Design Pattern Swap

Design Pattern Swap - Educators Leadership Academy 2016

Brad Griffith
November 18, 2016

I have selected a learning environment in which I am currently participating as a learner:  Educators' Leadership Academy 2016.  This program lasts approximately 8 months and we travel to various locations around the state for two-day long seminars that are sometimes accompanied by overnight stays. I have selected a few design patterns that are repeated in our cohort meetings and have them represented using LEM as follows:

1. Pre-Workshop Assessments

The larger ELA program focuses on the various tenets of leadership skills and development.  In a few of the sessions we have attended, pre-workshop assessments were administered to learners in advance of meeting face to face.  These assessments were presented to the facilitator and incorporated into the lesson for each day.

2.  Mentor Check-In Pattern

Relationship building is a big component of the greater ELA learning environment.  In this pattern, I have modeled the interaction that occurs between each mentor and their group of mentees. This is a regular occurrence between each of the sessions we have throughout the year and serves the purpose of keeping us in tune with happenings of the program, ensuring we are prepared before the session, and gathering feedback of the overall program experience.

3.  Post-Workshop Networking

The greater ELA learning environment is a cohort program.  One of the learning outcomes of the program is to build professional relationships outside of one's traditional network, so meetings among group members are encouraged each day after the ELA sessions.  These usually take place in the hotel bar where we are staying that day and provide an informal opportunity for learners to interact.