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How can you implement assessment so that it enhances student-centered learning?

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How can you implement assessment so that it enhances student-centered learning?

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Introduction: What is Student Centered Learning?

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Introduction: What is Student Centered Learning?

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Student-centered learning is a philosophy or an approach to education that is designed to meet the needs of each student individually, and includes all of the following elements:

- Curriculum development
- Staffing
- Financial Planning
- Technology
- Facilities
- Organizational Culture

In a truly student-centered learning environment:
- Teachers and students work collaboratively to co-create a learning plan or pathway that best suits the needs of each individual learner.

-  Teacher helps to create an environment that is personal to each student’s learning needs.

-  Learning is competency-based

- There is continuous monitoring of student needs.

- Technology is used to help monitor students’ progress and to help both teachers and students evaluate and adjust learning pathways

- Lessons mirror what happens in life and the workplace; you have to set goals, take action, manage your time, reflect and revise, and have a belief in yourself that you can improve

A student-centered learning model has four main characteristics:

Voice and Choice: students get to co-construct their goals and have ‘voice and choice’ in determining what, how, when, and where the learning occurs”

Competency-based progression and Continuous monitoring of student needs: Rather than a teacher leading students through a lesson where the students are all doing the exact same thing at the exact same time, the teacher serves more as a facilitator of the learning, helping to give each student the support that they need when and where they need it.

Two pedagogical theories that stand out to me when it comes to student centered learning are the following:

- Bloom's mastery of learning, which states that students must master each learning unit before proceeding to a  more advanced learning task (Teaching Experiment Academy, n.d.)

- Asubel's meaningful learning, which states new knowledge that is acquired must be related and connected to the foundational knowledge provided in previous lessons (Asubel, 1963)

References

AUSUBEL, David Paul. The Psychology of Meaningful
Verbal Learning, Grune and Stratton, New York, 1963.

Green, C. & Harrington, C. (2020). Student-centered learning: In principle and in practice. Lansing, MI: Michigan Virtual University. Available from https://michiganvirtual.org/research/publications/student-centered-learning-in-principle-and-in-practice/

Mastery Learning | Teaching Experiment Academy. (n.d.). https://tea.dtei.uci.edu/resources/mastery-learning/

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What is Student-Centered Learning?

Student-centered learning is a philosophy or an approach to education that is designed to meet the needs of each student individually. In their post " What Exactly IS Student-Centered Learning? ", Harrington and DeBruler (2019) shared,

"In a truly student-centered learning environment, teachers and students work collaboratively to co-create a learning plan or pathway that best suits the needs of each individual learner. In a student-centered learning environment, the teacher helps to create an environment that is personal to each student's learning needs. The teacher serves as an architect of each student's learning experience."

Student-centered learning may include some components of blended learning or personalized learning models, such as a flipped classroom, station rotation, or competency-based learning, and you are likely to see students using technology. However, true student-centered learning is more than that. No matter what model is used, student-centered learning will look like students and teachers working together to choose a path for learning that works best for each individual learner.

What Do Organizations and Experts Have to Say?

A student-centered learning model has four main characteristics:

voice,

choice,

competency-based progression, and

continuous monitoring of student needs (Harrington & DeBruler, 2019).

In a truly student-centered learning environment, students have voice and choice. According to Susan Patrick, Aurora Institute President and CEO and co-founder of CompetencyWorks, "Students co-construct their goals and have 'voice and choice' in determining what, how, when, and where the learning occurs" (Bouffard, 2019). Rather than a teacher leading students through a lesson where the students are all doing the exact same thing at the exact same time, the teacher serves more as a facilitator of the learning, helping to give each student the support that they need when and where they need it.

In a truly student-centered learning environment, learning is competency-based. In order to advance through a unit, students must demonstrate mastery of the individual concepts before moving on. As Erin Figula, director of professional learning at LEAP Innovations stated, "Students advance based on demonstrated competency, not time spent on a subject" (Bouffard, 2019). Competency-based progression acknowledges the fact that all students learn differently and should be allowed to progress at different paces while still demonstrating their knowledge.

In a truly student-centered learning environment, there is continuous monitoring of student needs. Technology is used to help monitor students' progress and to help both teachers and students evaluate and adjust learning pathways. "Assessment can be formal or informal, summative or formative, observational, anecdotal, via portfolios, rubrics, or projects, but ongoing monitoring of student progress is key to personalization of the learning experience" (Harrington & LeBlanc, 2019).

Student-Centered Learning, Blended Learning, Personalized Learning, & Customized Learning: Related, But Not the Same

While student-centered learning, blended learning, and personalized learning are all closely related, they are not, in fact, interchangeable.

"Student-centered learning is an educational philosophy or approach to learning that places students' needs and interests at the forefront of the operations and decision-making of a school or district. Conversely, blended learning is a format or a method of learning experienced by students. In short, blended learning combines traditional face-to-face instruction with online experiences that work together as an integrated experience for students." (Harrington & DeBruler, 2019)

In the same "family" of educational concepts, in a personalized learning approach, students have some degree of control over their curricular pacing and learning pathways towards achieving standards. Customized learning is a variation of personalized learning that provides a deeper, more entirely customized learning experience for each child.

