IN THE BEGINNING with COVA…
In my first two classes of the Applied Digital Learning program, I was plunged into the deep end of the COVA approach (Harapnuik et al., 2018). In those first classes, I was asked to create an e-portfolio using whatever platform I wanted and to develop an innovation plan idea that was authentic to my learning environment. These two major components would be the foundation of my grad program. It was a lot of pressure and very overwhelming. I enrolled in grad school planning to stuff my head full of new information, then pass exams and write papers. I was not expecting to be given free rein with very little direction. It wasn’t what I signed up for and I wasn’t prepared. There were tears and I almost withdrew from the program. My academic career up to this point had never required so much personal investment. Creating projects and assignments with an authentic audience in mind, rather than creating what the instructor wanted felt intimidating. It was challenging to find my voice and think strategically about how I could implement change within my organization.
“I was well suited to school and excelled at checking the boxes, memorizing information and passing tests. This course is the first time I am really exploring other educational theories. I find I am having to dig deep to overcome the educational expectations I have of the factory model and take ownership of my learning.”
Humans are adaptable and resilient. I rallied, met with my instructor, and developed an innovation plan idea. Once I embraced the purpose of pursuing a master’s degree as gaining knowledge that can be applied to my current role and organization, as well as developing myself as a lifelong learner, I began to feel excited about the possibilities. Assignments took on a new level of interest because they were formed around my personal passions and authentic work. Just a few weeks into the program, I had an opportunity to apply a new idea to my work. That was a turning point for me. I began to understand that I needed to think about everything I was learning in the context of my organization, my learners, and myself as a learner.
“Learning about this new-to-me feedforward concept was serendipitous as my work this week took me to Wyoming to facilitate teacher coaching. A big part of my coaching role is to provide feedback to teachers after observing a lesson. I decided to immediately try out the Feedforward-What Model.”
“This shift gives the teacher ownership over their learning in the coaching session and motivates them to action. Another benefit of the Feedforward-What Model is that it fosters a growth mindset for teachers. I am excited to continue this practice in my coaching!”
“Beyond the way we respond to challenges and mistakes, my favorite thing about this research is that our cognitive abilities can be grown. No more, “I’m just not smart enough.” Or “I’ll never be able to do it.” I am also now very cognizant of the language I use in my questions and praise to build interest, engagement and growth in the process of learning.”
I am grateful for the opportunity to learn to be uncomfortable and grow as a learner. However, one thing that I would do differently knowing what I know now, is to foster a more tightly-knit collaboration group. While I did work with several of the same peers for the majority of the program, we were not all moving at the same pace through the courses, so there were some terms where we did not share classes. This made our group less cohesive. It was so valuable to have others to connect with and process thoughts and ideas with. I did not realize at the time how crucial those relationships would be. Happily, I had the opportunity to collaborate with a variety of peers throughout the program.
AUTHENTIC INNOVATION PLAN…
When I began to think about innovative change in my organization, I initially felt skeptical that I could have any real influence. At the time I was an independent contractor with the company and did not have direct access to key stakeholders and decision-makers. However, as I learned more about what constitutes disruptive innovation and how to influence others I felt more confident that I could bring change, or at the very least, present my ideas to the team and open up the possibility of incorporating blended learning into Reading Horizons PL offerings.
Throughout the program, there were a few important changes that altered the authenticity of my innovation plan. First, my role within my organization changed from a contract Certified Facilitator to a full-time Education Specialist. Second, the curriculum I work with was updated and a new product was launched. I will elaborate more on these changes and how they affected the efficacy of my innovation plan. However, I did build my innovation plan as an authentic way to apply what I have learned about CSLE and COVA. I believe that the concepts I have learned and skills I have gained will support my ability and confidence to implement changes as I see the need for them in my current organization and future organizations I may work with.
“When thinking about creating a significant learning environment there are several factors that need to be considered. For my innovation plan I am proposing a blended learning approach for RH PL events. As I think about the design and implementation of my innovation plan, I want to be sure to create the conditions for the learners to flourish (Robinson, 2010).”
My learning philosophy took a lot of introspection as I had never previously thought much about how I learn. Initially, I believed I was more aligned with cognitive learning theory, but the more I was immersed in constructivist theory, the more I saw the value in it. The Learning Philosophy assignment was one of my favorites because I found all of the learning theories fascinating. As I wrap up my time in the ADL program I am finding that I incorporate COVA in not only my typical PL learning environment, but also in my home with my four children. It has been a life-changing shift as I strive to create holistic significant learning environments everywhere I go.
“I am learning how to broaden my understanding of how to create a significant learning environment by zooming out and looking at the whole picture. I tend to be detail-oriented and focus on specific pieces of the environment or just on the content and activities. I need to be more mindful and intentional with other environmental factors.”
APPLICATION of COVA…
Knowing what I know now about the COVA approach, I plan to incorporate it into all the learning environments I find myself in. Namely, professional learning events I facilitate or participate in, as well as learning opportunities with my children. I have found so much value in taking ownership of my learning and having the opportunity to use my voice to apply my learning to authentic and meaningful projects.
For the COVA approach to be successful, learners need to understand what they are being asked to do and why. There needs to be a high level of trust in the learning facilitator or mentor as well. This can be difficult to establish in a short time frame, like in a PL event. However, one of the quickest ways to establish trust is to be vulnerable. I plan to incorporate story-telling that demonstrates vulnerability and a growth mindset to quickly build trust with the learners I work with. When I invite them to apply their learning to an authentic project that they may not be fully comfortable with yet, I believe that having a relationship of trust in place will motivate them to put forth sincere effort and be open to failing forward.
This follows the pattern that was established in the ADL program. I appreciated the openness and vulnerability that Dr. H demonstrated early on in my coursework. He shared how creating significant learning environments had worked in his real-life experience, but he also owned the times when things didn’t go according to plan and the lessons learned. It helped me feel that he was trustworthy and would support me even through failures. The only thing he wouldn’t allow was not trying, which leads to one of the biggest challenges of implementing COVA and CSLE.
In many PL events I have facilitated there are learners in attendance who do not want to be there. They are not open to change or interested in learning anything new. It does require buy-in from the learner for CSLE and COVA to be successful. We can’t force anyone to learn something. This is the biggest challenge I face in utilizing these approaches in my role. The other challenge I face is limited time with learners. Ideally, I can work with the same group of learners a few times throughout the school year, but this is not always the case. I believe that fully embracing COVA takes time. I am at the end of my ADL path and finally feel like I understand it and can see the big picture of how every course in the progam was reinforcing these concepts and helping me build on my authentic innovation plan. All that being said, I plan to take my experiences, the work I produced, and my understanding of CSLE and COVA into future endeavors with confidence.
“Growth mindset will flourish in a learning environment that is supportive. Learners need to have trust with the PL facilitator and their peers in order for there to be the level of vulnerability required for true inquiry and experimentation to happen. This is a challenge when PL facilitators are often only connected with the learners for one event.”
“One of the many things I appreciate about the ADL program is that it practices what it preaches. The further I progress in the program, the more I see how everything I am being asked to do aligns with and models what I am learning.”
References
Harapnuik, D., Thibodeaux, T., & Cummings, C. (2018). Choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning. Creative Commons License. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=7291
Robinson, K. (2010, May 24). Bring on the learning revolution! [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/r9LelXa3U_I
Facilitation Innovation 