Redesign Remarks: Initial PD Redesign Content Beginning to Be Shared

Work Teams
As you are aware, work on the redesigning the Agency’s professional learning continues, with implementation in some form happening this fall. Each of the eight work teams (team membership was shared earlier in The Connection, as well as at spring regional meetings) continue to identify key content in their respective areas and make initial decisions about what all Heartland AEA certified staff should know. As a reminder, those areas include:

• Problem Solving
• Adult Learning
• Behavior
• Instruction, Data & Assessment
• Early Childhood
• Child Find
• Technology
  

Draft of Work Team Content to Be Shared with PLC
When the work teams get to the point where they believe they have identified the critical content in their area, each team will vet a DRAFT of its content with the Professional Learning Committee (PLC), which is composed of job­alike facilitators, HEA representatives and administrators. The vetting process includes the work team lead sharing a short video that summarizes the key components of their content area and asking for feedback from PLC members around the following questions:

• How does the identified continuum of learning connect to the work you do for the Agency?
• What items in the identified continuum of learning are essential to the work you do for the Agency?
• What appears to be missing from the continuum of learning?
  

The work team lead will also share his/her team’s continuum of learning with the PLC committee.

Draft Content Also Shared With Staff
In order to give all Heartland AEA staff a sense of what each of the PD redesign work teams is working on, we will be highlighting each team’s video and continuum of learning. Keep in mind that the video and the continuum is the “first blush” of critical content that each team has identified. Based on feedback from the PLC group (and other vetting groups the team identifies), changes are made to enhance the quality of professional learning for Heartland AEA staff. Our first team to share is Adult Learning.

The Adult Learning Work Team has focused on content that will equip Heartland AEA staff from all work groups with the knowledge and skills to successfully coach, collaborate, consult, facilitate or present while recognizing the individuality of each situation as a learning opportunity. The Adult Learning team’s video provides an overview of each of the initial key components of the learning the team has focused on. The video references the team’s original proposed Key Components.

We hope you take a moment to listen to the overview and review the first draft of the key components of the Adult Learning work team. We hope you will get a sense of how the critical content this team has identified can be useful to you in the work you do for children, families and educators. Each team will continue to refine its work and updates will be communicated in future Connection articles.