So to pull it all together, student-centered learning is an approach that aligns all aspects of a school community (curriculum, staffing, finances, technology, facilities, schedules, community partnerships, etc.) in a way that truly focuses on the desired outcomes for each individual student, while accounting for the differences of each student. Blended learning, personalized learning, and customized learning are all models that schools and school districts may choose to implement in order to create a student-centered learning environment.

Student-Centered Learning: Why is it Such a Good Idea?

As our society becomes increasingly more dependent on technology, it is even more important that students graduate high school prepared with the knowledge and the 21st-century skills they need to enter the workforce and/or further their education. School districts are realizing the importance of starting this preparation early on and are also recognizing that the education models that have traditionally been used, such as the teacher-led, one-size-fits-all model, are not helping students become digitally literate or equipping them with the skills they need for their futures.

As Dr. Sarah Pazur, director of school leadership at FlexTech High Schools, stated, "Student-centered learning mirrors what happens in life and the workplace; you have to set goals, take action, manage your time, reflect and revise, and have a belief in yourself that you can improve." Dr. Pazur added, "Students need to learn how to leverage resources and make connections between prior learning and the problem at hand."

In a student-centered learning environment, students are encouraged to be more self-directed, to take control of their own learning, and to understand how they learn best. Learning is more self-directed, allowing students to learn in a way that ultimately works best for them and encouraging them to go at their own pace. Mastery of knowledge and skills is encouraged and expected, which has been shown to lead to a deeper understanding of concepts. This all leads to more engaged, responsible learners.

Okay, But What Does Student-Centered Learning Really Look Like?

In a student-centered learning environment, technology is usually a key component as it can help to better prepare and equip students with skills they will need for continuing their education beyond high school and/or when entering the workforce. Technology is often provided in a 1:1 ratio where each student has their own computing device. Schools implementing a student-centered learning model also usually have some sort of digital curriculum and many use a Learning Management System (LMS). Technology and the data features of an LMS can help track student progress and provide high-quality, ongoing feedback to both students and teachers to help guide the learning process.

It is important to note that technology-based instruction does not imply that student-centered learning is taking place. John Armstrong, the Director of Technology and Information Services for Joliet Public Schools (Joliet, IL), added:

Used correctly, technology can greatly support key practices of a student-centered learning environment.

In reality, student-centered learning looks very different from school to school. It all depends on the degree of implementation that each district or each school chooses to pursue. In some school districts, their student-centered learning environment looks like some degree of technology-rich personalized learning, blended learning, or customized learning where the teacher serves as more of a guide or a facilitator of the learning instead of the traditional teacher-led model. Some school districts may choose to take it a step further, implementing additional components such as flexible scheduling options, offering alternative pathways to graduation, placing students into learning bands rather than placing students by traditional grade levels, or even using Marzano-scale proficiency levels as opposed to the more traditional letter grade scale. As Dave Tebo, superintendent of Hamilton Community Schools reminds us, "Grades don't necessarily correlate to success."

No matter what the degree of implementation is, school districts that choose to move to a more student-centered learning model are doing so because they realize that what has traditionally been done in the past, what is easiest to continue to do because "that's just the way that it has been done" or what their traditional bell schedule permits, is not necessarily what is best for students. Schools that choose to implement student-centered learning are doing so because they are realizing that in order to overcome the challenges that they may be facing (declining test scores or graduation rates, lack of student engagement, low achievement, etc.), schools may need to make changes that are difficult, but that are made keeping in mind what is best for students.

Student-Centered Learning: Put Into Practice

Not all student-centered learning models look the same. The following are just a few examples of some of the innovative approaches being utilized by school districts across the country.

Crossroads FLEX High School - Cary, North Carolina
Providing choice by offering flexible learning options for students following outside pursuits
Serving students in grades 9-12 since August 2016, Crossroads FLEX High School focuses on helping students take advantage of opportunities they are presented because of their talents and abilities, despite the time commitments that are required. The Crossroads FLEX building offers an open and flexible learning space, ideal for these students whose outside activities and interests interrupt the traditional school day. While students do have to spend 10-15 hours per week on-site, they have the option to attend school anytime between 7:30 am - 5 pm Monday through Friday, giving them choice and flexibility. Students can also choose to take courses face-to-face or virtually through the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) to alleviate scheduling conflicts. As the Dean of Students, Natarshia Sharpe says, "...our goal is for students to feel connected, even when they are away. For us, school goes along with you wherever you go" (DLC, 2020).

