Beyond Creation and Distribution: What we need is More Engagement

When we look around and see what folks are doing to support teachers, we see that there are a lot of resources being developed. And the people creating these materials are likely coming from a place of care. There is a lot of information out there and curating resources can save them some time. However, I (Jody) have been thinking about the difference between receiving resources and learning from them. This noticing started with a conversation with a colleague who made a simple distinction that has stayed with me, which is that distribution and engagement are not the same thing. By distribution she meant sharing resources and tools. By engagement she meant thinking deeply about something or grappling with an idea.

Since then, I’ve found myself noticing this distinction in many spaces. For example, recently, I participated in a focus group where we were shown slide after slide of resources designed to support mathematics teaching and learning. There were books, articles, tools, lesson ideas, websites, and more. As someone who considers herself a voracious reader, I was excited to see all the possibilities. And then I felt overwhelmed. There were so many resources. Where would I even start? I left with a long list of things I could explore. But if I’m honest, I didn’t use any of them. A few months later, I’m still thinking about why I wasn’t able to use them.

We have become incredibly good at distributing resources. We can put ideas into shared drives, send them in newsletters, post them on websites, include them in slide decks, and make them available with a click. This matters because distribution expands access and makes it possible for people to encounter ideas they might not otherwise find. But access is not the same thing as engagement. And distribution is not the same thing as supporting learning or change.

When thinking about supporting teachers, what is the alternative to distribution? How do we support engagement?  For example, what if I wanted to support teachers to work on their practices related to student discourse? There are thousands of resources available to help teachers create opportunities for more students to make their thinking visible, contribute ideas, and learn from one another. So many resources–protocols, videos, lesson plans, books–that it is overwhelming. Instead of curating a bunch of resources for teachers about this topic, how could I support their learning? I might then choose one discourse routine and support teachers to spend time engaging with it. I could help them try out a new discourse routine with their students. I can help them pay attention to how the instruction plays out and consider: Who participates? Who doesn’t? Are students building on one another’s ideas? Are they listening differently? What is working and what might we change the next time we try the routine?

The resource hasn’t changed. But our relationship to the resource has. Instead of giving teachers resources, we’re helping them to try it, to make sense of it, to question it, to adapt it, and to learn from what happens. 

This distinction has us thinking differently about professional learning and how we support teachers. When people are already overwhelmed with resources, adding another one (even a really good one) usually isn’t what they need. Instead, we need to help them find time and space to engage with an idea, try it out, reflect, and learn alongside others.

In a world where most of us can already access plenty of resources, the challenge isn’t figuring out how to distribute more. It’s figuring out how to create more opportunities for people to engage, make sense, and learn together.