Planning an SLS

1. Pick your conferencing tool
   1. Text-based in the #training channel on the WordPress SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/.
   2. Video conferencing platform
      1. You can reserve a community Zoom room here if you don’t have access to a video conferencing platform.
2. Brainstorm how you want your SLS to go!
   1. The cool thing about a social learning space is that it can take any form!  Here are a few suggestions, but feel free to get creative:
      1. Facilitator-led webinar based off of a lesson plan or any topic you feel comfortable discussing.
      2. Watch party of an existing workshop with time to discuss major points afterwards.
      3. Unconference – everyone brings their own topics and there is no one presenter or leader.
      4. Masterclass – bring in an expert on a topic and help facilitate the discussion after their presentation.
      5. Help desk – Get a few volunteers to answer questions in breakout rooms or as a group (Read this great post on Help Desks by Mike Auteri).
3. Schedule 
   1. Minimum one week in advance for a better turnout
      1. See “Hosting an SLS” for detailed instructions on how to set up a MeetUpMeetup All local/regional gatherings that are officially a part of the WordPress world but are not WordCamps are organized through https://www.meetup.com/. A meetup is typically a chance for local WordPress users to get together and share new ideas and seek help from one another. Searching for ‘WordPress’ on meetup.com will help you find options in your area. SLS.
   2. Check the Social Learning Meetup page to pick a time that does not overlap with other scheduled Meetups.
   3. Send participants reminder emails to watch the workshop (if you’re not doing a watch party) and a reminder about the SLS itself
      1. Recommended: 24 hours before workshop and another shortly before the event

4. Prepare
   1. If basing it on a Workshop, make sure to watch the video before the SLS
   2. Review the learning objectives of the lesson plan/workshop and how to address each one.
   3. Organize some thoughts based on the comprehension questions and quiz questions in case the folks in your group are quiet
   4. If you’re interested, develop some interactive quizzes and questions: Kahoot!, PollEv, etc.
5. Some ways to engage your learners
   1. Online polling
      1. Kahoot!, PollEverywhere, Zoom polls
   2. Group activities
      1. Send learners into breakout rooms to complete a task or project
   3. Games
   4. Pair and share: In the chat, learners pair up to brainstorm ideas or practice a new skill. Each pair shares what they worked on.
      1. Works best for smaller groups 
      2. You can use this in a bigger group if folks are being quiet, but you may need a producer to help break everyone up into pairs (text-based breakouts would probably be better in this case)
   5. Gallery Walk: Everyone checks out work that other participants made (such as showing how they used the blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. editor in a blog) and talk about some interesting things that they picked up in other people’s work.

Last updated: November 23, 2021