Collab Lab 32: Recap & Notes

Pete Reynolds Blog, Collab Labs February 18, 2020February 18, 2020PD

Last Thursday’s Collab Lab explored what teacher-centric professional development might look like. We had participants introduce themselves by sharing their best and worst PD experiences. As we listened to those conversations, one thing that stood out was the number of times the physical setting of the PD session came into play– an offsite location offered an opportunity to shift thinking, a session which had teachers sitting on cafeteria benches for two hours conveyed that those planning the session had not considered what the experience would be like for participants.

With those experiences as background, the first task for attendees was to inventory what they hope to gain/provide through PD. Those ideas fell into several broad categories:

Enthusiasm & Inspiration:

Excitement to replicate and extend
Inspiration
Enthusiasm
Enhancement of skills
Excitement — I want to leave and keep on working on it
Exciting change focused, purposeful, sound rationale
Transformation
Motivation to do what is best for students
- their learning
- their retention
- their personal growth
Fun, humor, interactive
How PD looks for females

Gain Knowledge

Gain Knowledge about specific tech subjects– AI, VR, etc.
Learn to engage students in new technologies purposefully
See great pedagogy modeled and be able to practice it
Rich content
Increase knowledge…
- student relationships
- engaging students
Knowledge that pertains to me!
Chance to learn from everyone in the room [recognize the experience in the room]
Develop a different perspective regarding those around us
Resources
Realistic or tangible outcomes
Share researched based best practices
Access to new information
Knowledge
Current best practices
New perspectives
Authentic experiences
Actionable skills, knowledge, connections

Collaboration

A space to collaborate & innovate
Ideas surrounding achieving classroom equity at the college and eventually university level
Follow up/accountability
Engagement through action and collaboration
Applicable/relevant
Processing time
Opportunities to reflect
Group of similar professionals for
- encouragement
- support
- common passion
A tribe

Connections

Connections for students
Authentic experiences
Excitement, passion, purpose
Exposure to other experts, mentors, coaches
Real access to tools, tech, mindset of others in an interest area
Contacts/networking
Fellow, passionate learners
Teacher to teacher PD
Respect as a capable adult learner
Opportunities to share my expertise
Form a supportive community
Increase collaboration among staff on working with students
Growing a community of learners.

Stretch & dive deep

Be forced to struggle and stretch
A desire to want more — go deeper
Stretch
Deeper investment in your work
Student PD — if you could learn anything at school what would it be?
Domain specific PD
Become better/more effective at what you want to do
Opportunities for students to grow, motivate their self in learning

Visions of what PD could be

With this broad set of goals in hand, we allowed a bit more time for conversation about how one might realize one more of those. From there we asked attendees to pair up and create a vision of what PD that aims to meet some of those goals might look like. Here’s some of what was shared.

Implementation of a school wide-initiative

Focus

One big goal or vision for whole school

It is not

A lecture
Cookie cutter

Participants

all stakeholders [in strategic teams that make sense]

It happens

Off site, neutral territory
As a 3-5 year plan with set SMART goals and monthly check in intervals

I’m able to leverage it

Because all other PD is filtered through this vision
As a realistic shared vision — teams set goals aligned with vision

Community

Focus

Supporting persistence & community

It does not

Have a top-down structure
Feel contrived

Participants

A group of people with a shared goal

It happens

In varied settings, especially getting people out of their everyday environment
Settings where everyday pressures are less pressing (leave town?)
Includes both structured and unstructured time

I’m able to leverage it

By having the flexibility to allow good things to happen
Let participants lead

A specific helpful computer program (one of many)

Focused on

Benefits & “how tos” of a new program

It is not

Condescending
Just a lecture
A one one and done or passing trend

It includes for participants

Hands on exploration
QA, comments, input from participants
Brainstorming, how could you use this?
Builds enthusiasm
Offers + schedule of follow up support for participants at all levels
Time for follow up
Research based, relevant
Of value — time saving/increased effectiveness

Team Cohesion

Focused on

Creating a more collaborative and safe team environment by establishing norms and committing to action

It does not

Provide space for admiring the problem and creating blame

It includes as participants

The entire team

It happens

At a retreat

I’m able to leverage it

By creating a commitment to change and holding myself accountable for it.

