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title: "Bright Spots: Develop Learner Agency with Personalized Learning Plans"
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Your weekly source of learner-centered inspiration as you reimagine the future of teaching and learning in your context.

| View in browser BRIGHT SPOTS Your weekly source of learner-centered inspiration   Dear , I love this NPR interview with Todd Rose, author of The End of Average, where he describes the emphasis on standardization and the impact on schools and how students learn:   "You think of things like the lockstep, grade-based organization of kids, and you end up sitting in a class for a fixed amount of time and get a one-dimensional rating in the form of a grade, and a one-dimensional standardized assessment….It feels comforting. But if you take the basic idea of jaggedness, if all kids are multidimensional in their talent, their aptitude, you can’t reduce them to a single score. It gives us a false sense of precision and gives up on pretending to know anything about these kids." In spite of our understanding that no two people are the same, we have organized a system that prioritizes and demands over-structured lessons for every student to meet the same objective at the same time in the year regardless of the individual’s unique strengths, interests, or questions to be answered.   My bright spot this week is a teacher who has designed a system for students to create personalized paths to achieve their goals.   With Gratitude, Katie I'd love to hear from you! Reply to this email to share your Bright Spot this week! BRIGHT SPOT OF THE WEEK The Must Do, May Do List Alyssa Danielson shared this image of one of her student’s personalized learning plans where they set their own schedule based on a Must do and May do list where students have certain tasks they have to complete and several choices of tasks they can do if time allows.  I especially love the Goal for Today and the reflection section on how they did. Identifying goals, setting schedules, prioritizing what needs to be done and checking on progress are essential skills that students need to learn.  The ELA Personalized Learning Plan is a great way to teach these skills and develop learner agency in the process. Learners thrive when they have a clear understanding of the vision and know where they are going, yet have the autonomy to get there in a way that meets their needs.   Interested in discussing strategies for developing student agency in your school or district? Let's connect! Get in touch RESOURCE ROUNDUP Below are some resources to help educators design structures for learners to thrive.       1. Learner-Centered Collaborative book club is back! Thinking about or actively working toward learner-centered models of education? Join the book club and get inspired as we dive into Evolving Education. Starting Thursday, October 13. Learn more and register now.   2. The Learner-Centered Collaborative Podcast. On this episode of The  Learner-Centered Collaborative Podcast, Catlin Tucker and I highlight authentic learning practices and discuss how they empower learners. Listen now.   3. A classroom game changer. Anna Hines, 3rd Grade Teacher in Northern Virginia shares her Must do May do list strategy that transformed students' productivity in her classroom. Read all about it here. LET'S SHARE OUR BRIGHT SPOTS! How do you actively promote learner agency in your context?  Share your back-to-school #LCBrightSpots on social media!   Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here   Connect with Us: Learner-Centered Collaborative, 49 Stevenson Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 Unsubscribe Manage preferences |
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