Learner-Centered Education

Personalized/Self-Directed Learning

High Expectations: Changing Kids' Self-ImageHelp your students develop a growth mindset through fostering student agency and active learning, student-led meetings, low-stakes writing assignments, team problem solving, and honest reflection.

What Do We Really Mean When We Say ‘Personalized Learning’?The definition of "personalized learning" is as varied as the richness of instruction tailored to learners.

www.linkedin.com/pulse/developing-self-directed-learners-tom-vander-ark

7 Essential Principles of Innovative Learning Flirck:WoodleyWonderworks Every educator wants to create an environment that will foster students' love of learning. Because the criteria are intangible,

Letting Students Lead the LearningAccording to a Gallup Student Poll (2015) of public school children, 47% report being 'disengaged' at school. Unfortunately, this statistic doesn't shock me. Too many classrooms are not set up with the intention of engaging students. Student engagement is 'the degree of

How To Create Learning Playlists In A Textbook WorldHow To Create Learning Playlists In A Textbook World

4 ways students can control the pace of content delivery - Innovation: EducationSusan Hennessey examines 4 ways students can control the pace of content delivery with screencasting, Nearpod, EdPuzzle and Blendspace.

A School That Ditches All the Rules, But Not the RigorHow can we make school a joyful experience without sacrificing rigor? What's the best way to measure true learning? What's the purpose of school? The founders and teachers at the PlayMaker School, an all-game based school in Los Angeles, are asking those big, hairy questions that all teachers grapple with. At the PlayMaker School, they're trying to find their own answers through their constantly morphing, complex experiment. Here are their thoughts about these issues, in their own words.

How ‘Deprogramming’ Kids From How to ‘Do School’ Could Improve LearningStudent know how to play school like it's a game, but if teachers change the rules, they just might appreciate it.

Making Students Partners in Data-Driven Approaches to LearningIncreasingly educators are relying on student data to make instructional decisions, but how much more useful could that information be in the hands of students themselves?

A Prepositional ShiftOne of the most simple and straightforward challenges I have been posing to teachers this summer is to change one of their classroom practices through a prepositional shift. If you want a teacher t…

ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/07/14/this-is-what-a-student-designed-school-looks-like/

A Parent’s Message: School Is Choking the Creativity Out of KidsA glimpse inside the education of two "unschooled" boys.

Standards: Why Realizing the Full Promise of Education Requires a Fresh ApproachYong Zhao takes a critical eye to standards and the purposes they serve.

zhaolearning.com/2015/07/20/outcome-versus-process-different-incarnations-of-personalization/

Guide to the Best Homeschooling and Unschooling ResourcesLearning resources can include not only online materials -- courses, worksheets, videos, podcasts and the like -- but also things like your local library or museum, or even your backyard. Here’s an overview of some of the types of resources to consider.

ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/07/14/this-is-what-a-student-designed-school-looks-like/

How Do We Get Them to Do the Homework? - New England Board of Higher EducationNotes from the Classroom ... This is the most common question I hear at conferences. Inevitably, upon the conclusion of my presentation, which focuses on working with college students who may experience barriers to learning—who are “at risk” in some way—somebody raises his or her hand and asks with a sense of frustration, “Yes, but, how ...

How to Keep Kids Engaged in ClassWhen students let their minds drift off, they're losing valuable learning time. Here are ten smart ways to increase classroom participation.

How to Bring Playfulness to High School StudentsPlay is often the domain of young children, but as those kids become teens, learning playfully maintains its importance, especially as academics and competitive sports take over.

How Writing Down Specific Goals Can Empower Struggling StudentsGoal-setting closed achievement gaps in a recent experiment. The key element? Students put their thoughts in writing.

How Can Students Have More Say in School Decisions?Administrators, educators and students are discovering ways to include students in the programs that affect them most. Some programs help students speak directly to the people in charge.

Bigger Gains for Students Who Don’t Get Help Solving ProblemsAllowing learners to struggle will actually help them learn better, according to research on “productive failure” conducted by Manu Kapur, a researcher at the Learning Sciences Lab at the National Institute of Education of Singapore.

To Learn More, This High-Schooler Left The ClassroomNick Bain, 17, was in class one day when he calculated that only "2 1/2 to three hours" was actually useful instruction. So he decided to go out on his own to learn.

10 Tips For Launching An Inquiry-Based ClassroomInquiry-based techniques are challenging conventional ways of teaching and empowering students who might otherwise get overlooked.

Messy Works: How to Apply Self-Organized Learning in the ClassroomSeveral schools are embracing self-organized learning environments as a way to engage students through inquiry, ownership and collaboration by starting with a "messy question."

Steps to Help Low-Income Students Direct Their Own LearningAll kids can benefit from self-directed learning, but students need to learn how to communicate, disagree and create a caring community to make it work.

