Overview of Roadtrip

Katherine Wonson, Director of the Western Center for Historic Preservation (WCHP), established a goal to level up the delivery of internal courses offered by a nationwide network of instructors from the National Parks Service. Under Katherine’s leadership, the WCHP elected to bring experiential learning to an initial cohort of 14 historic preservation instructors. In response, TOPOnexus–Center for Learn Local designed and facilitated the BEST Road Trip, an innovative nine-month training.

Outcomes

Together, the cohort generated:

• BEST Roadmap with the routines used along the way; engaging head, hands and heart

• Personalized Field Guide with most effective experiential practices; drawing on wonder, inquiry and reflection

• Ideas for the BEST Compass with essential elements of the BEST experience

The cohort refined their experiential delivery by:

• Creating and presenting final project (“Pull-Thrus”) with adaptive experiential learning strategies 

• Practicing with peers and integrating their feedback

WCHP staff created:

• BEST Compasses with ideas from the cohort, which included:

• BEST Ways of Learning (see visual): Own Your Learning–Think Critically, Play, Reflect, Experiment

• BEST Ways of Teaching (see visual): Next Level Learning–Exploratory, Place-Based, Experiential, Learner First

• Experiential Learning Flow template

Impact & Deep Reach

BEST instructors came away with a deep understanding of experiential learning, including:

• Heartset, mindset and skill set to put experiential learning into practice in 

• Stronger sense of place and connection to their park site(s)

• Authentic self-reflection and personalized goal setting

• Ongoing access to a robust community of lifelong learners

The BEST Road Trip included 14 historic preservation instructors who spent a total of 80+ hours in training with TOPOnexus.

Collaboration

Our co-laboring was successful on multiple levels. We worked together to:

• Articulate goals for the BEST Road Trip,  BEST Compass and BEST Learning Flow

• Flex content and scheduling to accommodate participants’ needs along the way

• Provide a positive and engaging learning community

WONDER & WHOA!
We were gratified to see how positively the group dynamic unfolded. Participants were given many opportunities to share their work and life experiences in an authentic setting, which yielded a strong bond in the group. A positive learning environment was modeled and attained.

What is Wonder & Whoa?

Without wonder, we cannot gain new perspectives or innovate. With wonder, we become lifelong learners. We are full of wonder. Whoa is something that stops you in your tracks and inspires, surprises, or shocks you. Together, wonder and whoa have the transformative power to create meaningful personalized learning.