Virtual Learning Academy Charter School - Exeter, New Hampshire
Voice and choice: Offering variety in supplemental online learning
Founded in 2007, Virtual Learning Academy Charter School (VLACS) serves over 12,000 students in grades 6-12 and has plans to expand into grades 4-5. While approximately 400 students take courses from VLACS full-time, 72% of their students take courses supplementally and 15% are homeschooled. Because VLACS uses open enrollment, students can start anytime and work at a flexible pace. Their 300+ course offerings are divided into three different "Journeys." The first journey is a "Traditional Course," offering flexible, asynchronous learning. Through badging, students can see what learning looks like outside of the traditional classroom by earning competencies and pursuing industry certifications. The second journey is "Projects" which take 3-4 weeks and targets a single competency. Students are placed in fictional scenarios where they create learning artifacts true to the industry they are interested in. The third journey is "Experiences" which allows students to create their own learning adventure. Students propose their own experience and then work with their teacher to design what the learning competencies will look like. At VLACS, students can choose their own journey, or even combine journeys, forging their own paths in the design of their learning (DLC, 2020).

High Tech High - San Diego, California
Making learning authentic and applicable to the real world
Founded as a charter school in 2000, High Tech High (HTH) has grown into a school development organization made up of a growing network of K-12 charter schools. Students at HTH are encouraged to use their schools' wealth of technology to pursue projects in subjects that they are passionate about. Students engage in project-based learning, often related to community-based issues and real-world problems, using curriculum based on personalization, adult world connection, and common intellectual mission. "The leadership at HTH believes that giving their students the freedom to pursue their passions, and providing them with the tools to do so in a professional, authentic manner, results in students who are more engaged than students forced to work on projects of little or no interest to them" (Moller & Reitzes, 2011). Most of their assessments are performance-based, culminating in a performance or product. Juniors participate in a semester-long internship in a field of their interest and HTH schools boast that 100 percent of their students attend college with 80 percent attending a four-year school. "From the ground up, technology enables many of the innovative practices at HTH" (Moller & Reitzes, 2011).

Governor Mifflin School District - Shillington, Pennsylvania
Connecting to the world through student-centered learning
In order to better prepare their students for the future, Governor Mifflin School District (GMSD) implemented K-12 one-to-one Chromebooks and offers students three primary learning modalities: traditional classroom instruction (with technology-enhanced experiences), formal blended learning opportunities, or fully online opportunities. By leveraging their devices, digital curriculum, and varied learning modalities, students and families are afforded more choice when it comes to their learning. In working towards a more developed student-centered learning model, the district launched a pilot program at the start of the 2018-19 school year called the "Student-Centered Learning Experience" or "SCLE." As part of this program, teachers have developed courses that include competency-based progressions, resulting in students becoming more self-directed and developing an even greater degree of agency in their learning. As one SCLE student stated, "I like to come to school now. I don't feel anxious about school anymore because I can control more things." Both students and teachers a GMSD have embraced the concept of anytime, anywhere learning. (Harrington & LeBlanc, 2019).

Westminster Public Schools - Adams County, Colorado
Rethinking the system of education: Competency-based learning
To better serve a highly-mobile and at-risk population of students, Westminster Public Schools (WPS), whose mantra is "where education is personal," fully implemented a Competency-Based System (CBS) of learning. In order for students to move on to the next concept in their curriculum, they must master the previous one, focusing on their learning targets. Students understand that with this system, not everyone will have the same pathway to mastery because each student has the ability to move at their own pace. Resulting from their student-centered learning efforts, WPS teachers and administrators have seen improved academic achievement, higher graduation rates, and improved student growth. A WPS teacher described her own experiences by saying, "[Adopting competency-based learning is] absolutely the right thing for kids - and it is absolutely the hardest thing I have ever done in my life" (Harrington & LeBlanc, 2019).

And that is what student-centered learning is all about - doing what is right for kids.

Student-Centered Learning in Michigan schools

Throughout schools in Michigan, student-centered learning models are being implemented in varying degrees and to various depths. School leaders at three innovative schools shared some of the exciting ways in which they are making learning more student-centered.

Hamilton Community Schools - Hamilton, Michigan

Prior to spending the last 10 years as the superintendent of Hamilton Community Schools, Dave Tebo spent 4 years as a superintendent at Michigan Center Schools. After serving in this role for some time, Tebo has come to realize that "as a superintendent, you can't scare parents, you don't want to be the bad guy. As a result, it's hard to implement ideas that are outside the box." He admits, however, that at Hamilton, the shift towards implementing a more student-centered learning philosophy was made easier because test scores were already good, families were already supportive, and they already had eager students.

Although Hamilton's transition had been in progress for quite some time, Tebo said that he feels the real work has been done in the last 5-6 years when they really began to embrace their strategic plan. In 2015, Hamilton Community Schools entered into a collaborative partnership with Michigan Virtual to increase student engagement and achievement through the implementation of personalized and blended learning strategies. Hamilton saw that this work would complement the continuous work they were already doing in regards to standards-based grading and competency-based learning. Teachers were trained in cohorts and learned the blended learning coaching model. Then in 2017, Hamilton updated its vision and mission statement and in 2018 adopted an Instructional Model, coining the phrase "Each Will Thrive" based on this updated vision. The model is based on four pillars: a safe educational environment, rigorous instruction and assessment, a modern learning culture, and personalized learning. Students have additional choices and opportunities as Hamilton offers a few Project-Based Learning (PBL) classes, online courses, as well as the option to enroll in the Hamilton Flex Virtual School.

