Personalize Learning (#plearnchat)

Sarah Downing-Ford is a 7th grade middle school teacher in Maine who shares how her learners unpack standards and assess their own work.

Shelley Wright, High School teacher and Consultant in Canada, shares the process on how learners can own their learning.

"As my students worked with me to invent our own version of student-centred learning, we realized that the three questions every student in our classroom had to answer were: What are you going to learn? How are you going to learn it? How are you going to show me your learning? This became our mantra — our framework for learning.  This is what it means to give students control over their education.”

"Recently released by the Alliance for Excellent Education: Culture Shift: Teaching in a Learner-Centered Environment Powered By Digital Learning, a report that advocates a culture shift to a learner-centered classroom environment to prepare students to meet the challenges and demands of a global economy."

In this report talks of what educators are in need of in a learner-centered environment for their own professional learning. Professional learning opportunities for educators vary widely in quantity, type, and quality. Professional development ideally should be “a process of continuous improvement for teachers and principals that transforms practice and increases student achievement.”

If learner-centered learning can be realized then learner-centered professional development needs to take place.The Institute @ CESA #1 points out that they are actually implementing learner-centered professional development for educators NOW! 

Ben Kestner, Middle School Principal at St. John's International School in Belgium, shares how to personalize learning.

Learner-Centered education is happening at Williams Elementary School, Oakland, Maine! 

"I think the energy and the excitement they have about the choice in their learning is motivational to them. They can see what the standards are, but then they understand that they have an element of choice in how they're going to demonstrate their learning."

Over the last decade conversations have been about analyzing the data to improve test scores.  The time has come to change the conversation to "The Learner" who has been the missing piece.  Once we understand the learner and how they learn, then transformation of our educational systems can begin.

The learner needs to be part of the daily conversations from now on:  no longer The Missing Piece.

Questions to consider when moving to a learner-centered environment:

> Who are the learners today?
> How do learners learn best?
> How do we meet the needs of the diverse learners in the classroom?
> What is the new role of the teacher?
> How is the role of the learner changing?
> Why is there a culture shift with these new roles?
> How can teachers and learners be partners in lesson design?
> How will teachers prepare to be the guide and partner in learning?
> How will learners express their understanding of what they know?
> What learning environment will be created for these learners?

 
Share your ideas in the comments section of this page.