After the ASCD Conference
Toward a New Kind of Learning
Jen Morrison and Tom Hoerr
The night before PBS education journalist John Merrow gave his general session address to the 10,000 educators attending ASCD's 2010 Annual Conference in San Antonio, Tex., you would have found him sharing thoughts about the state of education informally with a small, select group of leaders in one of the lower rooms of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. This is where the 2010 class of ASCD Annual Conference Scholars gathered periodically to network and focus on their own learning during the three days of the conference.
That evening, the conversation ranged from the uses of Twitter to the conundrums of testing, from the reflections on the scholars' own presentations to lively debates about whether a teacher can actually develop the skills to teach any child, and from global comparisons of programming to local district problems.
The primary purpose of the ASCD Conference Scholars program is to extend professional learning for participants through technology, connections, reflection, and planning. Prior to the conference, scholars met "virtually," blogged together, and planned for learning at the conference in addition to planning their own presentations. None of the scholars had met face-to-face prior to March 6. Our inaugural group of ASCD Scholars—made up of teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and university professors—spanned five countries across seven time zones. The scholars came to San Antonio with a purpose and vision, as local education leaders but also as leaders with knowledge to share through conference presentations.
During the San Antonio conference, we met to connect and share our work and learning and practice with technology tools, like Twitter and ASCD EDge. We also needed to think ahead to how we might use our learning to implement change back home, whether in Buenos Aires, Argentina, or Culver City, Calif.
The goals of the ASCD Conference Scholars program are simple:
- Reflect on your own leadership.
- Connect, network, and share ideas with a diverse group of leaders.
- Experience and practice with new technology in a helpful, goal-oriented environment.
- Plan for growth and change before the Annual Conference, reflect on and apply learning from conference sessions, and use learning to implement change back home.
After the conference, scholars have continued to extend their learning through reflection and application of new knowledge to changes they would like to see in their home contexts. A common theme for many scholars is to widen their professional networks, enabling them to find peers with whom to reflect and share problems.
Doreen, a principal from Iowa, says, "You are only as isolated as you choose to be! I have met others who share my passions and my challenges, and I have found that I can reach out at any time, day or night, for support, sharing, or learning. I thought I was connected before, but truly my connections have grown exponentially through the ASCD Scholars program."
Connecting with fellow educators around the globe has been insightful and eye-opening, and many scholars were surprised at how issues and problems cross borders. Lori, a principal from Arizona, says, "The struggles, concerns, and celebrations facing many of us were quite similar and highlighted the fact that—while there is much to be accomplished in education—if we tap into one another's talents, ideas, visions, and solutions, we will be able to make a difference."
We know these bonds will not break. Over the summer, the ASCD Scholars program staff and facilitators will meet to reflect and plan next steps. The sentiment of Scott Herrmann, a principal from a Chicago suburb, rings true: "I sincerely hope that the 2010 Annual Conference was the beginning of our work, not the end."
We look forward to maintaining the ties that have been established among the inaugural class of ASCD Conference Scholars while extending and deepening professional learning with the new scholars cohort that joins us in 2011.
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Jen Morrison
I agreed to facilitate the scholars to help ASCD, but I have gained a great deal. I went to San Antonio in March with an insider's view and a vision of learning for the conference as a whole, which we focused on through the scholars. Most important, my personal learning network has been extended.
I know I can call Doreen Knuth to talk about the use of data at the school level or Tracy Broccolino if I need advice about curriculum design in elementary literacy. I know Alejandra Quaglia and I are destined to Skype someday about technology, possibly with one of the preservice teacher classes I conduct at Newberry College.
My new connections are also connections for people I work with closer to home—when someone here in South Carolina is wondering about how to implement the Understanding by Design framework, I'll put him in contact with Dana Paykos.
As we've worked together on this project, Tom and I not only pushed the envelope on our writing and facilitation skills, but we've pushed against each other's ideas as well. These days, I don't think I enter a school or any of my principalship classes without thinking about something he and I have discussed or should discuss.
I am a different leader than I was a year ago: while we designed the development of our scholar leaders, my leadership has changed. Now I ask more questions and I come to leadership at home with more perspectives and ideas than with just my own or those that are locally available.
A very strong web has been woven in the first year of the ASCD Conference Scholars, and I look forward to next year's process. I hope we can widen and strengthen that net.
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Tom Hoerr
Roland S. Barth's notion of collegiality among school faculty—the belief that if children are to grow and learn, then adults must grow and learn as well—has framed much of my thinking and practice. Participating in the ASCD Conference Scholars took this belief to another level.
Instead of simply chatting with faculty members in the halls or making a presentation at a conference, I found myself with a new cohort of people representing a range of places and occupying different roles.
Not only did I interact with and learn from them, but I also I did it through a variety of technological tools. Face-to-face at the Annual Conference was the best (I think my age must be showing!), but I also sent tweets, used Skype, attended a virtual conference, used ASCD EDge, blogged, and e-mailed.
Thanks to our scholars I learned some new things, like how age frames our attitudes, and that was fun. More significant than what I learned, though, is that I came away with a sense of appreciation for the dedication of those in the ASCD Scholars program. Also, it was a treat to work so collaboratively with Jen: we challenged each other's assumptions and enjoyed doing it!
None of us lack things to do, yet we found time to read and respond, we created time to visit with one another, and we made time to express our thoughts for others' reactions. The feedback from this group of scholars has been very positive, and I am excited about capitalizing on our experience to make next year's program even better.
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Jen Morrison is a teacher and education consultant currently working on her doctorate in educational administration at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. Tom Hoerr is head of the New City School in St. Louis, Mo., and an author of books on multiple intelligences and school leadership. Hoerr and Morrison are cofacilitators of the inaugural class of ASCD Conference Scholars.
ASCD Express, Vol. 5, No. 17. Copyright 2010 by ASCD. All rights reserved. Visit www.ascd.org/ascdexpress.