Mindful moments

Focus

Transitions when students enter class. Being present and acknowledging current mental state/capacity for learning.
Self compassion, self awareness, self efficacy

It does not

Have lectures or assignments
Mandate the rules of how to apply or engage

Participants

Teachers/faculty

It happens

45-50 minutes initial time of session demonstrating strategies for teachers to learn and practice
Follow up email with people who are practicing/to share with others

I’m able to leverage it

At the end of the session we build an accountability partnership with other session goers. Email each other to check in once a week for three weeks. After that the partnership will re-assess

Power of Data – GIS

Focus

Scientific inquiry using GIS technology
Create individual lesson plans
Argue from evidence

It is not

A lecture

Participants

Educators– formal & informal

It happens

As active learning over a 35 hour block

I’m able to leverage

Software
Career stories
Data collection
Varied context

Differentiation

Focus

Differentiation
- access
- accountability
learner needs, not roll out of programs

It does not

Disrespect the learner. Rather, it encourages choice, voice of participants

Participants

Leaders
Experts
Learners

It happens

During regular employee hours but can continue after ours or on vacations

I’m able to leverage it

Online, finding continuous connections, learning, teaching others
Us in classroom and in other profession
By sharing with colleagues

Equity Boot Camp

Focus

Equity — education & community
Misconceptions about race & identity
Racial inequality

It does not

Teach historical wrongs ONLY
Focus on people of color ONLY
Take it easy

Participants

Educators
Politicians
Advocates
Naysayers

It happens

At a ranch over a weekend in August

I’m able to leverage this to

Tap into people’s desires
Immerse people in transformation
Take actions (planned during the retreat)
Use monthly check-ins and a return in January to move towards resolution)

Thanks!

Thanks to Dec Code Camp for providing the space and to our featured participants for sharing their expertise and ideas:

Amber DuChateau — Education Design and Technology Consultant, UWM School of Nursing

Joe Du Fore — Director of Business Development, Wisconsin Education Innovations

Shaba Martinez — Digital Learning & Library Media Specialist, Bruce Guadalupe Community School

Angela McCarty — Director of Education Services, Milwaukee Teacher Education Center (MTEC)

Deidre Roemer — Director of Leadership and Learning, West Allis West Milwaukee School District

Resources

Our participants shared a number of resources. Here’s the list:

Code for Milwaukee Internship Program Code for Milwaukee is a civic technology non-profit that builds out projects that serve the greater Milwaukee community and beyond. They are starting an internship program that is open to middle and high school students who will help build out a technology based solution to solve a problem our community faces

MTEC

UWM Power of Data Workshops: 35 hour paid professional development program that enables st secondary teachers to increase students’ content knowledge, 21 Century Skills and awareness of geospatial technology careers through Geospatial Inquiry and data analysis. June 2020

Wisconsin ArcGIS Map Contest The 2020 Wisconsin map contest is part of the Esri national student ArcGIS Online competition. It is open to all Wisconsin middle and high school students.

