Learning to Change Melissa Emler

Documenting our processes and outcomes when we’re doing change work is vital.

I recently encountered a philosophical concept that perfectly helps illustrate this, and today, as part of our ongoing series of explainers, I want to talk through the ideas of studium and punctum and how they can be applied to our work in and out of the classroom.















LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:









* Philosopher Roland Barthe’s definition of studium and punctum







* What we can learn about the use of studium and punctum from Taylor Swift







* How employing studium and punctum will impact how we at Modern Learners document our process of reimagining assessments in New York state









RESOURCES:









* The Writing Teacher's Guide to Pedagogical Documentation: Rethinking How We Assess Learners and Learning, Angela Stockman







* Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography, Roland Barthes









LEARN MORE ABOUT MELISSA EMLER AND MODERN LEARNERS:









* Modern Learners







* Modern Learners Community

Learning design and lesson planning might sound interchangeable, but they have distinct uses and purposes in education.

So what’s the difference?

In today’s episode, I’m responding to a listener question and parsing out these two concepts. I’ll talk about why, how, and when both of them apply to our learning environments, along with key questions and practical considerations for each phase.















LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:









* How the end user is the key differentiator between learning design and lesson planning







* How learning design addresses questions of goals, access, and strategies to foster effective and engaging learning experiences







* How learning design helps us think through the how and why of teaching particular content, for both teachers and students







* The difference between assessment of learning and assessment as learning







* Why learning design needs to happen well in advance of lesson planning







* How lesson plans put learning design into action in the classroom









LEARN MORE ABOUT MELISSA EMLER AND MODERN LEARNERS:









* Modern Learners







* Modern Learners Community

All change is linguistic.

It’s something that I frequently remind people of, but what do I really mean when I say that?

The words we use have meanings. Changes in our language reflect the deeper cultural shifts at play and help us dismantle barriers and promote understanding.

In this episode, I want to take a moment to dig into how linguistic changes bring us closer to our goal of more equitable, accessible, and supportive learning environments.















LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:









* How the language we use embodies our values and commitments to change







* How seemingly simple shifts in language help us create more supportive, inclusive learning environments







* How language drives change in narratives and pedagogical approaches to our students









RESOURCES:









* Community: The Structure of Belonging, Peter Block









LEARN MORE ABOUT MELISSA EMLER AND MODERN LEARNERS:









* Modern Learners







* Modern Learners Community

As part of our series on event planning and community, Gina Bianchini, founder and CEO of Mighty Networks joins me to talk about why People Magic is more than a set of tools, but a guiding philosophy of making valuable connections between people.

She also explains why many online groups are using their platforms “off-label,” and how Mighty Networks is changing the game in community engagement.















LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:









* Why member to member connection is the most important factor to the success for online communities and events







* How Mighty Networks has reimagined the member profile as a site for engagement and connection with other users







* The coming role of AI in community moderation







* How communities get people out of the constant churn of social media content creation









LEARN MORE ABOUT Gina bianchini









* Mighty Networks







* Connect with Gina on LinkedIn









LEARN MORE ABOUT MELISSA EMLER AND MODERN LEARNERS:









* Modern Learners







* Modern Learners Community

In this installment of Off the Cuff Rants on Learning, I’m sharing my unfiltered thoughts and perspectives on accessibility.

A recent experience speaking at an event has accessibility and universal design for learning on my mind, and I want to invite you to consider these issues with me.

Let’s think through how we can remain true to our values of inclusion even when the pressure is on, the tech isn’t working, or other obstacles crop up.















LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:









* The incident with a tech issue and an event organizer that left me feeling shaky 







* Our responsibility around accessibility









LEARN MORE ABOUT MELISSA EMLER AND MODERN LEARNERS:









* Modern Learners







* Modern Learners Community

In this installment of Off the Cuff Rants on Learning, I’m diving into the deep end and offering my unfiltered thoughts, passion, and perspectives on a topic that keeps me up at night: Bullying.

These rants aren’t about getting it right on the first try, but about unpacking concepts and facing uncomfortable truths so that we can reflect and revolutionize our understanding of the challenges classrooms face every day.

Let’s start the conversation.















LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:









* How I handled reports of bullying as principal of a small, rural school







* What students can gain by going through a conflict resolution process







* Why students need to learn conflict management







* How current systems disempower students who are being bullied









LEARN MORE ABOUT MELISSA EMLER AND MODERN LEARNERS:









* Modern Learners







* Modern Learners Community