Here I go again...writing about the importance of student engagement. However, over the past few months, I have began looking at student engagement through a different lens or at least I have refocused my lens. As I dive into Personalized Learning, it is no longer simply about creating activities that engage our students...it is about Learner Agency. What is the difference?
In the traditional sense, student engagement still falls back on the teacher. How we lead our classrooms. How we as teachers design our lessons. What activities we provide for our students. Sounds exhausting right? We can have high student engagement in a teacher-centered culture but the learning falls back on the teacher.
Learner Agency though is a paradigm shift. First, consider changing your vocabulary from student to learner. Rather than considering yourself as the teacher, consider yourself the learning facilitator and ask yourself, "How can I empower learners to take charge of and be responsible for their own learning?" Shift and refocus your lens and begin to transform your classroom or building. The Aurora Institute has a definition for personalized learning and when I think of Learner Agency, I always seem to come back to the first part of their definition:
"Learners are empowered daily to make important decisions about their learning experiences, how they will create and apply knowledge, and how they will demonstrate their learning."
Take a look at the chart below from Barbara Bray and Kathleen McClaskey with the graphic by Sylvia Duckworth. Look at the transfer from a teacher-centered high student engagement culture to a Learner-Driven culture of Learner Agency. I think this best illustrates the difference between student-engagement and Learner Agency. While I would be thrilled to have my own son in the classroom where he is a participant and co-designer: The thought of him being able to advocate and create his own learning...I love it. As a parent or guardian, you would probably be thrilled with the classroom described on the right as well yet look at the difference. Our learners can go from a participant of learning to a creator of their own learning pathway.
This is a paradigm shift for me...I have been an advocate for increased student engagement for as long as I can remember, "We have to engage our students in their learning through meaningful activities" Now, with this transformation, "We have to empower our learners to create the learning experiences they want around their interests and allow them to have learner agency to be the problem solvers of today...not tomorrow, but today". I believe it was Sir Ken Robinson in one of his videos that discussed how the majority of students enter Kdg scoring as gifted thinkers (don't quote me on this but he stated something along these lines) yet this number decreases over time...We essentially teach the creativity out of them. We put them on the assembly line of education and they forget how to think for themselves. We need to change that. So here is my challenge to you as a newly anointed Learning Facilitator or Learning Leader:
What is one thing you can do to move from the teacher-centered classroom to a learner centered classroom next week? My challenge to you is to take three one-hour blocks next week and post these questions on day 1:
What is an issue that needs resolved in our classroom?
What is an issue within our school?
What is an issue within our community?
Directions to your Learners:
Given one of the questions above, identify and create a proposal for how your group would address the issue and prepare a presentation. You have 3 hours over the course of this week. If you need extra time, see me and we can arrange for a working lunch (I am guessing that you will have a group or two voluntarily come spend extra time on their problem...how many would do that to complete a center or worksheet). You will present your proposed solutions next week to either our class, our principal, or a city official. This plan is your preliminary plan and after receiving feedback/input from your presentation, you will have time to revisit your proposal and include input from our audience.
Set the parameters for the expectations of a set of standards you want students to incorporate...possibly writing or maybe there are some social studies standards around citizenship, find them and find what works for you. Give them the deadline much like we face in our lives and then set them free. (At this point, I envision many teachers having a panic attack and beginning the old "Yeah but" game.) Get over it and take a risk. If it doesn't work, blame me and tell your principal you followed some crazy guy on twitter talking about Utopia where kids actually wanted to be in your classroom for something besides the candy jar or suckers you give out as rewards. You tried it and it bombed.
Better yet, collaborate and allow your learners to plan the next activity after reflecting and facilitate them designing the next Learner-Driven activity. You will probably find out they need supports in collaboration and effective teaming, time-management, etc... Why? Because they have sat around waiting on us to play the role of teacher all their lives.
