Establishment of a Neurodevelopmental Framework for Learning (NDFL) Initiative Within

Establishment of a Neurodevelopmental Framework for Learning (NDFL) Initiative within the Q.E.D. Foundation

Proposal Summary:

The Q.E.D. Foundation (QED)[1]works to advocate and facilitate widespread demand for and creation of student-centered learning communities. As the leadership of All Kinds of Minds (AKOM) sought a nonprofit partner to carry on its work of bringing neurodevelopmental knowledge and tools to educators and others who work with students, QED emerged as a solid partner. By acquiring the assets of AKOM, the science of learning and its variation will inform student-centered learning communities and – ultimately – transform education so each individual learner is understood, nurtured, and supported toward success.

This paper outlines a proposal for the establishment of a Neurodevelopmental Framework for Learning (NDFL) initiative of QED that leverages AKOM’s assets, so that proven approaches and solutions to working with individual learners are more broadly available to educators to help ensure all students find success as learners.

All Kinds of Minds: Background, Impact, and Assets:

Since 1996, All Kinds of Minds (AKOM) has served as the preeminent organization advancing the use of a neurodevelopmental based approach to help all students learn and thrive. The NDFL developed by AKOM and taught in its programs is described in the book Schools for All Kinds of Minds (2010) and involves:

• Expertise in a science of learning, based on the understanding of eight constructs shaping learning and the belief that differences are variation, not deviation[JF1].
• Evidence gathered from multiple sources at different stages of development, including using a phenomenological approach as part of the ongoing data collection and analysis necessary to understand how individual students learn, discover unique learning profiles and how to support learning through personalized instructional and intervention strategies.
• A problem-solving model[JF2]that uncovers the complexity and richness of how a student learns, identifying learning assets as well as weaknesses and discovering passions and affinities that can drive aspirations, scholarship, careers and other life options that are the foundation of an individual management plan. This model encourages and facilitates collaboration among educators, parents/caregivers, and students.
• A set of five core beliefs about how ALL students are treated.
• Inspire optimism in the face of learning challenges
• Discover and treasure learning profiles
• Eliminate humiliation, blaming, and labeling of students[JF3]
• Leverage strengths and affinities
• Empower students to find success
• A commitment toworkwith others[JF4]to help align school and educational practices and policies to the way students learn and vary in their learning while capitalizing on individual strengths and affinities.

All Kinds of Minds’ demonstrated the success of its programs by engaging more than 50,000 practicing educators around the world, providing them with online tools and practical strategies. Two dozen independent research studies, thousands of teacher evaluations, and a network of Schools of Distinction have demonstrated the positive impact on various measures of student success, teacher beliefs and practices, classroom culture and school policy issues.[2]

AKOM’s fifteen-year legacy includes many tangible assets that are ready to be more widely and creatively deployed. These include a content-rich website, observational tools that generate a learning profile and accompanying instructional and management strategies, and a variety of course materials to train educators and other professionals. Further, there are unique “human capital” assets that continue to spread this neurodevelopmental framework for learning (NDFL) approach:

• Local capacity ready to be more broadly deployed (500+ facilitators trained to teach NDFL using AKOM’s programs and materials)
• International network of dozens of program providers working with educators and schools to learn NDFL approach
• 30+ “Schools of Distinction” (independent, parochial, international, public, charter) that demonstrate a variety of ways that NDFL has been integrated into practice
• More than one hundred clinical practitioners—developmental pediatricians, psychologists and learning specialists—providing individual assessments grounded in NDFL
• 35,000 educators and advocates—predominently those who have participated in AKOM courses and events—in a database of subscribers to e-communications
• A web and social media platform supporting the continued engagement of these individuals and the dissemination of NDFL research and best practices

The approach to understanding and respecting students[JF5] by using a neurodevelopmental framework for learning that uncovers how they learn, along with their talents and assets, works. It puts many students on a success path that wouldn’t have been there otherwise. AKOM’s proven solution, along with other such tested NDFL efforts,[3] make it possible to imagine a not so distant future where the documented outcomes we’ve seen become commonplace and include:

• Every student is aware of his or her own learning profile—the collection of strengths, affinities and current weaknesses—and has plans and paths to follow to build a fulfilling life.