Tebo believes that the school district has made their greatest gains in giving students choice and voice and says that the next step is pushing them together. "Giving choice gives voice, but it requires a leap of faith, which is difficult for teachers to take - to empower students to make the decisions for themselves. Giving students ownership of their learning is a key component of a student-centered approach." He also pointed out that when transitioning to a more student-centered learning model, there is no quick and easy path, so you need to play the long game. "It's not about throwing out what was done before, it's about determining what we are going to bring with us to a new model. It's about adding and enhancing."

FlexTech High Schools - Brighton, Novi, & Shepherd, Michigan

At FlexTech High Schools, student-centered learning is at the heart of everything they do - it is a project-based learning school, founded on student-centered learning principles. FlexTech Director of School Leadership, Dr. Sarah Pazur, shared:

"We are student-centered by design. Student projects are governed by a framework, but students can pitch modifications to projects, tailoring them to their own interests. They can pitch their own deliverables to show mastery, giving students voice and agency. We are competency-based and give kids permission to use their time how they need to in order to complete projects. Students can move at their own pace through courses. This removes barriers related to time, place, and pace."

FlexTech's competency-based approach to learning is based on Michigan's state standards and includes the use of mastery-based progress reports and transcripts.

FlexTech is unique in the sense that it was designed with formal student-centered learning principles in mind. Their curriculum is entirely project-based, built on competency-based learning progressions. Self-assessment practices are used in all classes. At FlexTech, they focus on really getting to know students as individuals. According to Dr. Pazur, "We use learner profiles, where students describe what they want the adults in the building to know about them, how they learn, how they like to receive feedback, what they are passionate about." At FlexTech, this model gives students permission to choose rather than deciding for them. Dr. Pazur says that this model helps students feel that they are part of a community, it's part of their school culture. "When students have a voice, they feel ownership over everything - the whole school. It's not just about them."

Dr. Pazur noted that in a traditional school model, the transition to a more student-centered learning model would be an overhaul and requires a mindset change as you can't design student schedules around adult conveniences.

"You can start small and slowly implement more student voice, but until you really take a look at the system as a whole, you will only get so far. It is important to take a holistic view of your curriculum, instruction, assessment, schedule, culture - this works together to empower or disempower students. Embrace the fact that kids will make good choices, poor choices, and everything in between, but they won't get better until they can authentically practice being in control of their education."

Fraser Public Schools - Fraser, Michigan

Prior to spending the last 2 years as the superintendent of Fraser Public Schools, Carrie Wozniak spent 7 years as their assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. So she understands the ins and outs of the journey this school district has been on towards a more student-centered approach to education. Fraser is changing the traditional view of school to a new personalized, engaging, and customized learning environment for each student. Students are given both voice and choice in their learning. At Fraser, students are 1:1 with technology - all high school students have a MacBook and all K-8 students have an iPad. In addition, they provide a digital curriculum housed within an LMS. Blackboard is the LMS used for their secondary students, and itsLearning is used at the elementary level.

Fraser's transition to a competency-based learning (CBL) environment began many years ago. Their CBL model is based on using a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework. Every teacher at Fraser has gone through (UDL) training, which helped to improve their lesson design and helped them focus on meeting the needs of all of their students. By using a competency-based approach in a UDL framework, students are given options to show what they know. In addition to the UDL training, 11 of Fraser's teachers have gone through training to become 21st-century literacy coaches. These teachers/coaches teach 50% of the time and spend the other 50% coaching at one of the schools throughout the district. This coaching model has been used throughout Fraser Public Schools for over 7 years and it really gives the district a sense of balance between top-down and bottom-up communication.

For schools and districts that have not already adopted student-centered learning principles, Wozniak sees student engagement and satisfying the personalization needs of students and families as being compelling reasons for making such a shift. She emphasized that schools must be purposeful in their design. "These days, students are different. There is an expectation of choice from students and families. Everybody has choices in their lives outside of school, and they now expect that from education," noted Wozniak.She also believed that Fraser's transition to remote learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was actually easier because they already employed a student-centered approach to learning and both students and teachers were used to utilizing technology and their LMS on a daily basis. Wozniak explained:

"We have a digital ecosystem. For us to shift to fully remote learning, we only had to shift slightly, modifying content somewhat as we already had the infrastructure and protocols in place to support remote learning. Our teachers already had their curricular resources in our LMS, so when we went fully remote, it wasn't a lot of work, actually. Being student-centered already, we simply stayed focused on student learning instead of figuring out how to teach remotely. This allowed our teachers to focus more on learning, than emergency remote teaching. They didn't need to entirely shift their focus."