Collab Lab 64: Recap & Notes
December 2, 2024

Our November Collab Lab explored placed-based engagement–what it can offer students, and the ways we might engage students around particular places in their neighborhood, their lives, or the broader community. Discussion We started the conversation by asking participants to describe for their tablemates a public space that holds meaning for them. We then asked each group to identify the what helped create that sense of meaning. Across our discussion groups, several key themes emerged: The opportunity to experience a place over an extended period of time– within a single visit or across multiple visits The sense of agency/ownership/belonging/feeling of welcome individuals had within those places A feeling of connection to a place’s history, their own experience within it, or with the people of that place The ability of participants to experience a place through multiple senses, bring their own knowledge or experience to their understanding of a place, physically engage with or within a place, or recognize a feeling of peace (or danger), all add to the ways we find meaning or a sense of magic and wonder in a place. From there we asked participants to identify what they came to understand about places which hold meaning for them, that a casual observer, or one who had not spent much time in the place would miss. Here, the temporal experience of places came to the fore– how it changes during the day, with the seasons or over the years; how it evolves or adapts physically, in how it is used, and the meaning it holds for those who inhabit or care for the place. Participants also recognized that much of the meaning a place has for them is a product of what they bring to the place, that there are multiple ways of experiencing the same place, and often unwritten rules which guide one’s conduct within it. As a final point of discussion, we asked how students might gain that sense of meaning, or a deeper understanding of places within Milwaukee. Here, we found clear agreement across the discussion groups– “Get out of the way”. Students need time and the freedom to experience and explore places on their own terms. The meaning of a place can’t be proscribed for students, it needs to grow organically from their experience, knowledge, and understanding of that place. We can however help set up the conditions that can allow that to happen: Don’t fill or control every minute of a field trip or field experience, leave time for students to explore and experience the place you’ve brought them to on their own terms. Build a classroom culture that welcomes reflection, understanding of the experience of others, self exploration, and a willingness to share ideas Leverage the fact that each student comes with their own experience of the city and connections to different parts of it Start with places students do know and care about, and let them explore outward from there Allow students to engage with new places in the context of issues they care about Participants recognize that curriculum, access, proximity, and time all pose constraints as we seek to engage students in building a deeper understanding and connection of places within Milwaukee. But there was also a hopeful thread of thought that looked to kindle a re-enchantment with the world for students and a recognition that one can find wonder and meaning within the most mundane places. That starts with simply creating the opportunity and getting out of the way. Thanks A big thanks to all who were able to join us for the discussion, and especially our Featured Participants: Lauren Instenes— Project Coordinator for the MKE Roots Project, Marquette University Joseph Kaltenberg — MKE Parks Manager, City of Milwaukee – Department of Public Works Arijit Sen — Associate Professor of History and Urban Studies, UW Milwaukee Angela Vickio — Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Thanks also to MSOE’s STEM Center for hosting us. Resources We didn’t get much time to talk through Arijit Sen’s Field School project, but he did share several links to that work with us: The Field School web site Stories from the Milwaukee Garden Network The Milwaukee Environmental Justice Lab The Washington Park Collaborative J.B Jackson’s work looking at ordinary landscapes was also mention. Here’s a link for further reading https://daily.jstor.org/j-b-jackson-and-the-ordinary-american-landscape/

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Collab Lab 63: Recap & Notes
October 29, 2024

The ability of teachers and students to engage effectively in difficult conversations, across that gap or amongst peers is central to creating the kinds of opportunities we want for students. At a bare minimum, those skills are needed to offer and receive effective feedback on student’s work. They are even more important if we want to engage students (and teachers) on challenging topics or to drive change within their school or in the broader community. The centrality of those skills seemed like a good place to kick off our 9th season of Collab Labs. On October 10th we gathered at UWM’s Lubar Entrepreneurship Center for Collab Lab 63 and a discussion focused on Empowering All Voices. Our work for the evening engaged participants to map factors that allow all voices to participate in brave conversations. The maps shown here were captured and included here unedited. The primary two goals of creating this experience for the attendees were to: Discuss and reflect on what group members with different backgrounds but shared purpose consider relevant factors and how they relate and impact each other. Reflect on how you would apply the insights generated to your own ‘self-management’ in a group setting with familiar and unfamiliar participants. We did not explicitly ask attendees to consider a K12 setting with teacher-student(s) and teacher-teacher interactions. We are in the process of integrating these maps into our larger model, and will share that work in a subsequent post. What do you see in the maps when you look a bit more closely? Are there commonalities that stand out to you? What would be a question you might ask (one of the teams) to help connect some dots or further complete the map? Thanks again to our Featured Participants: Hannah Fox — Health Education Coordinator, Sixteenth Street Community Health CentersSerina Jamison — Program Director, Future Urban LeadersYesi Pérez — Neighborhood Revitalization Project Manager, Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers Chris Willey — Director of Technology, Islands of Brilliance Thanks also to Ben Trager from UWM’s Center for Student Experience & Talent for hosting us at UWM, and to his Ed Policy students who were a great addition to the conversation. Join us on November 14th for Collab Lab 64: Place Based Engagement

