Process Not Product

When I was in elementary school, I used to play school all the time. I had a green chalkboard that could hang on the wall but it could also sit on the floor. I had white chalk most of the time, but every now and then, I would get my hands on colored chalk, which was the greatest thing ever. Except sometimes it would not come all the way off and you could see the faint lines even after I erased it.

On that green chalk board, I would create math problems and conjugate verbs and write vocabulary lists, and basically replicate every single thing my teachers had taught me during the day or week. I distinctly remember an art lesson on perspective and I must have drawn a zillion roads leading into the horizon. I didn’t always have an audience so I would collect my stuffed animals and my babies and set them up for the lesson. I would use books we had around the house as pretend books for my “students.” And I would teach.

I don’t know if kids still play school. I seriously doubt they do with all the other options available to them, but back in the day, I played school like it was my job. And then it became my job. I always tell people I loved school so much I decided to be there every day of my life. 

Stating the obvious, none of my school play was about test scores. Sometimes I took attendance and pretended to write down grades in my notebook, but for the most part, it was really about the process. I loved (and still love) ideas and how to unpack them, how to scaffold them, and how people learn them. As a classroom teacher, I loved the writing process in particular because it helped me “see” what students were thinking about, so we could then talk about it. More process leads to product. 

In 2021, ERG is no different. We work every day to focus on the process of growing learners. We know there are many paths for learning and just as many entry points. We’ve spent over 16 years perfecting our own processes and understanding how to take calculated risks and expand. We have products that complement our processes, but we always try to lead with the learning processes that will build capacity of all learners. This is what sets us apart from most professional development companies.

At ERG, we believe the professional development should be front and center, and if there are supporting products, they should be used to supplement, accentuate, and anchor. Products are tools designed to support teaching and learning. In the natural world, learning takes place all the time without the latest “next big thing” or “quick fix.”

As you navigate the avalanche of educational marketing that promote products that are the next big fix, ERG advises you to beware. At the end of the day, a product is only as good as the people who use it. Make sure you don’t forget to invest in those people.

For Reflection:

• Do you value the learning process as much as you value products?
• How are you investing in processes in your school or classroom?
• What products have served you and your students well? How are they different than products that failed?
• How is your professional development built around processes that grow people?