Conclusion

Student-centered learning is about meeting students where they are and giving them what they need, but doing so in a way that meets the needs of each student individually. It is about giving students the ability to direct their own learning, go at their own pace, and demonstrate what they know in a way that truly shows their understanding. The ways in which school districts accomplish this personalization of student learning can vary, but it is clear that true student-centered learning is more than just providing students with a computer and a technology-rich learning environment. It requires turning traditional education, traditional classrooms, and traditional ways of thinking upside down. Dr. Sarah Pazur, FlexTech's director of school leadership, would agree. "You kind of have to blow the whole thing up - it's hard to start small as there are many interconnected pieces."

While there are indeed many interconnected pieces that make up a student-centered learning system, Dave Tebo, superintendent of Hamilton Community Schools, cautions against being afraid of change and knows sometimes getting started is the hardest part. "You may not be able to see your work through to completion yourself and it may outgrow you as a leader. However, you may be the one to get the ball rolling and to get the work started," Tebo explained. To truly implement student-centered learning, it requires the alignment of all aspects of a school community: curriculum, staffing, finances, technology, facilities, schedules, community partnerships, etc. If starting small by implementing pieces and parts in phases or through a pilot program is what makes the most sense for your district and your community, start there.

Doing what is best for students isn't always easy but sometimes there are situations that serve as a springboard for change, providing more of a reason behind doing what seemed too difficult to do before. Maybe the recent extended school closures across the nation and need for remote learning is one of those situations. As Dr. Pazur explained:

"Schools that have created the conditions for student agency are going to have an easier time with rapid or extended closures because students aren't waiting on the adults or the system to tell them what to do. They [students] are inspired by the work they're doing because they had a voice in shaping and designing it - they created it and it doesn't live in the school building. When the student drives the learning, the arbitrary structures like class periods and teacher-driven lessons in the form of worksheets or rote learning tasks become obsolete."

Isn't that the goal? Inspired students. Students who see that learning doesn't live inside the classroom. Students who see connections to real-world situations. Students who have opportunities to work at their own pace and show what they know in a way that makes sense to them. Maybe with those goals in mind, the difficult conversations and discomfort that tends to exist with change are worth it.

References

Bouffard, S. (2019). What does personalized learning mean? Experts weigh in. The Learning Professional, 40(4), 28-31. https://learningforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/what-does-personalized-learning-mean-experts-weigh-in.pdf

Digital Learning Collaborative. (February 2020). Snapshot 2020: A review of k-12 online, blended, and digital learning. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a98496696d4556b01f86662/t/5e61341d879e630db4481a01/1583428708513/DLC-KP-Snapshot2020.pdf

Harrington, C. & DeBruler, K. (2019, October 22). What Exactly IS Student-Centered Learning? [Blog post]. https://michiganvirtual.org/blog/what-exactly-is-student-centered-learning/

Harrington, C. & DeBruler, K. (2019, November 21). Close relatives: Student-centered learning and blended learning [Blog post]. https://michiganvirtual.org/blog/close-relatives-student-centered-learning-and-blended-learning/

Harrington, C. & LeBlanc, E. (2019). The intersection of personalization, technology, and leadership - Research into customized learning. Institute for Teaching and Leading, LLC. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58b6471486e6c03c662ce3a6/t/5d2d4cc034226700015e7924/1563249944915/2018_i4tl_Customized_Learning_Full_Report.pdf

Moeller, B. & Reitzes, T. (2011). Integrating technology with student-centered learning. Nellie Mae Educational Foundation. https://www.edc.org/sites/default/files/uploads/Integrating-Technology-with-Student-Centered-Learning.pdf

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Student-Centered Learning: In Principle and in Practice | Michigan Virtual

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Student-centered learning is a philosophy or an approach to education that is designed to meet the needs of each student individually. In the following report, MVLRI researchers provide a rationale for student-centered learning and provide multiple examples of student-centered learning models being implemented in schools throughout the country.

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What are some student-centered approaches or techniques that are based on or require collaboration?

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What are some student-centered approaches or techniques that are based on or require collaboration?

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Student-centered collaborative learning is one of the primary strategies I use in my classroom to help my students build the foundational knowledge they will need to succeed in the courses that I teach.

Collaborative learning allows each and every student to actively participate in the lesson; the more confident students are given the responsibility to help their emergent classmates in a way that helps them better retain their classroom knowledge, but that also helps build their interpersonal and communication skills (Laal & Ghodsi, 2012).

The emergent students also benefit from this as they feel included in the activity and a sense of community is formed within the classroom.

This ties directly into Bruner's theory of  scaffolding, which states that the support given during the learning process should be directly linked to the needs of the student. (Structural learning, 2023).

Collaborative learning also ties directly into Lave and Wenger's theory of communities of practice, which states that groups of individuals who share a concern or a passion for something, they learn how to do it better as they interact regularly (Lave & Wenger, 1998).