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Collab Lab 59: Recap & Notes
February 9, 2024

After a break in January, our Collab Lab Series resumed last night with a session focused on dealing with setbacks and recognizing wins. Challenges Began the discussion with an inventory of the challenges and setbacks students face when they work together on open ended projects. These challenges primarily revolve around: Expectations Focus on grades Belief that their voice won’t matter Opposing wants — freedom vs control Expectations are unclear An ability to deal with uncertainty Lack of confidence Being open to the idea that there is no one right answer Aversion to risk/failure Communication & collaboration Inability for team members to agree on a common approach Ability to deal with personality conflicts within a team Ability to give and receive constructive criticism Lack of accountability Lack of feedback Project structure Project lacks structure that would allow students to make progress Space/time to iterate Access to resources necessary to effectively take on the challenge Skills Ability to arrive at a good definition/understanding of the problem at hand Time management Need for higher level thinking skills Strategies In our second round, our discussion shifted to look at strategies to help students address each of these challenges. Expectations Set clear expectations with examples Set up an environment with clear expectations for communication, collaboration, willingness to learn from things that did not go as expected. Dealing with uncertainty Students have repeated opportunities to immerse themselves in the challenge and circle back with their teacher for input and guidance Acknowledge big feelings to help understand that “failure” is not personal Communication & collaboration Understand the context of students life beyond school and what they may need to work effectively with peers Small, frequent check-ins Create time/space for purposeful reflection Project Structure Students are given a clear view of the process they will follow to arrive at a solution even if they can’t yet see where it might lead Decompose challenge into smaller pieces Structure challenges students to stretch at each step of the process, but those steps are within reach, and build on each other Connect students with what they need when Repeated opportunities to practice and develop skills within the context of the project Skills Both students and teachers are equipped with the skills they need/supported in their development of those skills Skills required build on those already acquired A Simple Tool With this inventory in hand, we recounted the story of the Number Talks Quick Refence Card that was developed out of a project we did with K-12 teachers and UWM Math faculty. That project supported teams of teachers who wanted to establish Number Talks as a regular practice in their elementary school classrooms. Though teachers could clearly see the value of the practice, it was something new, so they wanted something that could rely on to help keep them on the right path. One of the teachers suggested a small card of reminders that should could hold and glance down at while working with students. The card we developed includes three sections: Talk Moves (strategies), Probes (questions to ask), and Pats on the Back (signs that things are working). As the final exercise of the night, we asked each of our discussion groups to develop their own Quick Reference Cards for open ended projects. Here’s what they came up with: Group 1 Moves Give yourself time Accept “I don’t know” Build personal connections You’ve got this Accept congratulations Probes Tell me more… How might we…? Pats on the Back I was afraid to try this but I did anyway Group 2 Moves Yes, and? Build community Set Goals Normalize failure Probes What did we learn? What is your why? What makes you uncomfortable? What do you bring to the team? How might we…? Pats on the Back Unprompted reflection Group 3 Moves Are students in the right groups? What does this student need? How is my relationship with this student? Probes How will you define success? Pats on the Back Students are engaged Students are gaining essential skills Students give and receive feedback Students get the feedback they need Students move from “I” to “we” Thanks again to our Featured Participants: PJ Dever — Executive Director for Playworks in Wisconsin Lana M. Minshew — Assistant Professor, Director of the Human-Centered Design Lab at the Medical College of Wisconsin Nina Johnston — Program Manager of the Human-Centered Design Lab at the Medical College of Wisconsin A big thanks also goes out to Anthony, Audrey, Connor, Olivia, & Madeline, Architecture students at UWM. They are joining us this semester for Collab Labs and other sessions we run at the STEM Center as part of service learning field experience for Arch 302. In another example of 1 + 1 = 3, The students gain a field experience as they look at the design of learning spaces (in this case the STEM Center), we get help setting things up and cleaning up after each session, and our Collab Lab participants get the perspective of 5 individuals not far removed from K-12 who find themselves navigating open-ended, collaborative, community-engaged projects. Thanks also to MSOE’s STEM Center for hosting the Collab Lab Series, as well as the students from Pathways High School and Bradley Tech who joined in person/on Zoom.

