As school buildings began to close, I was called to shift my delivery of professional learning from in person to a virtual space, indefinitely. In an effort to bring value to the educators I serve as quickly as possible, my first move was to design a simple, pedagogically sound distance learning lesson design that was aligned to the neuroscience of Universal Design for Learning. A design structure for virtual professional learning was not on the forefront of my mind.

Collaboration Fuels Innovation

It is through collaboration that we build upon ideas and refine our thinking. Chris Collins, an Assistant Regional Director for School Improvement across the country from my own home in California, contacted me after viewing the lesson design on Twitter. Chris asked if I had considered how the framework may apply to professional learning. We had a great conversation about how the lesson design protocol might be adjusted to apply to professional learning experiences. And that got me thinking.

Innovation need not be something completely new, it is often a fusion of ideas. And collaboration fuels the design process. It is the conversation with Chris that sparked this professional learning design. I found that theories of andragogy (the study of adult learning) align well with the neuroscience of Universal Design for Learning, and the 4 steps of the distance learning lesson design protocol.

4 Steps for Professional Learning from Afar

1. Set the Stage: Provide educators with overview of learning topic(s) to be addressed. Share agenda for session(s). Guide educators in setting a personal learning goal. This can be done in a virtual meeting space such as a video platform, or via a previously recorded video for an asynchronous learning environment.
2. Content: Encourage educators to explore content, represented by various multimedia options. Content may include video, texts, websites, podcasts, etc. Choice is key. To foster intrinsic motivation, honor educators’ professional autonomy to select from content choices most applicable to their context. This activates the recognition networks of the brain, increasing access for all learners.
3. Problem Solving/Collaboration: Ask educators to predict potential barriers to implementing new learning. Then, lead them to a collaborative space to problem solve together. Ask, “how might we overcome these barriers?”. The collaborative conversations can occur in video call breakout rooms, video discussion platforms such as flipgrid, digital discussion boards, social media, etc. As learners listen to and build upon each others’ ideas, the affective networks of their brains are activated.
4. Synthesize Learning: Provide educators time to prepare implementation of new learning. Encourage educators to share ideation and initial plans in the method that works best for them (i.e. digital uploads of sketchnotes, videos, outlines, lesson plans, text explanations, etc.) Options in expressing learning activate the strategic networks of the brain. And the opportunity to create an implementation plan for learners’ individual contexts increases the value of the learning.

What Does it Look Like?

Virtual professional learning sessions require more planning than do in person experiences. We must be cognizant to proactively prepare collaboration opportunities in a digital format, provide a backchannel platform for interaction/questions throughout the session, and give participants ample time for all 4 steps of the professional learning design (this can occur after the session or during a follow-up learning experiences as well). The following examples represent 2 and 3 hour professional learning experiences, respectively. However, I have also facilitated many 30-45 minutes virtual learning sessions that have been well received by participants.

Professional learning in a physical space does not transfer to a virtual environment without adjustments and careful planning. But that does not mean it cannot be effective. In this environment of distance learning, show the educators you serve respect by taking the time to thoughtfully consider virtual professional learning design. Provide opportunities for personal goal setting, multiple representations of content, collaboration platforms, and options for synthesizing learning.