https://www.stephaniethai.com/home daily 1.0 2019-04-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1537304757318-WDVUDX8JF9WG45KE2YAR/building-blocks-1563961_1920.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1537304797836-4S6ODLEN18CT527JAM81/crayons-623067_1920.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1537304826780-BTPV98T43GT48C4MDD33/school-supplies-1581760_1920.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1550530868766-BXISI9PMLVOP3VXUKSDD/stage_1550530844.jpeg Home - Valuing the adult learner In the field of education, it is a universal truth that we can’t teach what we don’t know. Adults must receive development that builds a relevant understanding of both content knowledge and pedagogy, across disciplines and domains, including academic and social-emotional learning. Teaching is a complex art, and by honoring the adult learners in our profession we will have the best chance of leading our students to the ambitious outcomes they deserve. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1550530799397-GDW8AIJYEG8K24Z2QUES/stage_1550439431.jpeg Home If learners feel scared, threatened, cold, or hungry, they are not in a physical or mental state to learn. Creating an environment that is comfortable and meets learners’ physical and psychological needs for safety and connection increases the probability that they are in a receptive state. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1550530792178-VSMBHNUQLKJAUB79Y3WC/stage_1550439299.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1550530792368-4869KDJVN7P5A5QSH280/stage_1550439110.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1550530800471-19AV35FA40PZ8KAPE7JR/stage_1550439527.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1550530809912-NLV5EK57ZH7SMY4DBJSN/stage_1550439610.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1550530809721-8VUVQ3ANUEGEJ75QPJTB/stage_1550439696.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1550530818967-BCLBL3V3FFEB6UZZYV5N/stage_1550440574.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1550530819874-6H1XE91GEYOHQB8QDQDJ/stage_1550440685.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1550530822929-F8RUII7RUFAYF9FHUOSZ/stage_1550440817.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5310cef7e4b08602cbfa36bf/1396021428608-6JU6D274MTAO1CD7XBDS/image-asset.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5310cef7e4b08602cbfa36bf/1396021516070-YJWDCYOHO5YN84HT1ERS/image-asset.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5310cef7e4b08602cbfa36bf/1396021527161-27O5LEX1WTEQWA0SFK5W/image-asset.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5310cef7e4b08602cbfa36bf/1410203963794-FX8FCU41N4X38E93KT5E/Lima03.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5310cef7e4b08602cbfa36bf/1410203939309-W4X332FXYI8CVC7K5YMW/image-asset.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5310cef7e4b08602cbfa36bf/1410203930091-O1TU1QK21YX6NBA2GQ97/image-asset.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5310cef7e4b08602cbfa36bf/1410203957386-LBA4DAFJJ967H60JA9QO/image-asset.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5310cef7e4b08602cbfa36bf/1395955139816-60RN875EQAST2YXW7707/image-asset.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5310cef7e4b08602cbfa36bf/1395954779528-PNXJZ055HQ4K8RASNRMG/image-asset.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5310cef7e4b08602cbfa36bf/1395954793588-0G4A16ZCFXP7ZZA04IPM/image-asset.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5310cef7e4b08602cbfa36bf/1410204370259-E8Q5QFMW2PJMZQS14NGE/image-asset.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5310cef7e4b08602cbfa36bf/1410204351860-OXR48XFAELVI45PMI22Y/image-asset.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5310cef7e4b08602cbfa36bf/1410204385519-7R2TPIRNX8HOPMSO1CH3/image-asset.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5310cef7e4b08602cbfa36bf/1410204399176-K3Q5020C6MQ6ZHHFXKFA/Stockholm02.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1535583235563-AG5IDBWVGJ22SXXKUKAQ/cocoon-209096_960_720.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1535583718900-ZAWOU747F97CA0F2H6GA/butterfly-3054736_1920.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5310cef7e4b08602cbfa36bf/1396021400551-UXB34VN6BNMJ9RCM9YQE/image-asset.jpeg Home - Transient https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5310cef7e4b08602cbfa36bf/1395955319104-EEUSIYRDF4DM8GB16ZKO/image-asset.jpeg Home - Transient https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5310cef7e4b08602cbfa36bf/1410203862309-BDEOGK9ZYZ0FP2PM35BJ/Lima01.