On LinkedIn, we reached out to veteran professional learning facilitators and asked them to share their advice with first-timers. Whether you’re an experienced leader in learning or new to guiding educators in professional development, we hope you find inspiration from this collection of advice.

 

“Always keep it simple. The more complicated something is, the less likely people are to implement it and do so consistently.”
– Vernon Wright, Keynote Speaker, Lead Facilitator of Professional Learning

 

“Honor the room’s knowledge and experiences by creating spaces for all to teach and all to learn.”
– Jennifer Francone, Director of Continuous Improvement

 

“Always keep your audience in mind; What do they need to know/learn/apply? What do they already know? How will they learn best? Is the content relevant and credible to their role? Have you sought to understand?”
– Angie Frankenfield, Education Leader of 20+ years, President of Learning Forward Arizona

 

“Allow time for the audience to build a sense of community at the beginning and throughout the session. As they become more familiar with each other, a space for them to feel psychologically safe will be established.”
– Nadira Singh, Professional Learning and Coaching Coordinator

 

“Set intentions for the session. Set them for yourself as a facilitator and set them for the PLC.”
– Ayodele Harrison, Director, Leadership Coach

 

“Focus on creating the conditions for dynamic learning. You are working with adults, so become familiar with the way adults learn (aka Principles of Adult Learning Theory).”
– Ayodele Harrison, Director, Leadership Coach

 

“Pay attention to the ratio of facilitator speaking time and the participants’ time for thinking. It’s about them as a learner.”
– Jessica Mossman, Implementation Coach

 

“Individuals actively look for things that have a significant impact, are easy to put into action, and align with their personal goals.”
– Vernon Wright, Keynote Speaker, Lead Facilitator of Professional Learning

 

“Plan for less content and more engagement. Small chunks vs too much!”
– Angie Frankenfield, Education Leader of 20+ years, President of Learning Forward Arizona

 

“Strive to build both knowledge and confidence. Successful individuals who consistently perform well possess a strong sense of confidence. The best leaders strive to develop knowledge and confidence simultaneously, recognizing the interconnected nature of these qualities.”
– Vernon Wright, Keynote Speaker, Lead Facilitator of Professional Learning

 

“Attend Learning Forward’s Annual Conference and Learning Forward Academy!”
– Angie Frankenfield, Education Leader of 20+ years, President of Learning Forward Arizona

 

“Set outcomes for the content to be learned and establish experiential outcomes for the participants’ engagement with the learning.”
– Jennifer Francone, Director of Continuous Improvement

 

“Remember that all educators are lifelong learners. They’re usually good students and wish to please their teacher. So, with that in mind, trust that what you have to inform them about is useful and that you are doing a good deed, in fact, by sharing it.”
– Jodi Derkson, Founder & CEO, Imperative Education

 

“Plan the session in segments, considering both the content and the overall learning experience.”
– Jennifer Francone, Director of Continuous Improvement

 

“Use the Understanding by Design framework as you develop a plan. Start with the outcome in mind and stay focused.”
– Thera Pearce, Learning Services Manager

 

Want to share your piece of advice? Join the conversation.

 

Are you looking for ways to improve adult learning in your PLCs or new to leading educator learning? Experienced professional learning facilitators share their advice in this @LearningForward blog post. Share on X