Educator Learning Communities (ELC) are groups are focused on growing together around an innovative topic related to improved teaching and learning for Metro students. (This may be an excellent addition to your professional development plan for the year!)
How Does It Work?
You click this sign-up form. There, you select an innovative topic of interest (or 3) in which you wish to grow. The Center for Faculty Development will create groups, provide you with one another’s contact information, and away you go! (If you have a group already, please write that in the comments section of the form.) Please submit prior to Tues, Jan. 25, 2022.
Who Can Join?
Educator Learning Communities (ELC) are open to all Metro staff, faculty, and advisors. If you educate others as part of your work, you can join us!
What Am I Committing to?
- Your ELC will meet four (or more) times during the semester. You arrange it yourselves.
- Groups may read a common book, various articles, or other texts (e.g., videos, software) that are aligned with your group’s focus.
- At ELC’s end, complete a survey to let us know how things went!
What is an ELC Meeting Like?
- Our pilot ELCs found that 75-90 minutes is about right for each meeting
- The first 20-30 minutes is for intentional community-building. This is often a single question that elicits a story from ELC members. Ours included stories of our paths from birth to Metro, characteristics of an effective educator along our journey, questions about our joys/struggles in education, ways we’ve changed our teaching over the years, and more.
- The next 60ish minutes are spent analyzing an article, book chapter, or other text that the group has agreed to in advance of the meeting. We found ourselves discussing the textual details, then connections to our lives, teaching, learning, and our students.
- We found that an ELC benefited by one person being “the facilitator” for each meeting. One model was that the person who selected the article was the one to facilitate its discussion, pose clarifying question, etc. They also encourage participation from all.
What Are the Goals of ELCs?
- To strengthen innovative teaching for Metro’s student population
- To strengthen relationships among educators at Metro State, reducing isolation
- To nourish the scholarship of teaching and its application to our unique students & their learning
FYI:
- The Center for Faculty Development will purchase materials needed for your ELC.
- Community Faculty may use these hours toward the CFD stipend.
- Service Faculty and staff may meet w/ an ELC during the workday. Arrange w/supervisor.