Empowerment is critical to personal learning, and, as a result, many have resorted to providing options for teachers to attend and choose what they want to learn. This sounds great, doesn’t it? We know learners respond well when we have voice and choice in our learning. Empowering people is not to be confused with doing whatever you want—this rarely helps people move forward toward shared goals just as too much control and compliance restricts creativity and innovation.

Here is an example:

As I was working with a principal who was contemplating next steps for his staff, he shared that, on the surface, providing choice in professional learning was working. Not many teachers were complaining, but when I asked about the change in practice that he wanted to see, he acknowledged that not everyone was making the choice to learn and try new things and actually creating more pockets of innovation then moving toward the desired learning in their classrooms. A select few were seeking new learning opportunities while the majority remained doing what they had always done and staying where they were comfortable.

After we discussed some new and better ideas to support his teachers, instead of providing free choice, which sounded great in theory, he met with each teacher and helped them select a specific inquiry or area of focus connected to the larger school goals. This goal was co-constructed and allowed for more focused coaching and support. The teachers collected evidence of what they were learning and the impact on what their students were learning and had buy-in because they selected their focus. Navigating the individual and system goals is a delicate balance that great leaders are always attending to based on the needs of those they serve.

Create Your Own Professional Learning Adventure

Creating diverse opportunities for professional learning is more important that ever as many systems strive to move away from standardization to more personal learning…for all learners. Remember the old choose your own adventure books? Think of this matrix as just the beginning of the possibilities that exist to craft some personalized professional learning experiences.   To be the most purposeful and have the most impact, starting with why you are engaging in learning opportunities will help determine the how, who, when, and where. With a clear purpose and goal, educators can leverage a wide variety of resources and experts, both in schools and across the global community to create you own adventure and continually improve practice.

Here are some of the many examples of what this could look like that I shared in my book, Learner Centered Innovation:

• Social Networks, Hashtags & Twitter Chats Developing a personal learning network can help educators access a variety of people, resources and ideas.  Some of my favorite chats and networks are  #deeperlearning #leadupchat #LeadLAP #masterychat and of course #LCInnovation.  Beyond the actual chat is the people that you connect with on a regular basis to share ideas and support and push each other from near and far. Check out some of these chats to find your tribe. 

• Micro-credentials Diverse organizations are developing micro-credentials to identify critical skills or competencies that are critical for educators to develop and improve their practice.  Digital Promise has developed a platform to house these micro-credentials and allow educators to submit evidence and earn micro-credentials. This competency-based approach allows for teachers to choose their own path, place and pace for learning but ensure that all educators demonstrate competency in the desired area to earn a micro-credential. Districts and schools have prioritized select micro-credentials that identify skills that they believe are critical for teachers to develop while teachers have autonomy to choose how they learn and show competence.

• Improvement Science As a learner, some of my most impactful shifts in practice have emerged from inquiry based projects.  Improvement Science is about determining what you want to change and running mini cycles to test your change idea and collect data to understand the impact. Beginning with a challenge that is meaningful provides rich opportunities to investigate new solutions and put something into practice, study the outcomes and learn to improve. The plan, do, study, act framework keeps it simple and allows for rapid cycles to continually improve practice in an area that is relevant to one’s own practice and unique context.  When learners pick the topic or the questions to investigate, they are empowered to make data informed decisions based on cycles of inquiry and application. Check out this example from Amy Var.

• Learning Walks In order to build capacity and develop a shared understanding of what powerful teaching and learning looks like, sounds like, and feels like, it is critical to observe (not just talk about) teaching and learning.  Too often we make decisions based on assumptions, as well as our own beliefs and perspectives, rather that what is currently happening in classrooms- here is an example of how I like to structure these experiences.

Not all standardization is bad but organizing all professional learning in a standardized way will not help us meet all learners and allow them to reach their potential. I am well aware of the reality that not everything can be relegated to “Choose your own adventure” or doing what every we want, and nor do I think it should be but we can (and should) limit the standardization when possible. When at all possible, educators (and students) should be empowered and supported to engage in learning that provides opportunities to learn new skills, knowledge and habits based while exploring their passions and goals.