Have you ever been in a room full of people and felt completely alone? I’ve experienced that feeling during several conferences I’ve attended throughout my career. I remember walking into the receptions, plenary sessions, and even small concurrent sessions without knowing a soul and then exiting without having a conversation with anyone. I’m proud to say the odds of this happening during a Learning Forward conference are slim to none. That sense of connection and community is actually one of my favorite aspects of our conference.
Learning Forward conference attendees may be surprised to learn that we are very intentional about creating that sense of community. It begins with our conference host committee. This group of dedicated local cheerleaders and advocates for professional learning do everything in their power to welcome conference attendees to their hometowns. You’ll see them at the conference wearing their bright colored vests while making connections with all attendees, especially those who are first timers.
Our various provincial and state affiliates also work very hard to make our attendees feel part of the Learning Forward family. We are very fortunate to have over 30 active affiliates stretching from Indiana to India. You’ll notice in the conference program there are multiple opportunities to connect with members from your affiliate including during the opening reception. It’s our hope when you walk in the ballroom during the reception that you’ll walk over and have a conversation with colleagues from your province, state, or region.
The final community building strategy I’ll share is actually built into the concurrent sessions themselves. Everyone who submits a proposal to present at a Learning Forward conference must describe how their session will engage participants and appropriately meet the needs of adult learners. Our very own Learning Designs standard reads: Professional learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students integrates theories, research, and models of human learning to achieve its intended outcomes. What that means for participants is they will not leave a session without having a conversation with someone about their learning and considering how that learning will result in the implementation of new practices back home. That’s just the Learning Forward way!
We hope you’ll join us in Vancouver this December so you can experience for yourself what it means to be at the “Learning Conference.”
