nick gould photography llcPOGIL Learning Communities
Welcome to Learning Communities
Broadening participation.
Deepening community.
Creating equitable pathways to leadership.
POGIL Learning Communities are an initiative in the POGIL Project to broaden participation, deepen community, and create equitable pathways to leadership opportunities in the POGIL Project. The goal of this program is to support a diverse set of new practitioners through their beginning years of implementation to improve retention of underrepresented instructors in the POGIL Project.
A professional learning community is a group of practitioners that meets on a regular basis to share expertise and collaborate to improve their teaching. POGIL Learning Communities are designed to support new practitioners throughout their first years of implementation, to identify available resources to promote sustainability, to improve pedagogical practices, and to build connections to the POGIL community.
First-Year communities will be formed with one experienced facilitator and 3-5 new practitioners. Although participants will be from a mix of disciplines, communities will be organized by educational level (K-12 and higher ed). A meeting framework will be provided to the community leaders to ensure participants are exposed to POGIL resources (Facebook Group, eSeries, PAC, OPTIC, etc.) but leaders will have flexibility to address participant needs as they arise.
Returning cohort communities will be formed with one experienced facilitator and 3-5 returning community participants. Communities will be organized by interest, with a writing or a facilitation focus. Each Learning Community will meet 10 times over the course of the academic year to share challenges, facilitation strategies, and resources.
Applications to either lead a POGIL Learning Community or be a participant in a POGIL Learning Community will be linked below.
Leader Details
Leaders will have extensive experience with POGIL as a practitioner and a facilitator, and will possess knowledge of other student-centered pedagogies. Leaders will have knowledge of the POGIL Project as a whole, including leadership structures and network tools (e.g. PAC, OPTIC, PCL, etc.). Leaders will have experience in guiding/supporting colleagues in professional development. Leaders will have clear knowledge, experience, and ideas with respect to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Professional Learning Communities formed with one experienced facilitator and 4-5 new practitioners will meet 10 times over the course of the academic year to share challenges, facilitation strategies, and resources. A meeting framework will be provided to the community leaders to ensure participants are exposed to POGIL resources (Facebook Group, eSeries, PAC, OPTIC, etc.), but leaders will have flexibility to address participant needs as they arise.
Leader responsibilities include:
- scheduling 1-hr meetings with your community members (~1-2/month)
- completeing a brief report-out after every meeting (Google Form)
- participating in two whole-program meetings (last week of July and second week of January)
- acting as a liaison between the participants and the coordinating committee
Leaders will have attended Facilitator Training and/or facilitated a worshop within the last five years. They will be compensated $500 per year and will have ongoing support from the coordinating committee.
Applications are due by the end of Saturday, May 20, 2023. Selected Leaders will be notified after PNM (by June 7) and affirmation of participation will be due by June 16, 2023. Leaders will participate in an orientation meeting prior to the July 25 all-cohort meeting.
If you are interested in serving as a leader of a POGIL Learning Community, please fill out the application below.
Participant Details
Participants will have completed at least a 1-day Introductory POGIL workshop and be in the beginning years of implementation. Participants will have at least a foundational understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion, or demonstrate a willingness to improve in this area. Participants from historically underserved communities or who serve students from historically underserved communities are highly encouraged to apply.
Communities of 4-5 practitioners will participate in 10 one-hour sessions during the academic year, led by an experienced POGIL facilitator. Participants will be introduced to The POGIL Project's professional development and networking resources and engage in collaborative discussion to address:
- facilitation challenges and successes
- process skill development and assessment
- barriers and catalysts to implementation
- student responses to POGIL, and/or
- other relevant topics as they arise
To sustain participation, practitioners will benefit from:
- a network of experienced practitioners who will be available for discipline- or level-based questions
- a community of peers to connect with beyond the program
- $250 scholarship to an advanced POGIL workshop
- a copy of POGIL: An Introduction to Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning for Those Who Wish to Empower Learners (Edited by Shawn Simonson), as well as other POGIL resources
- documentation for continuing professional development credits
Applications are due by the end of Friday, June 2, 2023.
Selected Participants will be notified by June 7 and affirmation of participation will be due June 30, 2023.