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5310cef7e4b08602cbfa36bf/1410204284095-GQZUGUIAV9XW77K7SSBL/Stockholm03.jpg Home https://www.stephaniethai.com/instructional-needs-assessment daily 0.75 2018-12-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1543879104778-DZHTPZ98AIJHAPEZ0FLZ/kid-1241817_1920.jpg Instructional Needs Assessment https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1543879050447-IRNVSC0AFR9EQNCDOYH0/girls-462072_1920.jpg Instructional Needs Assessment https://www.stephaniethai.com/learning-env-design daily 0.75 2018-12-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1542143163764-83AB8BFAYRR5MVU9PPFY/Screen+Shot+2018-11-09+at+10.37.45+PM.png Design of the Learning Environment https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1543881154788-DKYAJKUOAXKYUOA92754/IMG_7802.JPG Design of the Learning Environment https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1543881120843-CS61IFUVCD1XWNS4CWEN/IMG_7803.JPG Design of the Learning Environment https://www.stephaniethai.com/introduction daily 0.75 2018-12-06 https://www.stephaniethai.com/connection-to-usc-rossier-pillars daily 0.75 2018-12-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1543965642793-2W1NSUS61681P3A0G38X/social_post_369600-4.png Connection to USC Rossier Pillars The design of the learning environment promotes learning by helping learners connect relevant knowledge from the workshop with their prior schema, add to it, and then develop skills to support children’s healthy brain development. The workshop will build learners’ value for the topic of the workshop, and self-efficacy for implementing what they learn. Additionally, peer relationships built through collaboration during the workshop should improve learning and transfer. One obstacle to learning may be that teachers are often preoccupied with classroom matters while they are in workshops. I will attempt to channel teachers’ preoccupation with their classroom challenges by focusing their attention on a child who is struggling with social-emotional skills or self-regulation and returning to that child throughout the workshop to apply what they are learning. Beginning the workshop with the Brain Architecture Game should also set the expectation that everyone will be an active participant during the workshop. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1543965631387-CSA9I0QV1E5TN9GRY8G5/social_post_369600-2.png Connection to USC Rossier Pillars The learning environment is designed for the range of people who comprise a typical population of early childhood and elementary school teachers. As discussed previously, this group may be diverse in age, race, and socioeconomic status. It is less likely to be a diverse group across gender, as early childhood and elementary teachers are overwhelmingly female. One potential issue related to equity mentioned previously is the possibility that some participants will identify as coming from a low-income background. When trauma is discussed relative to poverty during the workshop, care must be taken to ensure that participants do not believe assumptions are being made about their trauma histories. Another potential issue of power is that the workshop may include school administrators or other supervisors of the teachers participating in the training. This power dynamic could affect how some teachers choose to participate in sharing and interacting in the workshop. One way to address this is to establish expectations for participation that apply to everyone. It could also help to discuss the potential for this issue with administrators ahead of time, and ask them for suggestions to address it since they know their staff best. A commitment to universal design in the environment will support access to participation and learning for people with and without diverse needs. Instruction and practice activities will be structured with choices for learners whenever possible (CAST, 2018). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1543965631935-5LB2BRMNTH7CMCS1YXWY/social_post_369600-3.png Connection to USC Rossier Pillars The overall goal of the Brain Architecture Workshop is for participants to take action to implement what they learned in the workshop in their work with children. This goal, and several smaller objectives that contribute to participants reaching this goal, will be measured in several ways. During the training, participants will engage in a live online quiz to provide formative assessment data to the facilitator. Participants will take an online pre-test and post-test on their knowledge of brain development, trauma, and toxic stress through Qualtrics. This assessment will measure learning that occurred as a result of the training. Participants will share their action steps with the workshop organizer for evaluation on a rubric. Data analysis and follow-up conversations with school administrators will be conducted several months after the training to measure transfer to the school setting. The collaborative environment in the closing discussion will support peer accountability when participants share their action steps with teammates, leading to improved outcomes for students. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1543965644017-NMCPZX441M1OOYML6Q3V/social_post_369600.png Connection to USC Rossier Pillars In order to maximize the implementation of this learning environment design, careful preparation will be undertaken. It will be essential that the facilitator internalizes the goals, flow, and talking points of the workshop. Strong internalization allows for adaptation to meet learners’ needs in the moment, as well as contributing to a consistent overall learning experience. Participants will have the opportunity to act as leaders in the workshop when they design the action steps they plan to implement in their work with children. Participants will build collegial relationships during the training, which will support their leadership at their school site. If I had greater access to learners’ time, or increased funds to support extended learning, a longer training would allow for more in-depth learning. Learners could spend more time examining each of the foundational knowledge elements of the workshop (brain development, trauma, and toxic stress), and more time building skills that contribute to children’s healthy brain development. https://www.stephaniethai.com/references daily 0.75 2018-12-04 https://www.stephaniethai.com/learner-characteristics daily 0.75 2018-12-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1543964853752-XKX4NA1UQEDS3R2W54W9/social_post_369582-5.png Learner Characteristics The adults in this course will be in Piaget’s formal operational stage of development, able to think about plans and intellectual problems (Santrock, 2016). Due to the requirements in place to become a teacher, all learners should have achieved at least a Bachelor’s degree and likely some post-secondary training. Based on these qualities of adult cognitive development, this course can include abstract concepts, incorporate planning for the future within their context, and utilize reflective opportunities. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1543964854267-D10RC6AJBTAQ92H0KDN5/social_post_369582-6.png Learner Characteristics Teachers participating in the Brain Architecture Workshop may have little to no exposure to the concepts or skills we will discuss. However, if teachers have sought out information on their own, they may have some prior knowledge of certain concepts. Some curriculum programs include information on strategies that apply to trauma-informed practice; if a school uses these programs then teachers may know some strategies without necessarily understanding all of the underlying research and rationale behind them. Many teachers in early childhood and elementary schools should know about how to support children’s social-emotional development, but that is just one component of trauma-informed practice. In sum, while learners may come into the Brain Architecture Workshop with a variety of prior knowledge and experience, the workshop will help learners connect the relevant knowledge, build upon it, and build actionable skill to support the children in their classrooms. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1543964848848-6383SG1A2RWHGL1IU4DZ/social_post_369582-4.png Learner Characteristics Generally, teachers are physically able to instruct and interact with children all day, so there is a basic level of physical capability that they possess. However, any group of people may have a few diverse needs such as vision impairment, hearing impairment, or use of mobility aids. In order to ensure access no matter what needs are present in the room, it will be helpful to utilize principles of universal design in the presentation of material and for activities during the workshop (Center for Universal Design, 2014). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1543964222331-Y8DZD0KP807M3SSF13V8/social_post_369582.png Learner Characteristics Depending on their prior knowledge and past experiences, learners may have low, moderate, or high self-efficacy for learning about brain development, trauma, toxic stress, adverse childhood experiences, and trauma-informed practices. A learner’s self-efficacy beliefs can motivate them to engage in learning and persist through difficulty (Pajares, 2009). Some learners may believe that they are highly capable of learning about these topics, and may have engaged in outside research to build their own knowledge. On the other hand, the topic of “brain development” may seem intimidating to many people, which is why the workshop will begin with a game to make the information concrete, accessible, and fun for everyone. Building on the concepts established during the game will help participants gradually gain knowledge rather than presenting them with many facts at once. Throughout the workshop, references to familiar concepts and skills will help learners build self-efficacy as they see that not everything is new and unfamiliar, but that they are now able to utilize skills in a better-informed manner. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1543964222206-UQL3HGIA2A3XSWUKAUCW/social_post_369582-2.png Learner Characteristics Overall, there will be a range of learners present for any given aspect of value. Some learners may have significant personal interest in the topics of brain development, trauma, or toxic stress; these are likely the same learners who have researched this topic on their own. The topic of trauma-informed practice has recently gained attention in the education world, so some educators may be curious from hearing about it. Other learners may need to have their situational interest increased in order to attract their attention (Schraw & Lehman, 2009). The Brain Architecture Game at the beginning of the workshop should raise situational interest for learners who were not previously interested in the workshop topics. As mentioned before, there may be some teachers who have done outside research on the topics of brain development, trauma, or toxic stress due to personal interest. It is also possible that these individuals hold a self-image as someone who is on the cutting edge of brain science, or who is committed to being a trauma-informed practitioner. These individuals therefore have high attainment value for the workshop topics because learning them will contribute to their self-image (Eccles, 2009). Many educators are aware of unfortunate events in students’ lives but don’t know how to address them, and are also motivated to learn skills that will make them more effective at their jobs, and thus they would have high utility value for the content in this workshop (Eccles, 2009). However, in any group you will find variation, so explicitly describing how the knowledge and skills presented in the workshop will help teachers should build everyone’s utility value. Some teachers may be intrinsically motivated to engage in the workshop due to personal interest, attainment value, or utility value; others may need some more salient extrinsic motivation to engage due to the fact that the workshop will be required by their employer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1543964849206-J3QB1AWVC0SBL16RUJY8/social_post_369582-3.png Learner Characteristics There is likely to be a range in learners’ goal orientations as there is for other aspects of motivation. Some learners may have significant personal interest in the workshop topics, and thus it is likely that they will have a mastery orientation where they truly want to understand the material (Yough & Anderman, 2009). Other learners may be more interested in understanding enough of the workshop material to meet the expectations of their school administration, which would be classified as a performance-approach orientation (Yough & Anderman, 2009). If teachers want to do well enough just to not look incompetent in the workshop, that is categorized as a performance-avoidance orientation (Yough & Anderman, 2009). Performance orientations, especially performance-avoidance, do not serve learners well because they complete only the bare minimum of tasks. Building learners’ personal interest to increase mastery orientation will support greater retention and transfer of learning in the workshop. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1543964856597-EAQ05VLGAVCRCWD9A1ST/social_post_369582-7.png Learner Characteristics While the common perception of teachers is that they are all middle-class professionals, in fact this varies significantly across the country. Many teachers earn a salary that is just above the poverty line for a family, such as in Mississippi where the 2015-16 average teacher salary was $42,774 (NCES, 2016). In early childhood classrooms, salaries are almost universally lower than in K-12 education. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2014) indicates that the mean salary for a preschool teacher in May 2014 was $32,040 per year; this compares to the mean salary for elementary school teachers of $56,830. Depending on the geographic location and whether teachers are in an early childhood setting or an elementary school, the learners in the Brain Architecture Workshop may identify as being from a low-income background or as currently struggling with a low income. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1543964857769-FKAL2DWM4LDDOYOMTKA6/social_post_369582-8.png Learner Characteristics One potential issue related to power, equity, and inclusion that may arise during this workshop is the perception that growing up in poverty is inherently traumatic. In the research, poverty is often associated with adverse childhood experiences, but a lack of money in and of itself is not necessarily traumatic (Felitti et al., 1998). Clarifying this will be important so that any participants who have experienced poverty, or who teach students from low income backgrounds, do not feel that assumptions are being made about them or their students. Another issue at play is that of systemic racism. The trauma research does not list systemic racism as an adverse childhood experience, but observationally and experientially it is a stressor. Acknowledging this tension and helping learners to process it will be important to help learners feel that their experience and observations (either firsthand or through their students) are validated. In terms of the learning environment, these are important considerations because the tone and climate of the room can impact how participants engage or disengage in learning. https://www.stephaniethai.com/about-me daily 0.75 2019-04-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1550532702955-H2BDGQ01KJZPFBB7M7ZC/stage_1550440817.jpeg About Me - Stories, Analogies, & Metaphors Humans are attuned to stories—every culture had an oral storytelling tradition before the advent of writing. Even today, in our modern society, we remember rich stories more easily than we remember statistics. By structuring key information around memorable elements like a story, analogy, or metaphor, learners will remember it more easily. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1550532648938-JN5BJN1INGYD7ZLB7AAP/stage_1550440685.jpeg About Me - A Little Information Goes A Long Way It’s easy to overwhelm learners with too much information at once. By providing information in bite-size pieces and following that with discussion or application activities, learners are able to process and integrate new learning into their existing knowledge base before moving on. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1550532409667-PI7UNRI7NH5ITXA7S4IU/stage_1550439610.jpeg About Me - Creating a Sense of Urgency Time is the one thing we can never get back. Being respectful of the fact that learners are spending their time with you means that you must use it wisely. Strong learning design and facilitation creates a stimulating sense of goal-directed focus for achieving the learning outcomes in the time available, without creating a feeling of pressure. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1550532017084-AA6RJTLSQRL5EI4ZFKVF/stage_1550530844.jpeg About Me - Valuing the Adult Learner In the field of education, it is a universal truth that we can’t teach what we don’t know. Adults must receive development that builds a relevant understanding of both content knowledge and pedagogy, across disciplines and domains, including academic and social-emotional learning. Teaching is a complex art, and by honoring the adult learners in our profession we will have the best chance of leading our students to the ambitious outcomes they deserve. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1550532309731-C6LILY7QB5KFJKEOB4Y9/stage_1550439110.jpeg About Me - How People Learn Supportive relationships, even temporary relationships with a facilitator in a training, mediate experiences in a positive way. Powerful experiences, those which introduce new information in an especially memorable way, can propel learning forward exponentially. Combining the two results in especially effective outcomes for learners. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1550532522488-CVUIIHRBG5F8Z0LL4GQK/stage_1550440574.jpeg About Me - Immediate Practice & Application If learners don’t apply what they have heard, read, or seen to their own contexts in a meaningful way, the likelihood they will retain that information is greatly reduced. Incorporating authentic skill-based practice, application, feedback, action planning, peer discussions, and other strategies into training sessions helps learning stick. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1550532176419-9FXYNHTZ253FJZPSJHMN/stage_1550439431.jpeg About Me - Creating a Welcoming Environment If learners feel scared, threatened, cold, or hungry, they are not in a physical or mental state to learn. Creating an environment that is comfortable and meets learners’ physical and psychological needs for safety and connection increases the probability that they are in a receptive state. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1550532360783-QDPI5CADR09A84072YPN/stage_1550439527.jpeg About Me - Valuing Learners’ Experiences Adult learners have a wealth of experience to connect to new learning and to share with others. Strong learning designs incorporate prior experience so that learners feel valued and knowledgeable. Bringing diverse perspectives into the room increases the likelihood that all learners can connect to the information and feel successful. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1548184931170-7RDAN1NGNBCTQRL6O2OW/Headshot+sq.jpg About Me https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1550532461644-1ED43NC9CKE8G5UME7UK/stage_1550439696.jpeg About Me - Responding to Learners’ Needs Even the best-created plan cannot account for the range of possible responses from a group of learners. A skilled facilitator pays attention to learners’ questions, body language, and engagement during a training in order to respond in purposeful ways. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b8064e57e3c3a2ba0dde135/1550532241642-C8Q0VDYFBYKL77056ZJH/stage_1550439299.jpeg About Me - The Purpose of Instruction Adult learners are highly focused on the potential relevance of learning to their personal or professional life. Learning that is clearly relevant to the people in the room will increase learners’ attention and persistence. Sometimes learners will need help understanding why something should be important to them, and developing their beliefs about value for the task can be incorporated into the learning experience to promote learners’ motivation. If something is worth spending time to learn, then instruction must be designed to maximize learners’ time and attention so that learning results in lasting changes. https://www.stephaniethai.com/read-me daily 0.75 2025-05-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5310cef7e4b08602cbfa36bf/1412689652885-P9TPK298WCTZU748L0SG/Lifestyle03.jpg Read Me