Your weekly source of learner-centered inspiration
October 19, 2023
Dear Educator,
Empowerment is critical to learning. As many systems strive to move away from standardization to more personalization it is more important than ever to create empowering professional learning experiences for educators. To be clear, empowering people is not to be confused with doing whatever you want—this rarely helps people move forward toward shared goals, just as too much control and compliance restricts creativity and innovation.
So, what does empowered professional learning look like? It involves voice and choice embedded in the learning process, personalized goals that drive relevant, authentic learning, and access to learning resources to name a few elements. Another key element to empowered learning: a learning network. Educators learn best from one another and I have seen the power of developing learning networks that help educators access a variety of people, resources, and ideas. This week I am so excited to highlight some examples from educators in Duquesne and South Allegheny that have emerged from a Western Pennsylvania Learner-Centered Innovation cohort we are facilitating.
With Gratitude,
We want to hear from you! Share your Learner-Centered Bright Spot with us here.
BRIGHT SPOT OF THE WEEK
Outcomes from an innovation cohort
Over the last month our team has launched Learner-Centered Innovation cohorts with educators across the country and it has been so fun and inspiring to see the collaboration and shifts in practice that have been sparked! My amazing colleague and Director of Strategic Partnerships, Brittany Griffin, has launched two cohorts in Western Pennsylvania with six different districts. After a full day together of learning and collaboration each teacher planned for their next steps with learners and engaged with additional resources to deepen their expertise. After a month, they came together in a community of practice across districts to share what they tried and what they learned.
Here are a few examples:
Choice boards, flexible seating, and a learner survey gauge subject interests and learning styles.
Gathering students' authentic wonders and questions to inform future lesson topics.
A learning profile survey helped identify individual and class strengths, interests, learning styles, and motivators.
Until educators understand the vision, have clear expectations, and engage in collective inquiry to find and solve problems that impact powerful learning, they will not “buy in” and change their practice. Deep, meaningful learning—whether it’s for administrators, teachers, or students—takes time, ownership, and an investment. If you want to create a culture of rich learning, you have to invest in the process, and it often starts with shifting how we do professional learning.
Interested in starting or joining an innovation cohort? Reply to this newsletter and our team will follow up with more information.
RESOURCE ROUNDUP
Resources to support empowered professional learning.
1. Learner-Centered Professional Learning. Explore the elements of learner-driven professional learning and what they look like in practice in Learning is a Process, Not an Event.
