Greetings WOL Friends,
Building belonging in the learning environment is so important to us. We want students who meet their instructors remotely to feel connected to their teacher and what they are learning. To accomplish this goal we do our very best to support our folks as they enter the digital-remote learning space. Through professional learning, sharing resources, collaborative teammates, and an amazing leadership team - we do our best to make everyone feel like they belong and have our support. And, that is not always easy.
In this episode, we talk with Allison Rodman of the Learning Loop. Allie’s work has always focused on adult learning - (if you listened in to our last podcast you heard about her latest book Still Learning). Recently our team turned to Allie for support. As the World of Learning has grown and expanded, so has our team. To me, it was important and obvious that we needed some help.
As you listen in you will hear Lauren talk about her trepidation when I carved out time to work on ourselves and our team.
There was that gut feeling, like, I’m maxed out.
Allie helped Lauren and the team see the importance of continuous learning and reflection so that we were able to begin to refine our practices and strengthen our collective efficacy.
Working with Allie has helped to bring us together as a team - from simple things like recognizing our most effective times of day to work on projects, to understanding our blind sides. Lauren shared how we became more vulnerable as we shared our personality types, working together on our meeting effectiveness, and prioritizing our goals. Through these practices and many others, we have been able to identify our primary work and tasks, support each other's strengths, and navigate challenges more effectively. While the work has been hard - as Lauren states - it has been well worth it in helping us to build trust with each other.
Here are a few of the main points that Allie highlighted in our conversation:
1. The Importance of Continuous Learning and Reflection: Allie emphasizes the importance of educators continually refining their practice and not becoming stagnant. Reflecting on their roles as individual learners and team members is crucial for growth and effectiveness. This involves not only learning new methods, but also pausing to ensure that actions are intentional and meaningful for both team members and students.
2. Building Team Cohesion through Clear Leadership and Norms: Allie discusses three core components essential for developing team cohesion and a unified vision:
Clear leadership that filters and removes as much as it adds, creating space for new focus areas.
Establishing norms for true engagement and collaboration during professional learning sessions, encouraging full presence, and setting aside distractions.
Creating structures for ongoing collaboration and learning beyond facilitated sessions, fostering accountability and continuity in the team's growth.
3. Attunement and Understanding as Foundations for Effective Collaboration: Attuning oneself and others as learners and individuals is foundational for building trust and effective teamwork. By understanding their own strengths and growth areas, team members can communicate openly, provide support, and leverage each other's strengths. Vulnerability and strength go hand in hand in fostering trust and progress within the team.
These key components to building strong adult teams go a long way to support the learners in our classrooms. As Lauren noted - you often don’t feel like you don’t have the time to work on yourself or your team with so much to do - and we have seen such a positive effect as we have made ourselves, and our team, a priority.
As we concluded the podcast Allie emphasizes her commitment to partnerships and provides so many resources on her website, including free consultations for those interested in exploring SEL strategies for their teams. You can check that out HERE.
And on Wednesday - she has a free webinar. Check it out!
As always, if you can’t find a teacher or need a long or short-term solutions don’t hesitate to reach out to pmulroy@iu08.org.
Have a great week,
Pat
Still Learning and Reflection