• Every student is able to become a successful learner who demonstrates high levels of mastery in specific domains without experiencing unnecessary humiliation, doubt and persistent failure because of the unique way he or she learns.
• Parents and students expect, and educators use, a wide range of methods to assess and document learning progressions, understanding that assessment is a critical part OF learning.
• Educators use their understanding of NDFL and learning profiles to enrich the individual and collective educational experience of their students.
• Parents envision a bright future for each of their children, no matter what his or her learning profile.
• Local communities demand and support collaboration to create and connect meaningful and targeted learning opportunities – both inside of schools and outside – that support and engage all learners.
• Our nation shares a richer view of how we define, measure, support and value learning for all students.

It is AKOM’s belief that when teachers and other adults working with students deploy the learning expertise gained through a NDFL approach, all students will learn at higher levels and demonstrate mastery. Achievement gaps will close, disengaged students will decrease in number and the chronic underperformance of many students in our schools will diminish with a concurrent increase in students and educators finding passion and joy in the process of teaching and learning.

Goals of Merging AKOM’s Assets with QED’s Work:

Having demonstrated that it is possible to equip educators with knowledge and tools that enable them to use an NDFL in their work with learners, and that in turn this has real and positive outcomes for learners, AKOM’s desire is to see this work spread as broadly as possible.

In order to “spread” this NDFL approach to achieve significant impact, the next phase of this work must focus on:

• development of technology platforms that, first, provide free and open access to NDFL [JF6]knowledge and tools developed by AKOM and subsequently allow for the creation of new content, programs and tools;
• support and further expansion of the network of educators affiliated with
  AKOM committed to[JF7] (a) providing training to build the capacity of others to use NDFL, (b) contributing to the development of new content, curriculum and tools that further the use of NDFL, and (c) elevating examples of work that demonstrates how NDFL can be implemented and what the benefits are for all learners; and
• engagement with individuals and organizations who will “refresh,”[JF8] update, and further validate the neurodevelopmental framework that undergirds the content and curriculum developed by AKOM – and connect AKOM’s NDFL to other research and approaches in this emerging field.

The time is right for such an effort given a number of external factors. Many organizations are working to catalyze change in conventional thinking about learning and education by embracing neuroscience research.

Two membership organizations—International Mind Brain and Education Society (IMBES) and Learning and the Brain—are bringing scientists and practitioners together in conferences to share neuro- and cognitive science research that is relevant to teaching practice. A new peer-reviewed journal has been launched. For the past 20 years, individuals such as Judy Willis, David Souza, Eric Jensen, Pat Wolfe, and James Zull have authored books and taken to the speaking circuit to promote the value of “brain-based” education. Universities such as Harvard and Johns Hopkins have introduced graduate study programs for educators to specialize in the emerging neuro-education field.

Furthermore, the MetLife 2010 survey probed deeper regarding 2009 findings that teachers feel they can’t meet the varied learning needs of all their students.[4] They asked what would make a major impact in turning this around. While only 47% of teachers felt more knowledge from neuroscience would have a major impact on the ability to better meet need of students, more than 64% reported that tools and resources to understand learning strengths and needs and to personalize instruction to learning profiles would have a major impact. [JF9]An interpretation could be that while the offer of knowledge alone is not enough to spark a shift in assessment and instructional practice, teachers are hungry for tools and guidance in application of this science of learning to their art of teaching.

AKOM admires QED’s commitment to spark transformational change that puts students at the center of the all education-related decisions and that focuses on the development of the mind of every single learner – regardless of that student’s learning profile. QED’s focus on building demonstration points, capacity, and demand, is what determine that it is the right organization to steward AKOM’s assets into the future. Furthermore, these assets will help form a new program for QED – a Neurodevelopmental Framework for Learning Initiative – that aligns and integrates with QED’s other work, while supporting QED as it expand its capacity in outreach, staffing, and new organizational relationships.

Proposed Project Structure and Work:

The NDFL Initiative that we are proposing requires three primary components:

• a network structure to coordinate, support and leverage the human capital strengths and assets of the organizations and individuals who have worked with AKOM and other neurodevelopmental projects and are eager to continue the collaboration[JF10];
• tools (including technology platforms), resources and a plan of action enabling collaborative work and network growth; and
• an organization to house this initiative and guide efforts to achieve the initiative’s mission and vision – the role that QED will assume.

Why a network structure and how could it be organized?

