The Radical Middle has developed a 6-part professional development series to help organizations, schools, and other stakeholder groups actively reflect on and apply the principles of being a “Radical” professional. Let us help you start the conversations within your own professional spaces and support you in making actionable change that embraces collaboration and partnership with a goal of supporting ALL children who are deaf and hard of hearing and their families.
If you are interested in scheduling 1 or more sessions, please reach out to us and we can discuss options and fees.
Presentation Options (style)
Each audience we present for is unique, and we are certainly willing and able to modify and customize any presentation for your specific needs. Here is an example of what a full day PD might look like: (by request, we can send a mock-up of slides and materials so you can get a better idea of the flow of the presentation).
Part 1 of 6- “Soft opening” on history of deaf education (brief) and addressing our bias as professionals — Participants will have a jigsaw activity and a reflective activity during this session. (This also works as a Keynote Address or Plenary Session).
Part 2 of 6- Deeper dive into bias and how that impacts professional practice. Focus on parents, deaf community, professional community and strategies for better communication between and across groups. Participants will also explore case studies with discussion prompts and use what they have learned in addressing student needs from a broader perspective. Time permitting, faux IEP teams will be developed for deeper exploration on more “Radical Middle” practice in educational decision making, placement, and service decisions.
Part 3 of 6- The “Art” of being an expert — This session dives into specific strategies for having more productive discussion and collaboration between and across perceived polarized groups (LSL professionals v. Bilingual Specialists, or Parents v. Deaf Community, for example). In this session, participants will work together to create visual representations of their ideas of moving to the middle in their own professional practice.
Part 4 of 6 – Exclusive focus on The Radical Middle as an organization and as a professional practice. This session will also include leadership and reflection strategies for professionals. The session ends with the “Yesterday, I … Today I… Tomorrow, I will…” reflection activity and an open discussion.
Follow Up/Application Sessions (Parts 5 and 6) can be scheduled as a half day inservice.
(This is intended to be a follow up which can be scheduled the day following the core inservice, parts 1-4) or any time after. If longer than 1 year has passed between the core inservice and the follow up, additional time may be needed review core topics).
Part 5 of 6- Focus on extending “Radical” practice within the organization with discussion and reflection around specific examples. This session includes leadership and reflection strategies tied to the “Ten Tips for Finding the Middle” and supports participants in applying specific strategies to “heal the field”. Participants will examine the assumptions that exist within their organization and learn how to take actionable steps to “bust the myths” that exist within their organizational structures and build collaborative partnerships with stakeholders
Part 6 of 6- Focus on the “Aspen Truths for Leadership” and strategies for making actionable change within their organization. Participants use a “Relate, Collaborate, Activate” model for applying the Aspen Truths for organizational change and growth, extend collaboration, spur purpose, and convert to thrive. In this session, participants will also identify their professional “Windows, Mirrors, and Doors” and develop an action plan for collaboration that fosters organizational change.
Typical Objectives for Presentation (these can be tailored to meet the specific needs of your group or PD requirements).
- Participants will reflect on their own philosophical beliefs with regards to language and education of children who are deaf and hard of hearing and how philosophical leanings impact their interactions with parents, students, and other professionals.
- Participants discover opportunities to collaborate and connect with professionals including members of the deaf community and parent organizations, representing diverse perspectives.
- Participants will explore how “radically middle thinking” can inform professional practice and development.
- Participants will identify specific ways apply the basic principles of The Radical Middle to their organization as a means to foster organizational change and “Radical” collaboration.
Typical Objectives for Breakout Sessions (again, these can be tailored to meet the specific needs of your group or PD requirements).
- Participants will discuss, in small groups, the challenges faced in deaf education with regards to language and education. During these discussions, participants will apply concepts and ideas from the keynote presentation, “Finding the Middle: A Move towards Unity and Partnership in Deaf Education.
- Participants will explore their own personal bias as a professional in deaf education and identify proactive ways of addressing that bias in their professional practice.
- Participants will apply “radical middle” concepts to educational decision making during a case-study exploration activity.
- Participants will create a visual representation of their learning and discussion that identifies at least three ways to bring positive change to the field of deaf education through philosophical partnership.
- Participants will actively reflect on their learning and identify at least one strategy for committing to a more “radically middle” perspective in their professional practice.
- Participants will develop a community of practice and develop goals to support actionable change within their organization.
Presentation Options (length)
We can offer a 2 hour, 1/2 day, full day, or full day + half day follow up PD at this time (if you are interested in something more custom, we are happy to work with you organization to tailor any PD offerings to fit your needs).
All sessions include some combination of formal presentation and interactive sessions where participants develop some sort of “product” that culminates their learning. The options break down something like this …
2 hour (1 hour of formal presentation, 30-40 min of interactive activity, 20-30 min of closing activities which may be formal presentation, discussion, or both)
1/2 day (2 sessions, 1.5 hours in length with a break in-between — this will include combinations of formal presentation, discussion, and interactive activities)
Full day (4 sessions, each 1.5 hours in length with breaks in-between — this will include combinations of formal presentation, discussion, and interactive activities).
Half day follow up (2 sessions, each 1.5 hours in length with breaks in-between — this will include combinations of formal presentation, discussion, and interactive activities).
Full day + Half day follow up (6 sessions, each 1.5 hours in length with breaks in-between. It is recommended that the half-day follow up be scheduled within one year of the full day “core” presentation. A 1.5 hour additional refresher session can be included if needed).