Will R. Yliniemi , M.Ed. Extension Cohort, Learning Task #5, July 23, 1999

What Do Our Clients/Constituents Think?

The constituent responses that I would like to address are from participants in an Early Career workshop, which was conducted on May 3-4, 1999, for recently hired Extension Educators of the Minnesota Extension Service. My involvement in this workshop was a result of a collaborative effort of several M.Ed. Extension Cohort members in conjunction with the University of Minnesota Extension Service Professional Development Staff. Participants in this workshop were truly our contemporaries, as they held similar positions with the Extension Service to the Cohort member presenters. This similarity of position status opened doors of communication and allowed for significant verbal and written evaluative response. The workshop was collaboratively designed to provide materials and information that would help new employees transition into their jobs more rapidly with reduced frustration and confusion.

I think it is important to note that the workshop planning and design focus was to encourage learner engagement through active participation, reflection and inductive discussion. Learner centered input strategies were employed to ensure that topics were relevant and appropriate for new educators. We did not always succeed in all aspects of relevancy to learner expectations, but overall the workshop facilitated collaborative learning. I had some doubts as to whether this objective would be achieved during our planning process, because of the many loose ends that seem to be dangling just prior to the event. But transformative methods saved the day, and loose ends were quickly dissolved in the constructivist nature of the workshop design. Learners construct knowledge and truth, to promote collaboration with others, to show multiple perspectives that can be brought to bear on a particular problem, and to arrive at self-chosen positions to which they can commit themselves, while realizing the basis of other views which they may disagree  D.J. Cunningham 1993.

I would like to discuss What our Constituents Think based on the verbal feedback session that was conducted at the end of the workshop. I facilitated this discussion/ evaluation session, and was amazed by the level of involvement in this process. The key to promoting interaction and response was to facilitate dialog. This stimulated and initiated additional comment, and the construction of individual knowledge was enhanced. Wow did they respond! The specifics of what they said is not as important as was the interaction and knowledge building that took place. The evaluation session and the workshop allowed for group interaction. I am convinced that they learned more from each other than they learned from the presenters and/or associated materials. The University of Minnesota Extension Service doesnt need educators who can pass certain defined tests, but rather people who can get the job done. As distinctly voiced by the participants, the workshop exposed them to new models, helped them see things in new ways, and built links so they knew where to find addition resources and information if needed. Hats Off to active and transformative learning. Many of the participants of the Workshop are also sold on transformative learning, even if they dont know what it is!!

-- Anonymous, July 23, 1999