Helping Teachers Move Their Learning to the Sticky Zone

Over the past year, our leadership team has taken steps to encourage and support adult learning on our campus.  We have committed to moving from an environment of prescribed professional development tasks to personalized learning. This has meant giving up much of the control over the learning process and trusting that the teachers on our campus are actively involved in learning that impacts them professionally and personally.  

As I reflect on the learning that I observed throughout the year, I noticed that some adult learners, just like some of our best students, are good at giving information back to those that are asking for it.  Nothing new is being created, but a transfer of information occurs. Sticky, hard learning that creates change is much different than that.

Erika Andersen, a writer for the Harvard Businees Review,  addresses four key attributes that are present when an individual is learning in her blog post, "Learning to Learn”.

• Aspiration  -  The level of which someone wants to learn something.

• Self-Awareness -  Evaluating yourself accurately and striving for objectivity while reflecting on feedback from others.
• Curiosity -  Diving in until one understands something that has made them wonder. Learning to ask questions that moves learning along. Following questions up with actions until new learning happens.
• Vulnerability -  Putting oneself out there and starting as a beginner and embracing the journey of becoming good at something new. ​​​​

As we turn learning over to educators to drive their professional development, we must share tools/strategies that can aid them as they work through the attributes that are associated with deep learning.  Andersen states, “Once we become good or even excellent at some things, we rarely want to go back to being not good at other things.”  As our student's world and work environment continues to change rapidly, becoming comfortable with not being good at things, and growing has to become a part of every educator’s mindset. 

Sharing and discussing these attributes with teachers as they set learning goals can help guide discussions in how far out of their comfort zone the learning they are embarking on is taking them. Each year sharing their learning and it's impact on student achievement needs to be something that is visible and celebrated.

​Let's close with VULNERABILITY, as we support teachers and their learning we must celebrate and acknowledge the process of learning to learn at each step of their journey, the highs and the lows. 

​What are you doing on your campus to help adults continue to develop and grow as learners?

* Make It Stick by Peter Brown,Henry L. Roediger III and Mark A. McDaniel, is a valuable resource if you are interested in learning about the brain side of learning. Jennifer Gonzalez also has an interesting podcast about the book.