to purchase through Lakeshore. The depth of understanding I have from real-life situations, overcoming hurdles, and persisting through setbacks is a mindset woven into the very fabric of my learning experience. A long-time goal I have had for myself is to always find something new to learn or a new way to think about things-even if the topic is familiar. (This is something I have the opportunity to practice frequently, as I am a self-directed learner with a wide variety of topics of interest and a voracious reader.) After discussing with a colleague, I finally understood the key take away this time was shifting the approach to sharing knowledge. The new learning was focused on using new tools that create a focus on helping people intentionally develop a learner's mindset that is learner-centered and aligned with our new learning principles. I have begun redesigning previous work. (That would’ve been a great assignment! Take the previous growth mindset plan and then redesign it using Fink’s 3 Column Table or Understanding by Design, and then create a Professional Learning Plan to deliver it to teachers! That is what I'm working on-for fun!)

Speaking of design, that leads to learning on Fink's 3-Column Table and Understanding by Design! Our graduate degree program courses are actually laid out using Fink's 3-Column Table. I remember the very first class when that was mentioned. I had no idea what that was and so I went on a side quest, Googling it! I've learned through participation as a learning and through creation as the lead faciliator, that these processes serve as structured guides, ensuring educational endeavors align with clear goals and outcomes. This systematic approach facilitated a comprehensive understanding of content, enhancing the efficacy of my learning process. I was able to use this right away in planning a Professional Learning experience I was doing with a group of teachers in my career. When it came time to revisit the "Understanding By Design" framework, I learned so many new things even thought I was previously familiar with it. The UbD has emerged as a cornerstone in shaping my approach to learning and instructional design. This methodology enables crafting intentional, meaningful learning experiences that prioritize depth over breadth. Its influence extends beyond personal comprehension, influencing how I design professional learning experiences for others. I ended up using my 3 column table as the blueprint for my UbD planning on the same topic and created a really well-thought-out series of professional learning that I’m using in real-time.

This leads us to the topic of professional learning, I’m in a position where I am often the one leading learning. I have always had my method of avoiding “slow death by PowerPoint”, use hands-on experiences and sharing even with adults, and purposefully designed slides/handouts when appropriate. I have a natural eye for design and have read a lot on graphic design, color theory, font pairing, fonts for print vs. fonts for digital, how the brain reads in a digital environment vs. print, and more. It was SO great to find out that what I was doing was supported by research, and I was able to add even more learning to my knowledge base. I enjoyed learning about the alternative approach to professional learning, the 5 principles of professional learning, and Duarte’s approach to creating experiences.

Advocating for effective professional learning goes beyond rhetoric—it's about "walking the talk." By embodying the principles I endorse, I not only deepen my understanding but also become a more effective model for others. I immediately took what we learned in each model and directly embedded it into my job. Once again, I asked to speak to my other new professor after class. It dawned on my that all the assignments for this class applied to my professional life, at that moment. I bravely asked if I could please try it, and how could this fit with my innovation plan. That was another milestone moment full of laughter and realizations. From that point on, I was able to stay after two more sessions with the professor and share my excitement as I tried things in real-time. The professional learning I scheduled before this class started, I redesigned throughout this course. The success was amazing. I started by offering an open enrollment at a large high school, used Duarte’s theory to design my slide deck, had embedded real-time exploration, discussion, and application into the presentation. I had a support plan. I had a follow-up plan. The whole 9-yards. My original enrollment was 25. By the end of the day, 40 showed up because of word of mouth. The principal texted me with positive praise. Two other schools I coach at have now requested this same training because of this experience. Talk about a milestone moment. The professor was so great about encouraging me to use the assignments in my real-life work, and that made the learning in this class more powerful.

Now, even though I have experienced great success, it’s not all a bed of roses. Life is still going on in and around these courses. I still have many responsibilities in my large family, growing responsibilities in my career, and all that comes with adulting. It has been a season of "leaning into discomfort". Technological setbacks, like the demise of my Kindle, prompted me to learn that my eyes do not like reading on my phone as much as they used to, but gave me a new appreciation for audiobooks. Navigating different layouts in my e-portfolio had some formatting issues. While I discovered the benefits of auto-scheduling for blogging to add a layer of technological literacy to my skill set, I didn’t see if it posted-and it didn’t. So many life lessons.

For me personally, the last 2 weeks of class I’ve been fighting an allergic reaction to an unknown allergen that is making life quite miserable, and am on some major medications. Completing work and continuing to conquer the intricacies of APA style while experiencing major medical brain fog is hard. I can tell when that happened because of my last discussion posting. Before this, I was one of the first to post and reply in genuine discussions consistently 4 or more times per discussion post. The last one, I did the initial discussion post before my allergic reaction. You can see where that happened in the last discussion post on creating professional learning. I had not responded beyond thanking other people for their compliments on my ePortfolio because that is what my brain could handle at the moment. The fact that I’m writing my last two assignments (this post and my compilation post) demonstrates my resilience and adaptability. The struggle with navigating assignments, missing the last live discussions (which are always better than the recording), and trying to get my brain and my fingers in tandem under strong medication with a persistent problem became a moment of self-discovery-realizing that growth isn't always exponential but can manifest in subtle, transformative ways.

One of the sustained blessings of this learning journey has been a consistent collaboration group. These amazing men and women continue to play a pivotal role in shaping my learning journey. Their insights and support have been invaluable in fostering my understanding of effective learning environments and professional growth. We have grown quite a culture and have been sharing in life’s successes as well as supporting each other through life's challenges. Paul, Lance, Ashley, Rebekah, and Jane are my "Grad School Family". Our GroupMe has now developed into sub-topics per class, sub-threads per topic, and more than just class. We use GroupMe so that all can participate in the conversation when available, as we all have very different schedules during the school year. We support each other in work and life, and I treasure the group we are carefully cultivating and growing.

I was also able to expand my network. I have always enjoyed collaborating with Ashley Lee in breakout rooms or in-class chat and virtual discussions, but an opportunity came to share more about a discussion topic via text and photos on alternative classroom seating (which I am a huge advocate of!). Then we also started collaborating on some classwork. Once that began, we extended the collaborations to sharing feedforward on professional job-related presentations. Over Thanksgiving, we even had the opportunity to text about recipes! I'm enjoying getting to know her, and the insights she shares about learning are impactful and thought-provoking. Beyond class-related matters, reaching out for support and collaboration simply enhanced the depth of my learning experiences. Real discussions became a catalyst for personal and collective growth, creating a supportive culture that extended beyond the virtual realm.

In conclusion, the journey of creating significant learning environments and developing effective professional learning has been a multifaceted, major growing experience. From cultivating a growth mindset to navigating real-world challenges, each aspect has contributed to my evolving understanding of education. One of the most gratifying aspects of this part of the learning journey has been the immediate application of learning in my current role as a District Instructional Technology Coach. Witnessing the positive impact fuels my confidence for implementing further changes as I continue along. While the desire to revamp everything at once is strong, I've learned to appreciate the incremental process, understanding that sustainable growth takes time. I must go slow to grow big. I am confident of giving myself a 98/100 points. These two classes were an authentic intersection of my social, emotional, and cognitive circles that impacted my personal and professional growth. As I continue to walk this path, I embrace the ongoing process of growth, collecting my milestone moments, and knowing that each step forward contributes to the broader landscape of the field I am so passionate about.