Small Teams, Big Impact: The Power of Ongoing Professional Learning
Step 1 -- Presentation: Structure Matters
Step 2 - The Story Behind the Design
The Why:
After two years of working as a coordinator in the ACE Afterschool Program for Title I campuses, I’ve experienced firsthand how the lack of a formal professional learning system creates dangerous gaps in knowledge, especially when managing compliance-heavy, grant-funded programming. The consequences of even small errors like budget mismanagement, noncompliance with grant terms, or missed data deadlines can be serious, and yet most staff receive little to no guidance or training. I had to seek out my own learning and build systems from scratch, which not only slows down innovation but puts sustainability at risk.
Learn more about the Texas ACE Program and its impact: Click Here
The What: Call to Action Presentation
To communicate the urgency and opportunity around building a sustainable professional learning system for afterschool coordinators, I created a digital presentation using Canva. This platform was intentionally chosen because it reflects the type of accessible, user-friendly, and creative tool that should be integrated into our own professional learning practices. Canva is free to our team through the district’s pro license and offers a wide range of collaborative features and media capabilities that allow users to build engaging presentations with ease.
The presentation outlines five foundational principles of effective professional learning, supported by research and grounded in real-world experience. Each slide builds toward a clear call to action that encourages leadership to embrace professional learning that is hands-on, relevant, and sustained over time. The goal is to inspire a mindset shift and show that small, intentional changes can create the conditions that help coordinators thrive.
This presentation was created with campus and program leaders in mind, but it can also be adapted for onboarding sessions, PD workshops, or staff meetings to help guide more meaningful learning conversations.
The How:
1. Search for the design template:
Canva is a free tool offered and paid for by the district, however, many educators don't know how to use it. Canva offers a variety of free templates for a range of design needs.
2. Select and Customize the Template:
All of Canva's templates are completely customizable. The presentation templates come with pre-set slide decks that can be used to jump start the design process.
3. Use Canva's Unique Features:
Canva is extremely user friendly, offering a variety of design elements for even the most novice designer!
I used the images and graphics provided in Canva pro's system to avoid needing to cite graphics which can be a chore!
