Blog

The Burden

The Burden

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Last weekend I was reminded of the care and caution needed with raising young Black men.

My sons have been involved with a local Boy Scout troop for the last five years.  My eldest joined the scout troop at the beginning of sixth grade and my younger two sons followed suit.  Up to this point, I’ve never felt they were looked at or treated differently based on their race.  Until last Sunday. Continue reading “The Burden”

What Teachers Really Do for All Those Apples

What Teachers Really Do for All Those Apples

Reading Time: 2 minutes

On Saturday I attended an apple grafting workshop. Though I have no particular inclination to learn how to graft apples, I do have a passion for small-scale sustainable farming and orchards are almost always included as part of the design of sustainable homesteads. So, I went to the workshop and came home with six tiny trees, which if I learned well and the grafts grow, will kick-start my someday orchard. Continue reading “What Teachers Really Do for All Those Apples”

Recognizing Talent

Recognizing Talent

Reading Time: 4 minutes

This year, my youngest son was admitted into the district Extended Learning Program (ELP), a program for students identified as gifted and talented.  Almost immediately upon hearing the news, he remarked, “Wow…I’m the smartest Nyberg, besides you and Dad, of course.”  Ever since then, I’ve wondered about the messages we send students in some cases as early as second grade about talent and what it means for those who are not deemed “talented” what that may imply? Continue reading “Recognizing Talent”

Why We Retreat as a Team

Why We Retreat as a Team

Reading Time: 2 minutes

On Monday, the West Wind Education Policy team – including our colleague who telecommutes from 2 hours away – gathered in the West Wind offices for a staff retreat.  We do this twice yearly and spend one to two days working together side-by-side.  During this retreat we spent the first part of our day focused on our social media strategy for ourselves and our clients and partners.  During the afternoon we spent some time discussing how we physically work together and how we could best use our space and the tools we have to make our work stronger and grow our relationships. Continue reading “Why We Retreat as a Team”

Adult Learning

Adult Learning

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Have you given much thought to how you learn? When you are planning learning experiences to help other professionals learn new knowledge and skills, are you using practices that will make a difference?

Always on the look-out for research on professional learning, I was pleased to discover a study by Carl Dunst and Carol Trivette (2012)[1] that examines the effectiveness of evidence-based adult learning practices. These researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 58 randomized controlled design studies of four adult learning methods – accelerated learning, coaching, guided design, and just-in-time training. Continue reading “Adult Learning”

How Online Communities of Practice Shape Our Work

How Online Communities of Practice Shape Our Work

Reading Time: 2 minutes

In education reform, technology increasingly allows us to work across classrooms, schools, districts, states, and often even international borders.  Online dialogues via email are a way of life for most of us and we routinely connect through webinars, Google Plus, Discussion Forums, Twitter, Facebook, and many other platforms.  Online communities of practice and collaboration sites allow ongoing working relationships that span time zones and geographical borders to promote continuous knowledge sharing.  Many of you may have been part of a community of practice in the past or are currently a member of one or more of these types of communities – whether completely online, in-person, or a mixture of both.   If you are not familiar with online communities of practice, visit the U.S. Department of Education School Turnaround site to see how they work. Continue reading “How Online Communities of Practice Shape Our Work”

What We Are Doing for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

What We Are Doing for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 1983 legislation was signed declaring the third Monday in January Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  In 1994 Congress designated MLK Day as a national day of service and charged the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency, with leading the effort.  Founded in 1993, the Corporation for National and Community Service’s purpose is to “connect Americans of all ages and backgrounds with opportunities to give back to their communities and their nation.”  This agency manages the SeniorCorp (2009), and AmeriCorp (1993) programs. Continue reading “What We Are Doing for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service”

Design-Stage Considerations for Using Collaboration Sites to Support Communities of Practice

Design-Stage Considerations for Using Collaboration Sites to Support Communities of Practice

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Written by Circe Stumbo and Mandi Bozarth

The design of the online components of a community of practice determines its potential and limitations even before any member has joined. Decisions must be made very early in the design stage that will impact the community’s usefulness, longevity, implementation, and success. This document outlines those decisions. We pose many questions you will want to ask yourself, but we do not offer answers to those questions, as each community of practice will have different answers. We have advice and experience to offer as you begin answering those questions and would be pleased to hear from you if you are interested in further conversation.

To continue reading, download the document below:

Designing and Growing an Online Community of Practice:  A Case Study of the Iowa Forum on Competency-based Education

Designing and Growing an Online Community of Practice: A Case Study of the Iowa Forum on Competency-based Education

Reading Time: < 1 minute

In December 2011 the Iowa Department of Education asked West Wind Education Policy Inc. to develop an accessible format to share information about competency-based education with stakeholders across the state in real-time. The format was meant to promote community engagement begun at a conference of Iowa educators, higher education faculty, Iowa Workforce Development staff, national experts, policy makers, and state education agency staff. West Wind decided that the charge could best be met with the development of an online community of practice or collaboration site. The following is a case study of the deliberations that led West Wind to the design, creation, and implementation of the Iowa Forum on Competency-based Education.

To read the rest, download the document below:

Theme: Overlay by Kaira