Ultimately, collaborative learning helps the students develop critical thinking and problem solving skills as they work together to find solutions to progressively more difficult academic problems (Leonard, 2018).

Some of the techniques that I regularly make use of are the following:

Think pair share

I like to use think pair share in conjunction with open ended questions in a variety of situations and scenarios:
- Ice breaker
- Start a classroom discussion
- Review activity
- Plenary activity
- Concept check and peer feedback

The private nature of the think pair share model allows the shier students to feel less anxious about sharing their ideas, but it also allows the students to explore their own level of understanding. More often than not, students identify ideas and concepts that they would like more clarification on, and as a result, I am able to let my students answer one another's questions (Cowling, 2021).

Jigsaw

A recent example of the application of this technique was in my Grade 10 IGCSE Business Studies class: as we are currently working on the 7P's of marketing, and as such, I broke up the class into 7 small groups and asked them to prepare a 10 minute presentation using whichever online or offline tool they wished to educate the rest of the class on their sub-topic.

After 4 periods of research and planning, the groups were given time slots (first come first serve) and were then made responsible for educating the other groups on their new area of expertise while the audience was asked to 1. take notes and 2. jot down some questions to ask at the end of the presentation

This activity went extremely well, giving different types of students the chance to utilize his or her strengths to contribute and take ownership of their part of the mini project.

It also allowed me to break away from the traditional teacher centric approach of "lecturing" and breathed a little creative energy into the classroom.

References

Cowling, T. (2021, October 19). How to use the think-pair-share activity in your classroom. Hey Teach! Retrieved March 6, 2023, from https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/how-think-pair-share-activity-can-improve-your-classroom-discussions1704.html

Laal, M., & Ghodsi, S. M. (2012). Benefits of collaborative learning. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 31, 486-490. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.12.091

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity.

Leonard, B. (2018). Student-Centered Collaborative Classrooms and Critical Thinking Skills [Master’s Thesis and Capstone Project]. Northwestern College, Iowa.

Scaffolding in education: A teacher's guide. RSS. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2023, from https://www.structural-learning.com/post/scaffolding-in-education-a-teachers-guide#:~:text=The%20word%20%E2%80%9Cscaffolding%E2%80%9D%20was%20first,to%20use%20that%20knowledge%20independently.

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Collaborative learning can occur peer-to-peer or in larger groups. Peer learning, or peer instruction, is a type of collaborative learning that involves students working in pairs or small groups to discuss concepts or find solutions to problems. Similar to the idea that two or three heads are better than one, educational researchers have found that through peer instruction, students teach each other by addressing misunderstandings and clarifying misconceptions.

Why use collaborative learning?

Research shows that educational experiences that are active, social, contextual, engaging, and student-owned lead to deeper learning. The benefits of collaborative learning include:

Development of higher-level thinking, oral communication, self-management, and leadership skills.

Promotion of student-faculty interaction.

Increase in student retention, self-esteem, and responsibility.

Exposure to and an increase in understanding of diverse perspectives.

Preparation for real life social and employment situations.

Considerations for using collaborative learning

Introduce group or peer work early in the semester to set clear student expectations.

Establish ground rules  for participation and contributions.

Plan for each stage of group work.

Carefully explain to your students how groups or peer discussion will operate and how students will be graded.

Help students develop the skills they need to succeed, such as using team-building exercises or introducing self-reflection techniques.

Consider using written contracts.

Incorporate  self -assessment and  peer  assessment for group members to evaluate their own and others' contributions.

Getting started with collaborative learning

Shorter in-class collaborative learning activities generally involve a three-step process. This process can be as short as five minutes, but can be longer, depending on the task at hand.

Introduce the task. This can be as simple as instructing students to turn to their neighbor to discuss or debate a topic.

Provide students with enough time to engage with the task. Walk around and address any questions as needed.

Debrief. Call on a few students to share a summary of their conclusions. Address any misconceptions or clarify any confusing points. Open the floor for questions.

For larger group work projects, here are some strategies to help ensure productive group dynamics:

Provide opportunities for students to develop rapport and group cohesion through  icebreakers, team-building, and reflection exercises.

Give students time to create a group work plan allowing them to plan for deadlines and divide up their responsibilities.

Have students  establish ground rules. Students can create a contract for each member to sign. This contract can include agreed-upon penalties for those who fail to fulfill obligations.

Assign roles to members of each group and change the roles periodically. For example, one student can be the coordinator, another the note-taker, another the summarizer, and another the planner of next steps.

Allow students to rate each other's quality and quantity of contributions. Use these evaluations when giving individual grades, but do not let it weigh heavily on a student's final grade. Communicate clearly how peer assessment will influence grades.

Check in with groups intermittently but encourage students to handle their own issues before coming to you for assistance.

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Collaborative learning can occur peer-to-peer or in larger groups. Peer learning, or peer instruction, is a type of collaborative learning that involves students working in pairs or small groups to discuss concepts or find solutions to problems. Similar to the idea that two or three heads are better than one, educational researchers have found that through peer instruction, students teach each other by addressing misunderstandings and clarifying misconceptions.