This first time...It is going to be messy. Bray and McClaskey (2017) even point this out,
"When learners are in the flow, this is called 'messy learning'. There is no way to capture
what it might look like...This is when learners are pursuing their interests, are curious, and are seeking what they are passionate about. You can hear it in their voices and actions." (p. 45)
Who am I kidding, get use to it. Learning should be messy. Get comfortable being messy, but also be ready to ignite the fire in your students. In my experience, it is often our most reluctant learners who thrive in an experience where they don't have to "play school". Sure, there are going to be bumps along the way. Maybe your learners are not prepared to work in collaborative groups. If that is the case, consider checking out the free site, Start SOLE. SOLE stands for Student Organized Learning Environment and there are so many great resources to help organize your learning environment...or better yet, ask your kids to develop their own rubric on what a good teammate looks like and what it looks like to collaborate effectively. SOLE will get you started though.
If you would like, I have included a link to a survey that your learners can complete at the end of this learning experience. Learner Experience Survey Please feel free to copy the survey and collect your own data. When we empower our learners and they take ownership of their learning, a lot of the issues we complain about in a traditional setting will quickly go away. Yes, it is messy and it looks different, but so do the careers of tomorrow. Isn't it time we change how we engage our learners?
Here is the great thing about technology though, If you would like to connect and collaborate before you jump all in on learner agency, please feel free to reach out to me and we can schedule a virtual meeting and walk through the details together. As a personalized learning specialist for Ohio, I would be happy to connect with you regardless of whether you are in Ohio or California and we can learn together. A zipcode should not determine whether we can collaborate or not. My next suggestion to you would be to consider joining the Leading Change PLC where you can gather with other status quo disruptors looking to transform their classrooms and schools. It is a safe place for you to find supports and grow your professional tool box. Click on the link below.
In closing, let's refocus our lens on how we engage learners. Rather than allowing our learners to sit back and wait, let's transform our classrooms and schools into learner driven environments where we find the passion in our learners and we run with it.
I appreciate you taking the time to read my ramblings. Obviously, I am going to the extreme and I love our schools and our teachers. I just feel as a system, we can do better and if I can get help a teacher or leader to refocus their lens and transform to become that lone nut and create a movement, then so be it.
If you want to connect, we can do so in the old Twitterverse. You can find me at https://twitter.com/CMill_STEMguy. or in the Leading Change PLC. My passions are Learner Agency (I have refocused my own lens), STEM, and creating new opportunities for our learners.
References
Bray, B., McClaskey, K. (2017). How to personalize learning: A practical guide for getting
started and going deeper. Corwin: Thousand Oaks, California.
As educators, we often dream of "What If" and we talk about our ideal situation in the classroom. Other times, we read or watch a video of an amazing classroom where everyone is all smiles and engaged in their learning and we call it "Education Utopia" and not real and add something like "They don't have my kids". Consequently, we often fall back and begin to think, "Yeah, but..." and things remain the same. We have been talking and talking for decades (me included) about learning for all and meeting the needs of all of our students, yet we have not had systemic change in education. We have pockets of excellence and innovation, yet much has remained the same.
What If I told you it can be real and Ohio has assembled a team of specialist from across the state to help transform your classroom, building, or district into what is often called "Utopia".
In August of 2021, the Office of Personalized Learning was created at the Ohio Department of Education. Shortly after, ten educational service centers (ESC) from around Ohio were awarded grants to create a position of Personalized Learning Specialists. At the same time, ESCs around the state not awarded funding understood the importance of this work and began joining the network because they saw the value in the work. This fall, innovative schools and districts along with their courageous learning facilitators (teachers) and building leaders from across Ohio will become the first cohort of educators to join the Ohio Personalized Learning Network. The educators who accept the challenge of being the trailblazers for Ohio will begin the transformation of their learning communities from a heavily teacher-centered culture to one that places students at the center and becomes a learner-centered, learner-driven culture. Think of a teacher-centered culture:
Teachers are the holders of the knowledge
Teachers make the majority of the decisions
Students wait for directions and guidance from the teacher
Majority of students are covering the same material before an assessment and then move on after the assessment regardless of whether everyone mastered the content or not.
