Capturing the "Messy Middle" of Professional Development

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The Challenge

Rob Collins, a program lead at the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), had recruited 10 of the state’s most brilliant, innovative educators, but they were scattered across the Commonwealth (a six-and-a-half-hour drive from end to end).

Rob says the cohort members immediately resonated, "It was like capturing lightning in a bottle," but they weren't able to connect effectively.

• Zoom wasn't enough: Meeting virtually 3-4 times a year didn't build enough trust for deep vulnerability.
• Sharing was performative: When teachers did share work, it was often the polished, "Instagram-ready" final product, missing the struggle and learning that happened along the way.
• Communication bottleneck: Rob was the hub for all communication; there wasn't enough peer-to-peer support happening without his direct intervention.

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The Goal

Rob needed a way to bridge the physical distance and create a space where the "messy middle" of innovation—the failures, the iterations, and the small wins—could be shared safely.

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The Shift from "Portfolio" to "Living Story"

To solve this, the KDE implemented Unrulr. The impact is best understood by looking at how the culture of the fellowship shifted.

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Implementation

In addition to introducing the cohort to Unrulr, Rob also worked hard to create scaffolding and a culture of documentation that allowed him to be successful.

The "Car Confessional" Culture

Initially, teachers felt pressure to record a video five times to get the lighting perfect. Rob encouraged the opposite. He championed the "Car Confessional": spontaneous, handheld video reflections recorded immediately after a teaching moment.

"There is something disarming about it... actually reflection can be a lot more ad hoc than that. It’s not about the pomp and circumstance. It’s about who you are, how you are, and why you are." — Rob Collins

Scaffolded Prompts

Rob uses a mix of prompts to keep the feed alive:

• The Project Prompt: "Where are you at in your classroom at this moment?"
• The Human Prompt: "What are the joyful things? What are the difficult things?"
• The Connection Prompt: "What do you need help with right now?"

The Psychological Safety Loop

The ultimate win for any Community of Practice leader is when the community no longer needs them to function. Rob saw this happen when a fellow posted about a struggle with a student returning from homeschooling.

"Almost the entire cohort jumped in with 'I've experienced that... have you thought about this?' I was the first comment... but immediately all the other folks were like, 'No, no, no. This is what you need to do. Call me.' That's the meaningful connection you don't get when you see each other via Zoom."

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The Impact

For the Facilitator (Rob):

• Rich Artifacts: Rob now has a library of multimedia stories (like one kindergarten teacher bringing in fire chiefs to teach disaster readiness) that he uses to advocate for statewide policy changes.
• Reduced Friction: Unrulr handles the documentation, allowing Rob to focus on strategy.

For the Community (The Fellows):

• Visible Growth: By the end of the fellowship, members can look back at their Unrulr feed and see a clear narrative arc of their professional growth.
• Iron Sharpens Iron: The isolation of the classroom is broken. Teachers are constantly refining their practice based on the real-time feedback of their peers.

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Why It Matters

For leaders of adult communities, the biggest risk is disengagement. Adults are busy. If a tool feels like "extra work" or "compliance", they won't use it.

Rob’s success proves that if you lower the barrier to entry, making it safe to share the unpolished, messy reality of work, professionals will engage meaningfully and build a support network.

"It feels like it's about story. It doesn't feel like it's about some rote capturing... It’s the idea of continuous improvement. Iron sharpens iron."