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Collab Lab 57: Recap & Notes
November 16, 2023

Following the Hero’s Journey theme of Collab Labs this season, our November session explored stepping out of the known world and dealing with uncertainty. Our discussion began with an exploration of the uncertainty participating teachers and students already deal with in school. That set some context for the next round of conversations focused on fears/worries about engaging students in open-ended challenges. We wrapped up the discussion with an inventory of strategies and practices teachers, students, and attendees from outside of K-12 have seen or use to manage uncertainty around projects — whether that is where the project will lead or how the team will get there. This week we pulled those factors into a system map, connecting elements based on what we heard in the discussions. What’s striking, though not unexpected, is the importance of trust and open communication in all of this. It is what allows both teachers and students to take some risks, try something new, and be willing to accept and learn from efforts that don’t work out as hoped. You can view the system map here, and we welcome your thoughts and input on what else we might include, or how we might better repent the dynamics at play. Those of you who have explored the map produced from last seasons sessions focused on feelings of safety and affirmation at school, will recognize a number of familiar elements. Going forward, we’ll be looking at how we can merge or otherwise use these maps and what we hear in upcoming Collab Labs to paint a more complete picture of the forces at play when we look to offer students the hands-on community-engaged learning experiences they deserve. … Next up on our Hero’s Journey, we meet the mentors and helpers as we explore what it takes to support authentic work. Join us on December 14th for Collab Lab 58. Thanks again to our Featured Participants: Amber Henzig: Scrum Master & Servant Leader, Johnson Controls Kelsey Otero: Senior Director of Community Engagement, Marquette University Sean Campbell: Teacher at Pathways High School, Milwaukee Thanks also to MSOE’s STEM Center for hosting the Collab Lab Series, as well as the students from Pathways High School and Bradley Tech who joined in person/on Zoom.

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Collab Lab 56: Recap & Notes
October 18, 2023

