Online Learn how to unlock the potential of group learning in your classroom by making learning visible.
Overview
Learning is social. Every day, children and adults learn from and with others, encountering new perspectives, strategies, and ways of thinking. Together, groups can achieve greater perspective and understanding than any individual can alone, but we need tools for sharing thinking and making learning visible to others.
This course will examine group learning through the Making Learning Visible framework, which began as a collaborative research project between Harvard’s Project Zero and educators in Reggio Emilia, Italy, and has since been adopted by hundreds of teachers to promote group learning. Participants will explore how to use documentation to “make visible” both what and how students learn. Through observation, evidence collection, interpretation, and information sharing, participants will learn how to produce a record that students and teachers can use to build self-awareness and guide instruction.
New Course Modifications Due to the Pandemic
We have modified course content, the application process, and course completion options in order to support the many different and shifting professional circumstances that educators may experience due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Course Content: Over the last two decades, Project Zero has developed approaches to online professional learning that incorporate core research-based principles about how people learn. Through these online courses, participants have the opportunity to experience for themselves some of the pedagogical strategies and activities that support effective distance learning. In addition, courses have been adapted so that assignments can be carried out by both educators working with learners in face-to-face contexts and those working in virtual/online contexts.
Individual Application Option: Because the courses require teams to meet regularly throughout the course and to complete assignments collaboratively, enrollment in the PZ online courses has historically been open only to teams whose members come from the same school or organization. While preference will continue to be given to teams of colleagues from the same school building or organization, we also now accept applications from:
- teams comprising individuals from the same district or organization but not the same building or working group;
- educators who form teams across districts or organizations; and,
- individuals who have not formed a team. People applying individually, if accepted into the course, will be placed on a “virtual team” that includes two to three other educators who have also applied individually and who come from the same or proximal time zones.
Teams with members in different geographic locations (or teams in areas in which social distancing is the norm) have the option to meet and complete collaborative assignments virtually.
Two Options for Completing a Course: As an additional accommodation to support educators affected by the pandemic, participants may choose from two options for how to complete the courses:
- Option 1: The Continuous Course Option: Teams may enroll for the full thirteen week course from September 21 through December 20, 2020.
- Option 2: The Split Course Option: Teams may enroll for the full course in two parts — Part I is the first seven weeks (Sessions 1 - 4) from September 21 through November 8, 2020, and Part II is the remaining six weeks (Sessions 5 - 7) from April 5 through May 23, 2021.
Course Details
The online course, developed by Project Zero’s Mara Krechevsky, begins with a one-week orientation, during which you will explore the online platform and get to know fellow members of the learning community. Six two-week content sessions follow, with an average time commitment of about 3-4 hours per week. Those who are taking the continuous version of the course will complete all seven sessions of the course consecutively over 13 weeks. Those who have elected to split the course will complete Sessions 1 - 4 (a total of 7 weeks) in the September term and Sessions 5 - 7 (a total of 6 weeks) in the February term. In each session you will:
- Learn new ideas
- Review and reflect on key ideas from the previous session
- Plan for trying and/or fully implementing course ideas in the classroom
- Work on a project or curriculum unit
- Reflect and share feedback with a coach and peers
Enrollment is by team, which promotes a deeper and richer learning experience and will help you sustain your use of core Project Zero ideas after the course concludes. Team members will collaborate on most of the assignments, including the development of a project. Teams meet face-to-face or virtually once every two weeks, so all team members will need to commit to a regular common meeting time throughout the term.
Although the sessions are structured and coach-facilitated, all the online interactions in the course are asynchronous. You and your team can decide when to work on the course materials as long as you submit the assignment(s) on or before the due dates.
This online course is not linked to a degree program. Academic credit is not available. You will be eligible for a digital certificate representing 45 professional development hours upon successful completion.
View the course outline for additional information on course sessions.
Online Course Schedule
Please review the course schedule to ensure that you and your team will be able to participate fully in the course, taking into account your local holidays and vacations. The average time commitment is about three to four hours per week.
Continuous Course September 2020 Term Schedule
Session 1: Monday, September 21
Session 2: Monday, September 28
Session 3: Monday, October 12
Session 4: Monday, October 26
Session 5: Monday, November 9
Session 6: Monday, November 23
Session 7: Monday, December 7
Course closes: Sunday, December 20
Split Course 2020-21 Term Schedule
Session 1: Monday, September 21
Session 2: Monday, September 28
Session 3: Monday, October 12
Session 4: Monday, October 26
Re-Orientation for Part II: Monday April 5
Session 5: Monday, April 12
Session 6: Monday, April 26
Session 7: Monday, May 10
Course closes: Sunday, May 23
Objectives
- Explore how teachers and students can create and sustain learning groups inside and outside the classroom
- Understand how documentation shapes, extends, and makes visible children’s and adults’ learning
- Learn how to foster a classroom culture where groups create and transmit culture, values, and democratic practices
- Learn a set of activities, protocols, and tools to support learning by making it visible
Who Should Participate
This course requires enrollment by teams of 3-6 people. Those who register individually will be placed on a virtual team with two or three other educators (all in the same or proximal time zones) who have also registered individually. Team members must be able to try out course ideas with students/learners in classrooms, either virtually or face-to-face, or other direct learning environments with students. Depending on pandemic circumstances and/or team composition, while the learning design encourages teams to meet locally, in person, once every two weeks to engage in group-based activities, these team meetings can occur virtually.
- Teams can be comprised of district or school staff, including classroom teachers, instructional leaders, teacher leaders, and administrators
- We recommend team members have similar roles and work in the same school or district, if possible
- We also recommend that teams have at least one group of students with whom they can try out tools throughout the course
