As my fourth term in the ADL program comes into a close, I find myself further down the path of growing and progressing as a learner.  With each assigned text, video resource, and group discussion, I am validated with my choice of graduate programs.  The experiences of choice, ownership and voice through authentic learning is routine and expected.  It is how I am afforded the understanding of the content from my two courses.

EDLD 5389: Effective Development of PL

The opportunity to dive into creating and planning learning for my colleagues was a daunting task.  But it was a challenge I was excited to take on.  I have spent so many hours in training that I did not fully allow for the mastery of the strategy being presented.  This was a chance for me to create a PL that was intentional and purposeful.  

As with previous courses, my first line of help and support is my peers.  I love that we have a well-established group chat utilizing GroupMe.  It is a thread that is active throughout each term.  There are learners that are representative of all stages of the program.  The people I felt most engaged in the in conversions about 5389 were Dawn Short, Patrick Rodriguez, Ashleigh Carter, Anna Diemecke, Sarah Edler, Shay McDonald, Rebecca Rodgers, Adrianne Ortiz, Kristin Winzer, and LaTammie and James Rawls.  With the collaboration of this group, we were able to tackle numerous concerns and questions that came up in our completion of assignments and discussions.  Over the term, when we needed more clarification, we met on Zoom to collaborate virtually.  Those sessions were a good part of my success in my assignment outcomes.   I truly appreciated them sharing their work with me for feedforward and the feedforward I received in return.  

I was also able to request feedforward and suggestions from my colleagues in my school community.  The Math Dean and our campus ITS representative advised me on my PL implementation and outline.  It was through their help that I felt confident in my final plan.  I am also planning to reach out to the Secondary Math Curriculum Specialist to see if I can go ahead with assembling a cohort for the fall semester.

Through my feedforward offered to my classmates and discussion threads, the benefit was not solely experienced by my peers.  It was helpful in my making connections and deepening my knowledge.  By reviewing other plans of PL, I was able to find several ideas that have motivated me to develop and create other opportunities in PL. My experiences will continue to benefit and grow myself and the school community for a long time. 

EDLD 5313: Create Significant Learning Environments

The second course I took gave me the experience of designing a course or unit of study.  We, as learning facilitators, create significant learning environments through these tools and resources of design and planning.  Again, I looked to my peers to find answers to my questions I had about assignments.  As I reflect on my experiences as a learner and how I may contribute to the learning of others, I see that these are what help create a significant learning environment.  It is through collaboration and the feedforward, that I find confidence in my own understanding.  

The collaborative discussions that are a part of every course truly give us a chance to assess our present levels of mastery in the content from the course.  I did not see that until this course.  My peers allowed me to gain insights on the assigned readings and video clips from their perspective.  I am a person that will have tunnel vision within my own learning.  It is through the discussions that my peripheral vision can be restored.  

As with my previous courses, the GroupMe chat is an important lifeline for me in this program.  Without the support of my peers, I would find myself floundering in my coursework.   I did find myself turning to a smaller group than with other courses.  We formed our own group message thread.  This group consisted of Kelly Skillingberg, Tonya Logan, and Catherine Duplisea.  We maintained constant communication throughout the term.  These ladies provided me with the best support and advice through this course.  

While finding success as a learner is my primary goal, I find that the relationships I am forging with my peers to be a close second.  It is their support that provides me with one more means of confidence boosting.  I hope that I have been that support for at least one of them.  I know that I would not be where I am today without so many of them!

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