Designing Robust Online Professional Learning Experiences

CSET will achieve a robust remote learning environment by providing a range of synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities that prioritize features of a transformative professional learning experience and that are anchored in conversations, collaboration, practice, and reflection amongst participants.  

Remote institute offerings will include opportunities for participants to build a foundational understanding of key ideas using materials before and during the institute (research-based readings, artifacts of teaching and learning) and pre-recorded video content from institute facilitators that are shared in advance. These asynchronous learning opportunities will anchor the synchronous learning sessions. We will strategically design the synchronous and asynchronous sessions so participants have many opportunities to build a professional community with participants outside of their local participant group. Synchronous sessions will be a combination of whole-group and breakout groupings to foster conversations across geographical locations, especially for content and grade-level band alike participants. 

Institute participants will also be part of local “communities of practice,” during the institute and the 2021-22 school year. Teachers will work with these groups to apply institute learning through shared planning, practicing, and analyzing of teaching artifacts and student work. The “communities of practice” will be supported by a CSET coach during the 2021-22 school year. Participants will also keep an electronic portfolio of their work and learning during the institute, sections of which will be interactive across institute participants for cross-pollination and feedback loops. 

To further harness the sharing and learning potential with international colleagues, coaches will create opportunities for participants to share ideas across content areas and grade-level band groups by establishing CSET-hosted virtual gatherings and an online collaborative space to share resources and questions around enactment of key ideas from the institute. CSET will also facilitate quarterly  opportunities for participants to join transnational professional learning groups during the school. These sessions will be optional given the time zone constraints.