Four educators from Northwest College were among those who recently completed intensive active-learning training.

This summer institute at Sheridan College was the kickoff event for a yearlong, immersive program facilitated by the University of Wyoming’s Learning Actively Mentoring Program (LAMP).

The theme for the institute was “Transformative Learning,” and educators engaged in mock active-learning sessions to experience team-based learning and other forms of active learning in an authentic way.

Among the group of 23 educators were Lorilyn Beck, Tim Glatzer, Deepthi Amarasuriya and Rachel Hanan of NWC. They were joined by 17 instructors from UW, one from Sheridan College and another from Laramie County Community College.

In addition to learning effective ways to implement active learning in their classes, participants also learned about the scholarship of teaching and learning, which is the practice of systematically studying the effectiveness of active-learning strategies implemented in classrooms.

On the final anonymous survey, one participant commented, “I have to say that I feel really energized and ready to rock teaching next semester.”

LAMP Director Rachel Watson says transformative learning is defined as “changing the very essence of what we know.”

“It is important that we facilitate transformative learning for our statewide educators, because changing from traditional passive (lecture) methods to evidence-based, active-learning practices requires a fundamental change in how we teach,” she said. “In order to facilitate transformative learning for educators and encourage them to seek this for their students as well, we engaged them in reflective dialogue every day. This is an essential element of deeply internalizing the learning that we have done.”

External and internal mentors facilitated the reflective dialogue and offered subject-matter expertise.

“We are grateful to have had the opportunity to spend time in Sheridan,” Watson said.