Much has been written about new organizational designs for social change that are built around networked relationships supported by technology. Many of these organizations operate virtually and are supported by a small core of full time staff. The best argument for this structure has been made by Beth Kantor and Alison Fine in their book The Networked Non Profit[JF11].[5]

Networks are well suited to spread social innovations. Rather than focus on the construct of “scaling” for impact, social innovations focused on knowledge and practice can find faster—and perhaps greater—impact considering the construct of “spread.” While scaling involves replication and attention to systems, the idea of spread is more viral, adaptable to local contexts and quicker to reveal a tipping point.[6] It is a construct for impact that fits well with a network structure and social media strategies.

The organizational design of a network is best implemented when there are already hubs of activity around a particular interest[JF12], cause or action. Using this structure, the fragmented work people have been doing with All Kinds of Minds and other neurodevelopment efforts – as well as other efforts in which QED is involved – is harnessed for greater efficiency, effectiveness and impact.

This network effort, initially referred to as the Consortia for NDFL, is designed as a “production network.”[7] A production network aligns people around a common purpose[JF13] and fosters joint action for specific outcomes. Members are united in their desire and ability to bring a NDFL to educators and schools through quality training and services, to further the research and knowledge base of a NDFL and demonstrate new approaches and implementation with a commitment to quality and external evaluation. The members of the network are viewed as “intellectual philanthropists” — dedicated to giving a new knowledge base to the education profession on behalf of students. This becomes an accessible network of learning experts positioned to spread expertise.

The Consortia, along with technology platforms, the web and social media, are the primary strategies for implementing the NDFL Initiative’s plan of action. The plan of action assumes the network will loosely operate like an “action tank,”[8] because it combines the work of “think tanks” (influencing others through research, publishing, policy and public relations/media outreach) with direct service activities [JF14](building local capacity through involvement with programs, training and demonstration projects).

Initially, the Consortia will be built from the variety of schools, districts and nonprofit organizations around the world involved with All Kinds of Minds. The most dedicated and talented individuals from these groups came together to form an initial program dissemination network in October 2010. This provider network, working from Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs), continued to deliver ND programs to almost 1000 educators in 2011.

The network goal, over time, is to integrate with the other neuro-education efforts underway[JF15], contributing to building an education profession that is expert in learning and equal to the task of providing high quality, relevant instruction for all students within emerging models of delivery (e.g. traditional schools, virtual learning communities, one-to-one personalized education).

The Consortia for NDFL will use a network hub and spoke structure. The “hub” will operate within QED with a small staff managing the overall initiative and plan of action. The hub is supported by leaders of various “spokes” in geographic regions or affinity groups. There will be a deliberate focus on building the competencies and providing tools for this work within the first years of this initiative[JF16]. This involves early identification of “nodes” and natural leaders; facilitative skill development for those leaders and strong communication tools and protocols to support both the virtual and face to face work in local communities.

The work of the Consortia may look like this:

“Hub”-QED / “Spokes”-Network Organizations
Provides AKOM’s tools and resources for network members and general public, with a focus on website, social media tactics, and national outreach.[JF17] / Use tools and resources in community to build awareness and advocacy for NDFL, participate in social media efforts
Supports network members: management, program delivery[JF18], creative commons access to IP, communication, leadership development / Bring available training programs to educators and other adults, find and nurture new network members
Integrates new work emerging from “spokes” using IP into plan of action; responsible for ensuring progress and deliverables and communicating “proof points” through social media and national outreach efforts. / Participate as communities of practice on specific projects with development and dissemination through Creative Commons.
(e.g. new product development, pre-service education, case study research)
Spurs the review and expansion of NDFL knowledge base by developing relationships, forging alliances, and representing the Consortia within other neuro-education convenings / Participate in knowledge base work

What tools and resources are needed for the Consortia for NDFL and others to achieve impact?

It is the effort of people that achieve impact. First, the network needs no or low-cost access to the proven programs developed and distributed by All Kinds of Minds. Initially, this involves making the current curriculum materials available to those delivering NDFL training programs; this would be achieved by AKOM’s transfer of these assets (including the vendor contract) as part of the larger IP transfer to QED.

This also involves ensuring that network can expand delivery of these programs—and others—by preparing high-quality facilitators who have been the hallmark of All Kinds of Minds programs this past decade. The Facilitator Development Academy (the means by which educators are trained and “approved” to deliver AKOM courses) will continue as an activity of QED Delivery platforms will evolve beyond Face to Face (F2F) adult learning programs to online and blended learning[JF19] over time. Still, the success of any delivery is contingent on the skill of the facilitator working within these new roles. QED, with its history of involvement in the Annenburg National School Reform Faculty training, is well positioned to evolve the Facilitator Development Academy to develop the competencies required in such delivery venues.