Last week, Eduplanet21 hosted our second “Author Huddle” with three of our educational experts. Attendees had the opportunity to engage in a small group discussion with Jay McTighe, Carol Tomlinson, and Krista Leh.
Each of these authors spends time working with educators at all levels. They discussed the work they are doing with schools and how they are helping frame current thoughts around the disruption in education that has occurred since March of 2020.
Krista Leh talked about the importance of making sure that the schools’ SEL system is aligned and fully integrated into daily school life. She stressed that Social Emotional Learning is not a “program” but skills that are important for adults, kids, and families. She encourages professional learning and collaboration so that educators feel both competent and confident in their SEL work.
Carol Tomlinson shared that while some educators are expressing a feeling of being overwhelmed, she is equally speaking with educators who have been energized by the changes the last 18 months have brought, and know that they are more in tune with individual student needs. She stressed the importance of not generalizing and assuming that everyone is feeling the same. And, in echoing Krista’s sentiments, Carol also said that schools are seeing the need for empathy at all levels: with students, with one another, and with ourselves.
In line with what Carol shared, Jay talked about the work he is doing with educators as he helps them move away from a coverage mindset, in which the goal is going faster to cover more content. Instead, he encourages fewer big ideas to focus on, going deeper and uncovering the transferable skills and processes. When these are aligned across the grades, he states that it creates a more coherent, guaranteed, and viable curriculum.
Participants had the opportunity to ask each author questions and were rewarded with both insights and practical ideas.
Do you wish you had the opportunity to engage with our experts in a small group conversation? Be sure to look for future huddles with other groups of experts! If you’d like to learn more about their professional learning institutes and how you can utilize these with your team, request a meeting with a member of the Eduplanet21 team!