THE SUMMER 2020 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THINK TANK: DESIGNING MISSION-ALIGNED DISTANCE LEARNING
Dates: July 1, 2, 8 & 15
Time: 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM Hawaii Standard Time (with a 1 hour mid-morning break)
11:00 AM to 4:00 PM PST / 1:00 to 6:00 PM CST / 2:00 to 7:00 PM EST
Location: Online via Zoom
Cost: $450 per person / $375 per person for groups of 3+
"If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow."
-John Dewey, Democracy and Education, 1944, p. 167
Who would have thought that one of the most referenced John Dewey quotes could take on an entirely new meaning in the year 2020? With the words of this 100 year-old progressive educator in their hearts and minds--to stop the spread of COVID-19--educators across the world worked quickly this past spring to devise plans for crisis online instruction. It was truly a moment to “learn by doing,” and now that summer is upon us, it’s time to reflect on what we learned and gain the new knowledge we need to build distance learning plans that better reflect the missions of our beloved schools.
This summer program will support individual educators and school teams as they work to design a mission-aligned distance learning program for their school. It is framed around the question, How do we ensure that our distance learning plan is progressive, and aligns with the mission/vision of our school? Guided by expert instructors, the program will function as a professional community of inquiry, or think tank, in which participants will have the opportunity to examine current research and best practices, learn about model distance learning programs, reflect and dialogue with peers, and apply learning to create a solid distance learning program for their unique school context. In summary, the program will include:
A structured reflection of: What worked well in your most recent crisis online instruction experience? What didn't? Why?
Review of research, theory, and policy recommendations
Communicating to parents
Review of model-based best practices
Review of common terms and jargon
Exposure to model-based tools
Time for exploration of tools
Considerations for assessment
Case study experiences
Development of mission aligned, progressive distance learning plans
Time for individuals and/or teams to plan
Facilitated discussions of plans including needs assessment techniques
Feedback on plans and alignment to mission and progressive values
This program is designed for both individual educators and school teams that are looking to create a distance learning program for their school community. School communities can range from pre-school to higher education, or non-traditional forms or schooling such as museums or outdoor education programs. Teams can be made up of 3-5 members of a school community who want to engage in the program together.
Participants will meet with instructors on four different days, four hours per day, over the course of three weeks. This will allow time for individuals and school teams to meet on their own (or perhaps with other members of their school community) in between sessions to further develop the plans they are working on. It will also ensure that instructors can support participants as they uncover new questions and problems of practice as they emerge over the course of the summer.