20 Tips To Promote A Self-Directed Classroom Culture20 Tips To Promote A Self-Directed Classroom Culture

Free-form Station Rotation LessonAs I planned my lesson for today, I identified three specific tasks I wanted my students to complete over the course of our 90 minute block period. I knew they would work at different rates, and I wanted them to

Reinventing high schoolTextbooks are rare. So are traditional grades. Students progress at their own pace. See how one New Hampshire school is retooling education.

How Inquiry Can Enable Students to Become Modern Day de TocquevillesObservations of early America by Alexis de Tocqueville helped articulate the nation's values. With the guidance of an inquiry based teacher, students create their own interpretations of democracy in America.

Letting Students Lead the LearningAccording to a Gallup Student Poll (2015) of public school children, 47% report being 'disengaged' at school. Unfortunately, this statistic doesn't shock me. Too many classrooms are not set up with the intention of engaging students. Student engagement is 'the degree of

Can Schools Cultivate a Student’s Ability to Think Differently?In order to develop creative individuals, children need environments that nurture their interests. Between standards and testing, how much of that are they getting at school?

The Benefits and Challenges of Student-Designed LearningStudents at an inquiry-based, project-oriented school were given complete freedom to design their own learning. They reflect on the ups and downs to such independence.

When Kids Have Structure for Thinking, Better Learning EmergesBy identifying thinking routines for students, teachers can help deepen metacognitive skills that are applicable to all areas of life.

Transforming the Classroom to Personalize LearningSome schools are changing the structure of the classroom and how students are learning. Brandis Friedman visits one West Side charter school that's taking a personal approach to learning.

Students Take ChargeStudent-centered learning helps kids and educators prepare for the future. But what does that mean for assessment?

Harnessing Children’s Natural Ways of LearningFed up with the restrictions at his conventional school, 10-year-old Scott Gray convinced his parents to transfer him to one where children control their own education. His father, Peter Gray, who's a developmental psychologist, watched his son thrive and began seeking to understand how children learned in such a setting, and what lessons could be drawn from it.

How Can Schools Prioritize For The Best Ways Kids Learn?Educator and consultant Will Richardson says it's time to change our internal working models about what education should be and focus around the question: "How do kids learn best?"

What a Student Learned From a Short Experiment in Self-Directed LearningNick Bain, 17, was in class one day when he calculated that only "2 1/2 to three hours" was actually useful instruction. So he decided to go out on his own to learn.

The Flip: End of a Love AffairMost teachers who opt for the flipped classroom strategy are not pursuing a student-centered approach to learning. The traditional model is simply being reversed.

5 Strategies For Teaching Students To Use Metacognition -...

Why "20% Time" Is Good for SchoolsTech staff developer and education author A.J. Juliani introduces 20% time, a variation on the traditional class schedule that allows students to follow their passions.

Your Top 10 Genius Hour Questions AnsweredWe hear the charge for more student-directed, inquiry-based learning, but it can seem like a load of pie-in-the-sky hooey without instructions for how to do it. Continue Reading →

Beyond Academics: What a Holistic Approach to Learning Could Look LikeNurturing a child's developmental growth requires greater communication by the adults in the different areas of a child's life: school, extra curricular activities, home, etc.

A Blueprint for Personalized Professional Development by Teachers, for Teachers (EdSurge News)I’m convinced that offering online courses led and constructed “by teachers, for teachers” will improve outcomes for all students. The Blueprint for Personalized Learning in Delaware includes stats on why the need for personalized learning is real, including: Only 15% of Delaware high schoolers

Meet the kids who think for themselves - BBC NewsA new learning technique is driving results up in UK schools.

How One Teacher Let Go of Control To Focus On Student-Centered ApproachesKristine Riley took the step towards student-centered learning by letting go of some of the controls she set in her classroom.

Harnessing Children’s Natural Ways of LearningFed up with the restrictions at his conventional school, 10-year-old Scott Gray convinced his parents to transfer him to one where children control their own education. His father, Peter Gray, who's a developmental psychologist, watched his son thrive and began seeking to understand how children learned in such a setting, and what lessons could be drawn from it.

No grades, no timetable: Berlin school turns teaching upside downPupils choose their own subjects and motivate themselves, an approach some say should be rolled out across Germany

Beyond Worksheets, A True Expression of Student LearningPossession of facts is not learning. What is an important skill is the ability to sift through abundant information, identify what is valid and meaningful, then use it to create meaning and express it. This is why student creation is so important in the new economy of information.

How Can Teachers Help Students See Themselves in the Curriculum?Michelle Cordy knew her students would have fun with GoPro cameras. What she didn't anticipate was seeing how much everyone could learn from capturing the students' perspectives.

What the Heck Is Inquiry-Based Learning?Teachers use inquiry-based learning to combat the “dunno” -- a chronic problem in student engagement. Check out these four steps for creating inquiry-based curriculum.

