Bright Spots: Rising to the level of our goals

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BRIGHT SPOTS

Your weekly source of learner-centered inspiration

Dear Educator,

The end of the year is a great time for reflection and goal setting. We have been spending time as a team at the Learner-Centered Collaborative designing our systems for reflection and growth as a team and it reminded me of one of my favorite episodes of Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead podcast with James Clear, author of Atomic Habits. I highly recommend listening to their entire conversation, but one point that I think is absolutely critical for us as educators to hone in on is this: You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.

We can say that we want all learners to be critical thinkers and lifelong learners. We can say that we value the whole-child and have goals to develop global citizens. But, if our systems are only set up to prioritize focus on narrow metrics of success, we will fall short of our actual goals.

This week I want to highlight the reflection systems that one of our partners has developed.

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

Building Systems That Align with Our Goals

Over the last 4 years we have partnered with Embark Education, a micro-middle school in Denver, Colorado. They have created an environment designed to support social development, interpersonal growth and the questions adolescent students have, including “Who am I?” and “Where do I fit into this world?” Based on their learner profile, the Embark team designs learning experiences to support their learners' growth and development of these core competencies.

A critical aspect of their model is reflection. In partnership with my colleague Bryanna Hanson, they have built a system to support reflection throughout the year to ensure students develop the skills necessary to navigate their evolving education and world.

I love this visual and the varied intention and frequency of each type of reflection.

Designing systems that align with our goals is critical to creating schools and learning experiences that develop the knowledge, skills and mindsets that we value. In these systems students have clear milestones or checkpoints, guidance, and accountability to make progress toward their goals. Leveraging data is an important part of the process, but it is not the end goal. We are ultimately building systems for learners to learn how to learn, and to move forward, we must be mindful of the power of reflection to spur growth.

Want to learn more about how we support schools and districts to implement practices and systems that deliver on their goals and vision? Let's connect!

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RESOURCE ROUNDUP

Below are some resources to support educators and district leaders in reflecting on their goals and implementing new systems.

1. More on Embark Education. Uncover how our partner school Embark Education is rethinking what is possible in education for middle-grade students in this case study.

2. We want to hear from you! Help us understand how we can meet your optimal learning needs by filling out our professional learning experiences survey. Open now through December 21. Take the survey.

3. Questions for reflection. Looking back only helps us move forward if we take action based on what we have learned. George Couros shares three simple questions that will not only help you look back but also take action.