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How can you implement assessment so that it enhances student-centered learning?

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How can you implement assessment so that it enhances student-centered learning?

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As a IGCSE, AS, and A-levels economics, business studies, and global perspectives & research teacher, I am keenly aware that I must prepare my students for their Cambridge exams, and that their scores will in large part determine their future academic options.

That being said, I don't believe that exam prep should lay at the heart of our teaching practice; rote memorization, and exam preparation strategies don't prepare students for the rigors of university and the turbulence of the workplace.

Instead of focusing on the mere accumulation of knowledge,  I believe that they should be taught how to develop, and gradually refine, their ability to acquire skills such as research, active reading, lateral reading, fact checking, evidence-based reasoning, critical thinking, problem solving, and data analysis.

That's why I try to infuse as much Inquiry-Based Learning into my classrooms: by relating the classroom concepts to the things my students know, understand, and/or are passionate about, and by using strategically placed open ended questions in the context of class discussions or small group discussions, I find that their innate thirst for knowledge is activated, and channeled towards the completion of their classwork (usually a project of some sort) (Miller, 2015).

By placing the onus of the work onto the student, not only is he or she learning how to take responsibility for his or her learning, but he or she is placed in a position whereby he or she has to master fundamental, real world skills in order to produce high quality assignments (LaLopa, 2005).

According to Wolpert-Gawron (2016), The 4 Steps of Inquiry-Based Learning are as follows:

1. Students develop questions that they are hungry to answer. Have them develop a problem statement that requires them to pitch their question using a constructed response, further inquiry, and citation.

2. Research the topic using time in class. It’s crucial to have some of this be classwork so students have access to the head researcher in the room—you. You aren’t going to do the work for them, but you are going to guide them and model methods of researching reliably.

3. Have students present what they’ve learned. Students should create and present a culminating artifact. When I have my students present what they’ve learned, I use a rubric with “Able to Teach” as the acme of what to reach for. After all, many people can understand content, but can they communicate it? Students can develop a website using Weebly, or perhaps a slideshow using Google Slides.

4. Ask students to reflect on what worked about the process and what didn’t. Reflection is key. And it isn’t just about asking them to think back on their opinion of the topic. It’s about reflecting on the process itself. That’s where you can work in metacognition—thinking about thinking. Have students focus on how they learned in addition to what they learned.

Project-Based Learning and Problem-Based Learning

In order to push student centric learning in my classrooms, I typically make us of projects that depend heavily on student collaboration, communication, creativity, research, and critical thinking.

When students work together to actively consume the course material, and collectively decide which aspects of the curriculum they wish to focus on, actual learning takes place. (LaLopa, 2005).

When necessary I front load just enough information for my students to get started on their individual, project specific investigations, and then spend the majority of our class time guiding them and/or giving them real time feedback on their respective works in progress.

The important things that should always be at the heart of the project are the following: encoding, storage, and retrieval (Frisella, 2019): as long as the students are able to read up on, understand, absorb, and present their research in a cohesive, and academically sound manner, I am able to ascertain whether or not they are making the required progress needed to eventually attain mastery. According to Frisella (2019), understanding how to connect information across different areas of research can help students build their memory and understanding through association.

Assessment criteria, targeted feedback, and self reflections

Providing students with clear instructions and a detailed mark scheme give the students a very clear idea of not only how to succeed in completing their assignment, but shifts their focus from obtaining an arbitrary score to actively and deliberately practicing the skills they will need to build real world competence: by engaging with a task driven assignment, students are forced to revisit knowledge, review classroom concepts, ask questions, reflect on their feedback, correct their mistakes, and in turn, expand their skillset (Frisella, 2019).

In my Business Studies class I have used the "Shark Tank" business plan competition model to get students to not only plan out their business ideas, but to go out and actually execute it by:
- Building a brand
- Calculating the capital requirements
- Forecasting sales and cash flows
- Creating a marketing strategy
- Sourcing the financing
- Sourcing suppliers and manufacturers
- Selling their products

The students sold everything from designer stickers, to customized bubble teas, to cotton candy, to branded phone cases.

The idea of project based and student centered learning is supported by Vygotsky's theory of Social Constructivism, which states that students learn primarily through interactions with their peers, teachers, and parents, whereas teachers stimulate and facilitate conversation through harnessing the natural flow of conversation in the classroom (Hofmann & Asmundson, 2017).

References

Frisella, C.(2019, September 25). Measuring What Matters. Retrieved October 19, 2019, from https://www.iste.org/explore/empowered-learner/measuring-what-matters.

Hofmann, S. G., & Asmundson, G. (2017). The Science of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Elsevier Gezondheidszorg.

LaLopa, M. (2005). Using Student-Centered Assessment to Enhance Learning. Retrieved October 20, 2019, from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/59 vol17no8_student_centered_assessment.html.