Connected Learning: Tying Student Passions to School Subjects By Ashley Williams, Youth Radio What if your extracurricular activities weren't just extra but a part of your academics too? New thinking on education in

5 Key Elements for Creating a Personalized Learning Environment

Blended Learning

How Small School Districts Are Making Personalized Learning A RealityA tiny Idaho town is pushing the envelope in personalized education by giving kids lots of laptop time and removing grade levels.

A Student Agency Game Plan—How to Use Data to Bridge Choice and Accountability - EdSurge News A few years ago, Harvard’s Achievement Gap Institute conducted a study on teaching and student agency. The study recognized agency as potentially ...

Students as Leaders of Their LearningStudent-led conferences turn the traditional parent-teacher conference on its head by making students the liaisons between school and family, and drivers of their own education.

4 Tech-free Ways to Personalize Learning in Your Classroom - EdSurge News We’re in the middle of a guided math lesson and my students are scattered around the room like two dozen Cheerios that just exploded out of their ...

Strategies for Helping Students Motivate ThemselvesConsider using autonomy, competence, relatedness, and relevance as practical classroom strategies to reinforce the intrinsic motivation students need for making the most of their learning.

A Town Helps Transform Its SchoolA low-performing rural school in New Hampshire reached out to the local community for help turning things around.

Visualizing 21st-Century Classroom DesignThese five steps are essential in creating a 21st-century classroom: establishing zones, ensuring resource accessibility, encouraging mobility, igniting inspiration, and fostering respect.

Inquiry-Based Learning: Developing Student-Driven QuestionsWildwood IB World Magnet School uses the inquiry-based model to put students in charge of their learning, with lessons that stem from student questions and harness the power of curiosity.

Fantastic, Fast Formative Assessment ToolsChecking for understanding is good for both students and teachers. We’ve rounded up a variety of digital tools to help you do it.

Teaching a Class With Big Ability DifferencesTechniques for meeting the needs of students with diverse abilities and interests.

Enliven Class Discussions With Gallery WalksFrom chalk talks to computer tours, learn how to engage your students in small-group and whole-class discussions.

What Would Happen If Students Assigned Their Own Math Homework?Instead of a set of 20 questions, use this framework to have your students create their own homework based on their needs and interests.

How One Teacher Let Go of Control To Focus On Student-Centered ApproachesKristine Riley took the step towards student-centered learning by letting go of some of the controls she set in her classroom.

Learning How to Learn Could Be a Student's Most Valuable SkillThe best way to equip students for tomorrow's fast-changing workplace may simply be to teach them to learn how to learn, some experts say.

Birmingham Covington: Building a Student-Centered SchoolEducators take on the role of guides and motivate students to direct their own learning.

It’s Time to Take Back Personalized Learning - EdSurge NewsIn what no doubt feels like an ironic twist for most teachers, the concept of personalized learning has come under fire. The term has become derided as ...

How to Build Self-Assessment Into Jampacked High School ClassesThree strategies to ensure students are thinking critically about their work and developing metacognitive skills that will serve them in the future.

Extending school far beyond the classroom walls - The Hechinger ReportJames Lawrence planned to open his own welding business after his 2017 graduation from the Robert W. Traip Academy in Kittery, Maine. Last year, he spent part of his school days at the local technical center, learning welding, preparing to make his vision for his future a reality. He didn’t want to take art classes, …

The Art of ReflectionPortfolios allow students to regularly reflect on their learning process—deepening their connection to content.

Personalized Learning: Curating, Customizing and Co-Creating - Learning PersonalizedWhere do personalized learning methods fall along the learning continuum? For schools and educators in our network, it's a matter of three core components.

Student Agency: The Canary in the Coal Mine | Getting SmartBy Marie Bjerede - How do you know if your personalized learning initiative is working? What you measure can have a profound impact on the outcomes you see.

A Self-Directed Learning Model For Critical LiteracyA Self-Directed Learning Model For Critical Literacy

Rethinking Report Card Conferences - Students lead the wayThe Meriden Public Schools is bringing student ownership and self evaluation to elementary report card conferences. Instead of teacher\u002Dled parent discussions “about” the student, students are in control and their learning is the focus of these meetings. Students create personal electronic portfolios on Google Slides which include personal goals set at the start of the school year, assessment scores, work samples and initial areas of strength and opportunities for growth as identified by students themselves. Students present these portfolios at parent conferences with the teacher serving as moderator.

What Early Blended Learning Pioneers Got Right That Today's Schools Have Forgotten - EdSurge NewsWhen I first began blending digital and face-to-face learning, it was easy enough to create a flow between online learning spaces and offline learning. ...

Personalized Learning Isn’t About Tech | EdutopiaThe key is giving students the decision-making tools they need to shape their own learning experiences.

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