For our 8th season of Collab Labs, we’re exploring how the lens of the Hero’s Journey can inform how we approach community-engaged project based learning, and what more we can offer students when we do so. Over the course of the 2023-24 season, each of our Collab Labs will focus on a different phase of the Hero’s Journey. We kicked things off last week with Collab Lab 56, a session focused on the call to adventure. How do we motivate our students to take the first couple of steps on their own learning journey? How do we channel the enthusiasm of some students who clearly identify with a topic and want to set off in pursuit of the prize, bypassing what we as educators believe are essential knowledge and skills in the order we believe these ought to be learned? What makes a call compelling for students? We began our discussion with the question, “What makes a call compelling to students?” As attendees explored the conditions for getting students engaged in a big challenge they noted: Authenticity of subject, intrinsic motivation A teacher’s excitement & confidence Proximal development Involvement in ‘the process’ Confidence in the person leading the process >> proper guidance and support, constant work on trust and relationships Align with student’s experience and expertise, attitudes and aptitudes (don’t set the student up for failure) Culturally responsive and relevant The end result will be tangible (Appropriate) level of autonomy & power to choose the path that seems most interesting or rewarding Additionally, much relies on (role modeling) a certain mindset: Overcoming competing forces that may hold someone back Failure is an opportunity to learn. “A bump in the road is not the road itself” What has your experience been with creating compelling ‘call to adventure’ for your students? What do educators and students need to commit to the journey? With that inventory in place, we moved to a discussion of what needs to be in place for students (and their teachers) to commit to the journey.On the student side, that includes: Trusting relationships, respect, sense of belonging Build an iterative experience that gets progressively more challenging Create oral/written feedback opportunities that encourage engagement Defined roles based on prior experience Adjust composition of the learning space to reflect the work Normalizing uncertainty Being able to see your peers as resources Learning how to co-create Know and/or find yourself as a learner (EQ) Develop understanding of what ‘commit’ means Barriers for students fully participating in these challenges include: Housing instability Health issues, Food availability May exist outside the school environment >> teacher less aware Overall stability inside & outside the learning environment For educators, the list includes: Bring (or gain) personal experience with the journey you’re asking students to take on. Professional development on relevant concepts, such as PBL, collaboration, etc., by experts >> those actually doing this work, from a ‘learner first’ perspective >> practical, hands on Best practices that are share across schools and districts A framework for designing and managing, similar to ‘design thinking’ Sustainable partnerships to 1) support student projects and 2) share resources (how do you) develop community support for a different approach to learning (time and energy to) Pursue grants to help support ‘extra’: field experiences, resources, PD, etc. Admin support for taking risks with experiments. If you are a teacher, how are you navigating the hurdles to offering student driven inquiry projects to your students? In the discussion of barriers for students, several participants brought up a recent piece in the New York Times that noted that economic stability and integration of families, as well as higher levels of teacher pay in the US Defense Department’s schools were among key factors that allow those schools to outperform public school systems. You can find the article here. One caveat noted in the discussion– the focus of these schools is on a standardized curriculum with traditional models of instruction. A special thanks for our featured guest, Andi Gomoll from Gomoll Research & Design who brought her extensive experience with understanding what motivates and engages users (customers) to the conversation. And, as always, we’re appreciative of MSOE for letting us make use of the NM Lab in the WE Energies STEM Center every month. Up Next Collab Lab 57: Dealing with Uncertainty Thursday November 9th, 5:30 to 8:30 pm at MSOE’s STEM Center Actively using some form of PBL with your students and looking for ideas or encouragement from others? Consider joining your peers in the inspirED Community.

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Collab Labs Return
September 6, 2023

We’ll be back at MSOE’s STEM Center on Thursday October 12th to kick off our 8th season of Collab Labs. If you’ve been looking for an opportunity build connections with individuals who share your passion to do more for students, exchange ideas with folks inside and outside of K-12, and explore opportunities to collaborate, this is the place to do so. If you are a student that would like to see your school value all that you can bring, take on real challenges, and build connections to the broader community, this is your place to. Building off our experience with students in our April and May Collab Labs, we’re now extending a formal invite to middle and high school students who want to be part of the conversation. Our discussion topic for October is Heeding the Call of the Student — where do we hear that want to go, how can create opportunities for their concerns and passions to drive a richer exploration of what you had hoped to cover anyway? Collab Labs run 5:30 to 8:30 pm on the 2nd Thursday of each month October through May, except for January. There is no cost to attend, and beyond great people and great conversations, we provide food and drinks. We look forward to seeing you there.

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Collab Lab 32: Recap & Notes

Enthusiasm & Inspiration:

Gain Knowledge

Collaboration

Connections

Stretch & dive deep

Visions of what PD could be

Implementation of a school wide-initiative

Community

A specific helpful computer program (one of many)

Team Cohesion

Mindful moments

Power of Data – GIS

Differentiation

Equity Boot Camp

Thanks!

Resources

2024-25 Collab Labs

Collab Lab 66: Engaging Families

Collab Lab 67: Connecting to Community

Collab Lab 68: Making Progress in a Turbulent System

Collab Lab 69: Celebrate & Re/Connect