Student engagement is an issue: sometimes because they are bored and other times because they cannot keep up with the pace of the lesson and they become disengaged due to a lack of ability to master the standards, they become discouraged and lose motivation to try.
Does this sound like a classroom you know? Not being critical because I do believe that as educators we strive to do our best; however, does this sound pretty common? As you reflect on this classroom and the practices in your buildings and districts, yourself a couple simple questions:
1. Are you meeting the needs of all learners?
2. Do all of your learners leave your school with a plan for their future?
3. Are our learners engaged in a meaningful learning process that is preparing them for their future?
If the answer is yes. that is awesome and I would say continue with what you are doing. However, if that is not the case, I would challenge you to create the opportunity for change and consider learning more about Personalized Learning.
In a personalized, learner-centered classroom, the learners are empowered to be a part of their learning and increase ownership. It goes beyond differentiation and small-group instruction which many think of when you think of Personalized Learning. While that plays a part in a personalized, learner-centered classroom, there are other elements. Eric Sheninger (2021) has visited and worked with hundreds of schools across the US and identified these key elements:
Focused on the Learner
Adaptable & Authentic
Future-Focused Curriculum & Assessment
Differentiated Instruction & Pacing
Personalized to Learner's Interests
Aligned Virtual and & Classroom Instruction
Balanced Virtual & Classroom Instruction
Over the past year, Ohio Personalized Learning Specialists have been engaged in examining the work of others around the country and identified the key components of a Personalized Learning Classroom highlighted below:
Learner Driven
Optimal Pace and Path
Evidence of Learning and Feedback
Authentic Learning
Flexible Learning Environment
The Ohio Personalized Learning Network (OPLN) has been examining the work taking place across the country in states like South Carolina and North Dakota. There are examples of personalized learning right here in Ohio with districts like Marysville Exempted Village School District and Delaware City Schools. In September, The OPLN is excited to support the trailblazers for Ohio that are looking at joining districts like Marysville and Delaware to truly transform the educational practices that have been ingrained in all of us since the industrial age. There are three opportunities to help learning facilitators (teachers), building leaders, and districts to learn and/or apply some concepts of personalized learning.
The first option is Explore. In Explore, a building team consisting of the principal and a small team will go through some module to learn more about what personalized learning really is. You will be supported by your regional PL specialists. These modules are flexible and would allow for a building to determine their own timeline for completing the modules.
The next option is Launch. In Launch, a building and/or district would make a 2-yr commitment and join a cohort of schools that would examine Personalized Learning and begin with actionable strategies they can utilize to begin implementing Personalized Learning. A small team will be formed consisting of the principal, a coach, at least 3 teachers, and a district representative. You would work with your regional PL specialists to determine the best path for you and be supported along your journey by the entire network.
Lastly, there is Transform. In Transform, a district would commit to joining a 5-year cohort and begin a district-level transformation and adoption of a personalized learning approach to education. This would involve key stakeholders from around your district. Again though, you would be supported by your regional Ohio Personalized Learning Specialist team.
You can visit personalizeoh.org to find out more information. If you are ready to make a change in your building, you may sign up for launch and take that first step to transforming learning in your building. If you want more details, reach out to your Ohio Personalized Learning Specialists from across Ohio listed below.
While this blog is not designed or intended to answer all your questions regarding Personalized Learning, I hope it has made you reflect on your current practices in your classrooms, building, and districts. Maybe even reflect on your own child's experiences with learning? I hope you will take the time and review some of the resources and possibly reach out to your Personalized Learning specialists to find out more and how you can transform education for your community.
I appreciate you taking the time to read my ramblings and if you want to connect and continue this conversation, give me a follow on Twitter @CMill_STEMguy or shoot me a direct message. Personalized Learning is not an initiative...It is a call to action to transform education.
Here are additional resources for you to review regarding components of Personalized Learning:
