Your monthly curation of learner-centered insights, tools, & resources.
Dear Educator,
As a former superintendent, our colleague, Marlon Styles, has seen the immense value leaders can glean from looking outside their own districts, offices, and schools to form connections with other innovative leaders.
Earlier this month, he described opportunities for leaders to "get outside," specifically by visiting cutting-edge, learner-centered schools, connecting directly with industry partners, and joining networks of fellow learner-centered leaders.
His unwavering belief in the value of these experiences is why he leads our Connections leadership cohortsβyear-long micro-networks connecting education leaders, districts, schools, and businesses in service of learners and learning.
Applications for our 2024-2025 Connections cohort are currently open. If you're ready to go deep with your team, expand the possibilities of learning in your community, and grow your network of committed learner-centered leaders, apply today!
After submitting your application, be sure to scroll below to catch up on all the latest insights, tools, and resources we've published and gathered this month!
Enjoy! The Learner-Centered Collaborative Team
QUICK HITS
π Competency-Based Learning: Shifting from Grading Points to Assessing Learning (5-minute read)
"Whether you are a classroom teacher or superintendent, you can take small steps that make a big impact on learners. Which shift might you tackle first?"
π These Pennsylvania Educators are Ready to Make Change Happen (5-minute read)
"Honestly, this was the perfect presentation. A mix of moving around, listening, working in groups, and working alone. It made the day fly by and kept my focus and attention all day."
π Updates from a Flourishing Research Collaborative (5-minute read)
"...flourishing extends the concept of personal wellness to incorporate the health of the contexts in which somebody or something lives (or works or learns). When we flourish, research indicates, positive outcomes abound."
DEEP DIVES
ποΈ What Happens When We Believe All Young People Are Brilliant? (49-minute listen)
"I'm here to not only see the brilliance in our young people, but create spaces and systems so that we can cultivate and honor that brilliance."
πΊ Beyond Standards: Innovations in Competency-Based Assessment (57-minute watch)
"Accountability comes from our learners and our families, and it comes from our internal compass. That's [what] I would seek to elevate in this conversation around competencies."
ποΈ Charles Fadel on Education and Competencies for the Age of AI (35-minute listen)
"We need to pay a lot more attention to [personal drivers] because if it can be found on the internet or if an AI can give me the answer, why do I need to work hard?"
THE TOOLBOX
π Plan With a Competency-Based Approach Online Course (access here)
"Design meaningful and aligned assessments that truly measure your desired learning outcomes."
"There are two types of learning outcomes and, ideally, we are tending to both. This tool provides an overview of each type of outcome and will guide you to identify and reflect on the outcomes in your current practices."
π¦ Make Thinking Visible: A Learner-Centered Strategy (access here)
"Metacognition, the ability to think about your thinking and act on that reflection, has been shown to lead to greater learning outcomes and higher learner agency."
OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT WITH US
π» Cultivating Meaningful Learning Experiences in HawaiΚ»i: Insights into SEEQS Philosophy, Community, and Student Portfolios (register here)
