Overview
The Stanford Accelerator for Learning, a university long-range project, creates effective learning solutions using the latest advancements in technology, data, learning, and neuroscience. We collaborate across disciplines and with partners to bring scalable and equitable solutions to all learners.
The Adult and Workforce Learning Initiative is one of six initial focus areas within the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. PWHOPL (pronounced PWAH-puhl) is an acronym for People Who Help Other People Learn and includes but is not limited to mentors, managers, section leaders, attending physicians, community health workers, tutors, early childhood education workforce, coaches, classroom paraprofessionals, and more – anyone who teaches but has not had the benefit of the thousands of hours of training that professional teachers receive.
The Stanford Accelerator for Learning seeks to fund research that leads to new understanding of how to optimize rapid capability development and fosters ways to use technology to support PWHOPL to be more effective at helping other people learn. We request proposals for projects and learning technologies that support adult learners who have teaching responsibilities but often receive minimal formal education, if at all.
In most cases, PWHOPL do not have the opportunity or time to learn how to teach well, and the costs of developing their teaching capability can be prohibitive. At the same time, PWHOPL are often steeped in the contexts and cultures where learning takes place, so they bring unique strengths. If we can find ways to support PWHOPL, there could be a tremendous multiplier effect in benefits to learners of all ages. Proposals need to recognize that PWHOPL have many other responsibilities, so the amount of time available for supporting them to build knowledge and skills will normally be brief. This raises an interesting question of how to optimize rapid capability development given that it will be impossible to cover the range of issues the PWHOPL are likely to encounter. For example, do some approaches put PWHOPL on a trajectory of continued learning, even after the intervention is complete?
Competitive proposals will be sensitive to the highly contextualized nature of PWHOPL as well as the constraints on the time available for learning. Innovative uses of technology will receive favor as will proposals that include data collection and the eventual demonstration of impact.