From Pitfall to Springboard

I would like to avoid Pitfalls 4 & 5.

My experience with Pitfall 5 – In the Leadership Collaborative (LC), Learning Teams play a crucial role at the nexus of theory and praxis.  In the F2F sessions, Learning Teams are the primary means through which learners explore new concepts; experiment with applying those ideas to their work; discuss, debate and question; reflect on practice; and consult with each other.  In my first iteration of the hybrid, I endeavored to create this space for learners.  I created discussion boards for each Learning Team and asked Mentors to engage the teams in general conversation.  The effort was a bust.

My experience with Pitfall 4 – Another strategy deeply embedded in the LC is the use of time for individual work, whether that be experimenting with an idea, practicing with a tool or reflecting on previous efforts.  These moments of reflection provide the information from which the Learning Team work commences, from which new concepts can be presented, and from which on-the-job application can be considered.  The objective is that learners are consistently provided opportunities to explore the relationship between new information and what already exists in their cognitive maps.  In my first iteration of the hybrid, I did not experiment with the opportunities for replicating this experience online.

So, my idea…  In the classroom, I follow a rule – no more than 10 minutes of presentation before learners are actively engaged.  So, the general flow is 10 minutes presentation, individual work, team work, large group reflection.  It occurred to me that I can replicate that process – somewhat – as I create this hybrid.  What I’m thinking is that I’ll create 10 minutes videos, paired with quizzes-as-learning-aides.  I’ll then create an individual assignment and a discussion board.  Part of the assignment will be to reflect, in the discussion board, on what the person learned, struggled with, wondered about, as s/he completed her assignment.  Hopefully, this will initiate the same rich online sharing as occurs in the classroom.  When we gather for the F2F, our work will build on the individual work and teamwork that occurred online.