Jennifer Lee | Instructional Design for Early Learning

Context:

New educators entering our program brought a wide range of experiences, confidence levels, and familiarity with curriculum and instructional expectations. While onboarding provided initial information, there was a clear need for ongoing, structured support that helped educators translate expectations into daily practice.

At the same time, instructional coaches, needed a consistent framework to guide conversations, goal-setting, and follow-up support across classrooms.

My Role:

I led the design and development of a structured professional learning series for early childhood educators. This work included:

• Designing a sequenced learning experience aligned to program goals.
• Developing multimedia instructional materials, including slide decks and narrated video presentations.
• Creating learning packets and tools to support reflection and application.
• Integrating collaborative learning opportunities to deepen engagement.
• Designing implementation goals to support transfer of learning into practice.
• Securing Ohio Approved professional development hours.
• Training instructional coaches to facilitate the series and support ongoing implementation.

Design Approach:

The series was designed using principles of adult learning, with a focus on:

• Relevance: Connecting content directly to educators’ daily classroom experiences.
• Active Engagement: Incorporating reflection, discussion, and application within each session.
• Coherence: Aligning session content with coaching cycles and program expectations.
• Sustained Support: Structuring learning across multiple sessions rather than one-time training.

Each session followed a consistent structure:

1. Grounded in practice
2. Exploration of key concepts
3. Application to classroom context
4. Connection to coaching support

Implementation:

The series was designed as a set of asynchronous modules to support flexible access while still maintaining a structured, coaching-supported learning experience.

Instructional coaches facilitated each session by viewing short, narrated video modules (15-20 minutes) alongside educators and providing accompanying learning packets. This approach allowed for shared understanding while accommodating the limited planning time available to teachers.

Following each module, coaches supported educators in completing reflection activities and engaging in peer discussion. Together, they identified a focused implementation goal aligned to the educator’s role and current practice, ensuring that new learning was immediately applied in the classroom.

Outcomes:

These outcomes reflect how the design of the series supported educator engagement, reflection, and the application of learning into classroom practice.

• Engaged 45+ educators during the 2025-2026 school year to date, with ongoing participation in collaborative reflection through shared learning tools.
• Increased educator engagement in application-focused discussion, extending learning beyond initial training sessions.
• Strengthened alignment between professional learning and coaching cycles through structured goal-setting and follow-up support.
• Supported educators in implementing targeted instructional strategies aligned to their role and classroom context.
• Contributed to a sustainable, scalable model for job-embedded professional learning across the program.

Design Artifacts:

These artifacts illustrate how the series was intentionally designed to move beyond content delivery and support reflection, collaboration, and classroom application.