ABOUT

With PERFORMEX I bring 33 years of dedication to supporting students and staff with improving performance and achieving goals...

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Mission

PERFORMEX's mission is positioning employees and their organizations for success through the collaborative development and implementation of evidence-based performance solutions.

My Story in a Nutshell...

During my 33-year career in education, I have been dedicated to supporting students and staff with improving performance and achieving goals.  To accomplish this, I have engaged in ongoing professional learning and have leveraged evidence-based practices in my roles as: classroom teacher, technology mentor, three positions as a district coordinator, as well as Learning Specialist at the New Brunswick Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

To learn more about my academic and professional background, please visit my LinkedIn profile.

My Story With a Few More Details...

Applying My Learning from Performance Improvement in the NB Education System 

The opportunity to take on the role of District PowerSchool SIS Project Coordinator for the Anglophone East School District in New Brunswick was timely.  When I started this position, I was in the process of completing a Graduate Certificate in Workplace eLearning and Performance Support (WELPS) through Boise State University--which I completed in August 2015.

During the PowerSchool implementation, I met the challenge of applying what I had learned from my university courses as well as from my ongoing learning from webinars, books, and articles.  I  carefully designed evidence-based training and non-training solutions to assist administrative assistants, administrators, and teachers with quickly and efficiently completing job-specific tasks in the new student information system.  Training-wise, I successfully facilitated numerous face-to-face sessions as well as a few online sessions.  To provide just-in-time support to staff with transferring their learning back on the job, I led the provincial team's creation of  PowerSchool and PowerTeacher Pro repositories of interactive eLearning modules, videos, and job aids.

 

Samples of My Work...

Interactive Module

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PowerSchool Search Commands

Following the face-to-face training sessions, this module provided new PowerSchool users with on-demand practice using Search Commands. During the scenarios, learners help the administrative assistants to select the correct Search Command to find the information needed to complete the task at hand.

Visual Job Aid

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Proof of Immunization: Listing Students Without Proof

In this job aid, I explain the principles of brain-based learning and visual design that have been applied to support the cognitive processes of learning.

 

On-Demand Video

I led the creation of a microlearning video repository to support K-8 teachers in the four Anglophone sectors across the province of New Brunswick with self-directed, personalized learning of PowerTeacher Pro.

Similarities With PowerSchool Admin Repository

Like the videos for PowerSchool Admin, the videos in the next-generation repository were designed using the research on cognitive science and principles of multimedia instruction--and as a result, supported learning, retention, and transfer.  For example, various kinds of signalling (e.g., zooming, highlighting) were used to direct learners' attention to specific parts of the on-screen visuals. Signalling eliminates the extraneous cognitive load that would otherwise be imposed upon learners' working memory if they had to search the visuals for the part being discussed in the narration.  In the video example to the right, prompted self-explanation is also used.  During the "Problem Analysis" section (1m35s) learners are invited to pause the video while considering their answer to a question--and in so doing, they process the example more deeply and build accurate mental models.

Differences From PowerSchool Admin Repository

I call the PowerTeacher Pro repository "next-generation" as I had progressed from a lengthy, multi-objective design to microlearning.  Micro assets offer the following advantages:

  1. Short duration = Reduced cognitive load, thereby increasing learning, retention, and transfer.  The majority of videos are less than 2min.
  2. Modular format = Each video covers one topic.
    • Teachers can quickly find the specific chunk of information they need to close their knowledge gap and complete the task at hand.
    • Increased flexibility for teachers to create their own personalized learning path.
    • Micro assets combine to provide a 360-degree view of the topic PowerTeacher Pro—within the context of the assessment cycle.

The Success That Comes With Teamwork

As a result of the dedication, perseverance, and positive attitude of school office personnel, the efforts of district and provincial staff, and the support of these evidence-based solutions, administrative assistants, administrators, and teaches quickly and efficiently transitioned to completing tasks in the new student information system.

 

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Moving Forward

I'm a believer in the advice, If you're still talking about what you did yesterday, you're not doing much today.  Accordingly, once I completed the WELPS Graduate Certificate, I began the Master of Science in Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning at Boise State University. I will complete this degree in August 2020. Thanks to these studies, I have been adding new evidence-based practices to my briefcase which are helping to position employees and their organizations for success.

PERFORMEX

I look forward to continuing to leverage my skill set to support students and staff in the NB education system.  With PERFORMEX, I am also branching out to offer services and solutions to support individuals and organizations with performance improvement in the education system of other provinces--as well as in other sectors.

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Supporting Students With Learning Disabilities for Success

Supporting Students With Learning Disabilities for Success is the first eLearning module designed and developed by PERFORMEX which is available to any individual or organization.

You can preview an excerpt from the module by:

  1. Trying out the interactive demo.
  2. Checking out the photo gallery.

Experience how this eLearning module will help you and your colleagues to support the students in your school, district, and province who are capable of learning-- and whose "differently wired" (Armstrong, 2012) brains equip them with strengths that can be leveraged to overcome obstacles to learning and to learn in different ways.

 

Click the Contact button if you would like more information on the module or to schedule a meeting to view the complete module.

Module_Title
Armstrong, T. (2012, October). First, discover their strengths.Educational Leadership. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-
leadership/oct12/vol70/num02/First,-Discover-Their-Strengths.aspx