Summer is one of the more dichotomous elements in education.
On one hand, we’re completely spent, desperate to drink a cup of temperature-appropriate coffee and for freedom to have an unscheduled bathroom break. On the other, we’re filled with the promise and possibilities of next year, eager to explore new strategies and resources.
Enter, summer professional learning.
Even amid summer break, conferences can be exhilarating. Abuzz with like-minded and inspirational educators, we connect, create and collaborate. We gain access and insight to a variety of ideas, practices, theories, lenses and models. Moreover, conferences meet our need for agency as we choose the content, presenter and style/format to best meet our interests and preferences. Pouring through the session listings, we enthusiastically schedule our days.
And, simply put, we get pumped.
Insatiable for information, voraciously burning through #hashtags and blog posts, we bookmark sites and load up our Amazon carts. We fire off texts to all our friends and colleagues, activate trial accounts and boldly profess ourselves changed.
We become insta-experts.
The next day, we’re at it again, repeating the cycle. Only there’s a slight difference: the tiniest tinge of confusion. Was that AR or VR? SEL or SLE? Flexible learning or sensory seating?
Brain fog slowly rolls in. By the end of day three, we barely remember our school mascot and cannot recall which in the fleet of white SUVs parked at the conference center is our chariot home.
Brain fatigue is real, y’all. Exhilarating as they may be, conferences can be downright exhausting.
So here’s the kicker: how much of the “life-changing” information do we remember post-conference? Research says: not much, folks. Without purposeful reflection, our brains can’t retrieve the information we’ve just taken in. Why?
The Forgetting Curve – Ebbinghaus’ Epiphany.
First, let’s look at the history of the Forgetting Curve. In the late 19th century, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus tested his memory over various periods of time. Once he’d gathered all the data from his spaced learning studies, he plotted it on a graph that looked a little something like this:
The graph illustrates the exponential rate at which we forget things from the point at which we learned them. You lose most of it in the first couple of days, after which the rate of loss tapers off. All is not lost, though. Ebbinghaus climbed up the slide to identify the factors that contribute to memory loss. He found our levels of retention depend on a couple of things.
Strength of memory.
People recall “stronger” memories for a longer period than weaker ones. When an impactful emotion—good or bad—is associated with learning, it generates a certain stickiness. We remember things better. Furthermore, adding our own cognitive experiences and associations through reflection enhances the “stick factor.” Beyond that, visuals (photo, video or sketchnotes) and audio (recording thoughts, even songs) can solidify and stimulate associated memory.
Time from learning.
Learners forget an average of 90% percent of the information taken in within the first month. The longer we delay application, the less learning we’ll have to apply. Simply put: if we don’t use it, we’ll lose it.
When I’m learning something, I often wish I had a magic remote to capture the experience. I’d like to grab every element so that I can revisit the information, rewind and replay the scenarios, record and repeat the conversations. Try as I might, relying solely on typed documents or handwritten notes, I can never replicate the experience.
When I’m learning something, I often wish I had a magic remote to capture the experience. I’d like to grab every element so that I can revisit the information, rewind and replay the scenarios, record and repeat the conversations. Try as I might, relying solely on typed documents or handwritten notes, I can never replicate the experience.
Enter, digital portfolios.
Leveraging the workflow and robust multimedia features of a digital portfolio, I can capture information with a multi-modal mindset and more fully engage with my learning experiences.
It’s important to not limit ourselves to viewing digital portfolios as an online notebook; an online location to house static snippets can easily stagnate. To ensure growth and longevity, we’ve got to reflect, actively goal-set and share.
Reflection is one of the most effective ways to consolidate learning as we revisit, practice and experience the concepts and information we’ve been presented.
Circulation is also a necessary element in two equally valuable ways:
So, how can we tackle all the aspects of effective learning to maximize professional growth at conferences? I think this game plan will help.
Using this digital portfolio template I created in bulb, you can be certain you are faithfully serving your larger vision while attending to all the details, combating the forgetting curve and maximizing your learning.
Using this template, my go-to game plan is pretty straightforward:
So, grab your water bottle and set your eyes on the Big Show; it’s time to elevate professional learning. #ISTE19 tips off June 23. Catch you on the court.
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