Strong Start for Michigan’s Future of Learning Council

By: David M. Richards and Sarah Pazur

The long term of education and learning is now.

The Potential of Mastering Council (FLC), a cohort of 40 one of a kind college districts and finding out companies, has banded with each other all over a one mission: to shape the future of studying in Michigan. The FLC is dedicated to leveraging the electricity of networked cohorts, study, and new classes from the pandemic to institute a prolonged-phrase, systemic change in teaching and mastering.

The FLC launched its inaugural cohort on September 23, 2021, at the Michigan Affiliation of Superintendents and Directors meeting in Traverse Metropolis. The FLC, in partnership with Michigan Virtual, is composed of superintendents and instructional leaders from across the point out.

“The Council customers are assumed leaders who symbolize a impressive ‘coalition of the willing’ who embrace modify and identify the value of flexible, customized, and competency-based mostly finding out methods that are significant-contact and high-tech. We are fired up to deliver the administrative backbone and assembly services to support the Council’s functions,” mentioned Jamey Fitzpatrick, President of Michigan Virtual, whose help for the FLC has been paramount to its early good results.

The FLC hosted quite a few skilled mastering alternatives all through the class of the 2021-2022 college 12 months these ranged from informal conversations on educators’ most urgent needs publish-pandemic to deep dives into revolutionary discovering styles with countrywide believed leaders Tom VanderArk, Rebecca Midles, and Theresa Ewald to internet site visits at Berrien Springs General public Colleges to see versatile mastering in action to attending the ASU+GSV Summit in sunny San Diego. Users raved about their initially 12 months in the council, grateful for the chance to community, make relationships, obtain new tools and products, and study from the country’s best training minds correct now.

When questioned about the most useful component of their membership, educators pretty much unanimously replied that it was the chance to collaborate with like-minded thinkers. Superintendent Daniel O’Connor from Alcona Community Faculties responded how vital the timing of this initiative has been for him, “I price the means to regroup just after a hard handful of years to get back electricity close to reliable studying for college students with a like-minded team of educators.”

Deanna Holman, the Regional Assistant Grant coordinator for Muskegon ISD, cherished the possibility to increase her very own own studying group, “The FLC is allowing me to find out from colleagues throughout the condition.  We are pinpointing people doing related matters to study from and with.” Grosse Ille Superintendent, Valerie Orr, shared her enthusiasm for the community, sensation aid that she can now show her teammates “that I am not a crazy person and that other leaders exist who think in this get the job done.”

The council has clearly created a perception of community and camaraderie, connecting districts with new partners who maintain a very similar need to reimagine education for all learners in the state. Brian Keim, Superintendent of Laker Faculties, mirrored how the FLC has given him the braveness to attempt new matters, the chance to master from other folks who have various strengths, and the opportunity to be a supply of inspiration for other individuals. “I’ve been ready to go to other districts who are forward of us in certain regions, and host districts who want to discover from us,” shared Keim. “The reciprocity has been magnificent.”

Improved Apply

In addition to fostering significant collaboration, customers expressed that their participation in the FLC has propelled advancements in their own businesses. Muskegon ISD’s Superintendent Randy Lindquist shared, “[The FLC]  has assisted us to feel in a different way about college and make some discussions with our employees.  We have created our personal localized model of FLC to consider and interact our community districts in a similar dialogue about the upcoming of instruction.”

Council members have also made use of various of the workshop materials to guideline transform initiatives in their respective universities. Dr. Carrie Wozniak, Superintendent of Fraser General public Educational institutions, was satisfied with the FLC’s focus this calendar year: “This has been a very worthwhile professional discovering working experience for our district.  The major image pondering all around educational style and design is very crucial and often disregarded.” Other customers appreciated the assistance with producing or refining Portraits of a Graduate, generating expert enhancement plans, and creating educational frameworks to name a number of.

The council has obviously generated a sense of group and camaraderie, connecting districts with new associates who hold a equivalent want to reimagine education for all students in the state.

David M. Richards and Sarah Pazur

Entry to Countrywide Believed Leaders

The Board of Directors, which includes Dr. Chris Timmis (Dexter) Dr. Kelly Coffin (Farmington Hills) Dr. John Van Wagoner (Traverse Metropolis) and Dr. Dave Richards (Michigan Virtual), has accomplished a remarkable job connecting the FLC with primary innovators in the instruction field. In addition to bringing leaders from organizations like Acquiring Smart to the FLC, they organized for various users to show up at the ASU+GVS Summit, “Ed on the Edge,” in April. President Dr. Chris Timmis expressed his gratitude to Michigan Virtual for their leadership, “ MVLRI made it possible for K-12 educators to focus on the foreseeable future of discovering at an global stage with individuals who are major the do the job.  This was only probable simply because of the support of MVLRI.”

The intent of the meeting was “to convene the greatest and brightest minds in global finding out and workforce abilities to catalyze action and transformation.” FLC member and Superintendent of Chelsea College District, Dr. Julie Helber, reflected on her takeaways from the conference, “The sessions that I went to on gaming genuinely have me imagining.  The fact that college students can sustain engagement on these games for hrs should be a gateway into how we can leverage this medium to interact learners and supply genuine-globe experiences at a distinctive amount.” In addition to gamification, FLC meeting attendees cited AI technology and on the web studying shifts as being the most engaging discussions at the meeting. The group is eager to go to the convention subsequent yr and hopefully direct panel discussions on improvements occurring in their districts.

Looking Forward

The Long term of Mastering Council, in partnership with Michigan Virtual, is energized to kick off year two at a special Superintendent’s Summit on August 1, 2022, with creator and educational futurist Michael Horn. Michael is the co-founder and a distinguished fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, a non-profit consider tank. He has authored many publications which includes, Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Transform the Way the Globe Learns, Amazon most effective-vendor Blended: Applying Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools, and the shortly-to-be-unveiled From Reopen to Reinvent: (Re)Generating School for Each individual Boy or girl.

He will be paying out the working day with Summit attendees sharing insights from his guide and discussing how the future of learning is rapidly turning out to be individualized. Attendees will also have in-depth discussions with regards to difficulties in setting the eyesight for learning and leading this transformation course of action at the local district degree.

“The Summit guarantees to be a terrific day of unpacking Michael’s insights on the long run of learning, how to navigate the transformation system as a leader, and dialogue of strategic measures leaders ought to be looking at as we system for the coming yrs,” mentioned Michigan Virtual’s Executive Learning Strategist and board member, Dr. Dave Richards.

The FLC has a ton to rejoice and even much more to glance forward to subsequent yr, as the do the job to reimagine understanding in our condition is just beginning. In the words of Muskegon ISD’s Randy Lindquist, “School can and should really be distinctive than it is now!”

Dr. David M. Richards is the Govt Discovering Strategist at Michigan Virtual.

Dr. Sarah Pazur, Director of School Management at CS Associates, Member of the Long term of Finding out Council.