POD Session 2023: Building the Ship as it Sails by Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching

Strategy 1: Center care and well-being

SearleCenter — 2023-11-14 21:22:50 UTC

Begin with yourself. For example, block 15 minutes each day on your calendar to read about healing trauma or how to cope with stress.

Principle 1: Reduce Uncertainty to help foster a sense of safety

SearleCenter — 2023-11-14 21:26:50 UTC

Strategies:

Help faculty [and/or educational developers] identify what they can control
Carefully balance information
Balance the uncertainty of the world with predictability

Source: Transcending Adversity: Trauma-Informed Educational Development

SearleCenter — 2023-11-14 21:27:52 UTC

Welcome, POD Participants!

SearleCenter — 2023-11-14 21:28:20 UTC

Please take a moment to orient yourself to this Padlet by reviewing the 5 principles and 10 coping strategies in your small groups (all located below).

Step One:

SearleCenter — 2023-11-14 21:30:45 UTC

Using what you wrote down for your individual reflection as a starting point, discuss with your group members:

how or when particular strategies resonated with you
how you might apply these strategies to your life and work

Step Two:

SearleCenter — 2023-11-14 21:31:12 UTC

Once you’ve generated some ideas, add cards to the Padlet that describe how you have applied these strategies.

Friendly reminders:

You may add a new card under each section by selecting the "+" button in the righthand corner or under each section.

You do not need to share strategies under each category, only those that resonate with you.

Principle 2: Leverage communication to help forge trust

SearleCenter — 2023-11-15 16:09:11 UTC

Strategies:

Communicate regularly
Remind them that their small actions can make a big difference
Communicate not just the “how” but also the “why”

Principle 3: Reaffirm or re-establish goals to create meaning

SearleCenter — 2023-11-15 16:09:51 UTC

Strategies

Reframe obstacles to reaffirm meaning and purpose
Help your faculty [and/or educational developers] identify short term goals that connect to their long term “why”
Celebrate work by showcasing achievements

Principle 4: Make intentional connections to cultivate community

SearleCenter — 2023-11-15 16:10:27 UTC

Strategies:

Connect faculty [and/or educational developers] to one another
Schedule time for group free writing
Help faculty [and/or educational developers] recognize and leverage the power of relationships

Principle 5: Center well-being and care

SearleCenter — 2023-11-15 16:10:58 UTC

Strategies:

Make “how are you” central to your gatherings
Provide and normalize mental breaks
Intentionally and explicitly engage in positive emotions such as gratitude

Strategy 2: Connect with other educational developers

SearleCenter — 2023-11-15 16:12:33 UTC

Join or start a learning community of educational developers. Ask for help, even if it's just "I need to vent" and "Looking for a sounding board"

Strategy 3: Reaffirm or establish your goals

SearleCenter — 2023-11-15 16:13:27 UTC

One way to promote growth is through self-reflection. Remind yourself that the work you do will impact today and tomorrow and have a ripple effect on the future of humanity.

Strategy 4: Keep a gratitude journal

SearleCenter — 2023-11-15 16:14:50 UTC

Begin by reflecting on how your presence and existence are significant and valued by others and the world. Each week, write three to five things you are grateful for. At the end of the term, enter your entire list into a word cloud and reflect on your gratitude journey.

Strategy 5: Negotiate with your brain

SearleCenter — 2023-11-15 16:16:33 UTC

Part of centering well-being is recognizing when you get triggered and pausing to consider how you will engage with the situation at hand.

Strategy 6: Treat your brain with accomplishment and creativity

SearleCenter — 2023-11-15 16:16:58 UTC

Instead of making a "to do" list, consider making a "done" list. This will help ease your anxiety about all the tasks you have yet to get to. If you have to make a "to do" list, include values that are important to you. For example, show kindness, be creative, create connections.

Strategy 7: Anticipate, don't expect

SearleCenter — 2023-11-15 16:17:10 UTC

Strategy 8: Detach from the outcome

SearleCenter — 2023-11-15 16:17:19 UTC

Focus more on the process than what will happen. The work we do is indispensable, yet its not going to solve all of higher education's problems or eradicate inequality. When you don't get your desired outcomes, remember what the Persian poet Rumi says, "Keep walking" and "Let the beauty we love be what we do"

Strategy 9: Don't take things personally

SearleCenter — 2023-11-15 16:17:30 UTC

Strategy 10: Check up on your friends

SearleCenter — 2023-11-15 16:18:27 UTC

Nurture is our nature. We feel better when we engage in random - or intentional - acts of kindness. Don't assume others are doing great just because they are not showing stress. We all cope differently.

Source: Fractal Reflection: Cultivating Community and Meaning in Times of Crises

SearleCenter — 2023-11-15 16:21:08 UTC

Step Three:

SearleCenter — 2023-11-15 17:50:08 UTC

In small groups, review others’ responses:

What do you want to honor or celebrate?
What do you want to know more about?

We will have a large group discussion in which you are invited to share highlights from your small group discussions or personal reflections.

Establishing Mission and "the Team"

2023-11-17 21:25:27 UTC

Working Environment challenges:

Integrating newer members of the center team with established personnel/vision. Collaboration dynamics are critical to success. Getting the right people in the right seats is so important.

Transparency

2023-11-17 21:29:55 UTC

It's very important to be clear about who (what units, what roles) are making decisions about the center's vision/mission/goals. Communication is key! It's critical to build bridges across stakeholder groups.