Creating a Significant Learning Environment

I have been blessed to grow and work in my school district over the past 19 years. Our district has gone through a transition over the years and I have been lucky enough to be a part of the learning environment and to also help mold it to where it is today. We have spent time researching about ways to help learners, and change the way that we approach the learning environment in which they are interacting. The role of technology in the past was looked at as an engagement tool, but now it has become a necessary tool to access deeper learning. As a Digital Learning Coach we have also evolved from a tech expert to learning design coach. Over the past 2-3 years our professional learning ha begun to change as well. We want our educators to have voice and choice in their learning and provide the opportunity to learn from each other.

According to Thomas & Brown, technology advances have increased at a remarkable rate. Things that were common place now, were unthinkable 10 years ago (Thomas & Brown, 2011). As technology continues to change at a rapid pace, the ability to keep up with all of the new content and tools increased. This need has caused us to rethink how we deliver PL in our district.  We have so many amazing educators in our district and need to continue to harness their knowledge and understanding and help them see that they can see each other as resources and figure out how to learn from each other (Thomas & Brown, 2011). As Thomas & Brown says, we can no longer count on being taught or trained to handle each new change in our tools.

This type of learning is beginning to take form in our district through Twitter, Face to Face sessions delivered by our educators, and courses and discussions in our learning management system, Schoology. Educators are sharing their own personal experiences and adding it to the general flow of knowledge (Thomas & Brown, 2011). Our next big challenge is to take this type of learning and build a significant learning environment for our parents and community. As Thomas & Brown, 2011 says children and adults must continue to deal with an ever-changing world.

Creating an environment that allows for interactions and sharing their experiences will help them fill in their gaps of understanding (Thomas & Brown, 2011). Using the public environments they are already engaging with each other in will help us harness the power of the community already built and make it personally meaningful. Melding their participating on social media with access to the materials on that site and our learning management system will allow for free flowing and facilitated discussions on important topics to our community.

A challenge that arises when creating this type of environment will be helping our parents and community members begin to engage with each other in the way that will be most significant. The goal is for the parents to learn differently, and this is a new way of thinking for them. In the past, they learned in a more traditional environment where they would get information from an expert and learn from that expert. A challenge will be helping them see that learning from each other would be more beneficial to them because of all of the experiences that they all have collectively. If they are not submerged in this type of learning practice on a daily basis, how do I create an environment that will provide the understanding of this new way of interacting with each other and the content they need to be successful in supporting their children? As Thomas & Brown says, individuals can choose to join cultures, but not individual can create one. I wonder how I can harness the parents and community members that are already learning this way and provide media rich content, and a place for them to learn from each other?

My plan is to create a significant learning environment for our parents and community in order to help bridge the gap of understanding and for them to develop strategies to support their children in their learning journey.

By providing a significant learning environment for our parents, we can create a space of support and allow them to not only learn things, but to be supported by each other by sharing their own experiences. Our community thrives on supporting each other, so if we can provide the content and access to each other, our learners will benefit from a common understanding and they will in turn be prepared to be successful in their future.

The first step in our journey of creating a significant learning environment for our parents and community will be to define the most important topics that our community is passionate about. We can then provide media rich content and a facilitated space in which the public conversation and sharing experiences can take place. There are many challenges ahead, but the impact that we can make for our children is what will make this plan successful. Both our district and our community have the same outcome, our learner success!!

Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A new culture of learning: Cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Lexington, KY: CreateSpace.

Image source of title image: Pixabay.com