Miller, A. (2015, September 2). Using Assessment to Create Student-Centered Learning. Retrieved October 20, 2019, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/assessment-create-student-centered-learning-andrew-miller.

Wolpert-Gawron, H. (2016, August 11). What the Heck Is Inquiry-Based Learning?: Teachers use inquiry-based learning to boost student engagement. Edutopia. Retrieved March 6, 2023, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/what-heck-inquiry-based-learning-heather-wolpert-gawron

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What the Heck Is Inquiry-Based Learning?

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Teachers use inquiry-based learning to combat the “dunno” -- a chronic problem in student engagement. Check out these four steps for creating inquiry-based curriculum.

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  How could you design the physical environment of the classroom, including technology, to be conducive to student-centered learning? Alternately, how would  you design the learning tool kit of your students’ online learning environment?

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  How could you design the physical environment of the classroom, including technology, to be conducive to student-centered learning? Alternately, how would  you design the learning tool kit of your students’ online learning environment?

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Some of the techniques I use in class include:

Choice Boards

Choice boards allow students to select activities and research projects to practice a skill or demonstrate understanding.

An example of this in business studies will be to give the students the option of writing a social media plan for an existing brand, create their own brand and branding/client acquisition strategy, or a shark tank style pitch to gather funds for a startup they would like to bring to the market.

Jigsaw/Stations/Centers
I also like to make use of Jigsaw stations where the students are made responsible to either explain a part of the lesson to their classmates, or demonstrate the skills they developed during the project that they chose. This not only helps all of the students deepen their own understanding, but it also fosters a spirit of collaboration and classroom cohesion.

Furniture and Seating Arrangements
I have experimented with many different seating options, but the ones that seem to work best for my classes have been the following(Allen & Phillips, 2022):

- Grouping/Pods

Desks are arranged in squares or rectangles with students facing each other. This is a useful configuration for encouraging student collaboration and discussion. This tends to work best for Business Studies where students have to work together to complete collaborative projects.

-  Flexible Seating

The idea of flexible seating is that a variety of seating options are provided (as opposed to standard desks), and students are able to sit wherever they feel the most comfortable. This tends to work better for Economics and Global Perspectives & Research where students have to complete mostly individual projects.

Sometimes I'll get students to take turns seating next to me for 10-15 minutes periods so that I can give them uninterrupted feedback as the other students work on their individual research/essays/ exam review.

Classroom technology
Technology is playing a progressively bigger part in education as we approach 2030 (Moeller & Reitzes, 2011).

In my school every student has a laptop or a mobile devices, which they use mainly to take notes, do their independent and group research, complete their assignments, and to access softwares and apps like Google Classrooms, Google Drive, and Google Calendar.

This greatly helps with helping students access their assessments, progress reports, written feedback, review materials, and classroom resources in a easy, and organized way.

Augmented reality (AR) is emerging as a popular technology for learning, but unfortunately we are not currently making use of this in my school; in addition, I would have to get some training as this is a technology that I am not familiar wit.

Online games have also been used to enhance student learning: COTS (commercial, off-the-shelf) games, and games that are designed explicitly for education have been used in classrooms.

COTS game that researchers have examined include games like Civilization where the objectives include building a thriving Empire by building and organizing the infrastructure for scientific innovation, trade, military conquest, food supply etc.

Scratch is a graphic programming environment that emphasizes media manipulation and supports programming activities that build on the interests of youth, such as creating animated stories, games, and interactive presentations. This game is being used in my  school as a part of the ICT program.

I would love to make use of games in my classrooms but this is an area that I would have to do research in as I struggle to find the time to integrate these tools into my lessons.

All of these techniques tie in with Kolb's theory of experiential learning, which states that knowledge is gained through both personal and environmental experiences. Working independently, in groups, and under the guidance of the teacher, students are able to (Virtanen, 2022):
- Learn and reflect on their learning experiences
- Develop and use analytical skills to conceptualize the experience
- Develop problem solving skills based on their experiences

Allen, M., & Phillips, M. (2022, January 24). Using Choice Boards to Boost Student Engagement. Edutopia. Retrieved March 6, 2023, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-choice-boards-boost-student-engagement/

Moeller, B. & Reitzes, T. (2011). Integrating technology with student-centered learning. Nellie Mae Educational Foundation. https://www.edc.org/sites/default/files/uploads/Integrating-Technology-with-Student-Centered-Learning.pdf

Virtanen, A. (2022, November 23). What Is Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory? Growth Engineering. https://www.growthengineering.co.uk/kolb-experiential-learning-theory/

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What student-centered approaches or techniques can you use to address differentiation?

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What student-centered approaches or techniques can you use to address differentiation?

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What student-centered approaches or techniques include physical movement as a central element?

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What student-centered approaches or techniques include physical movement as a central element?

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Student centered learning and physical movement

No matter what kind of learner a child is, there is always room for physical movement in the classroom.

According Strauss (2015), "movement is a powerful teaching tool, and when we as teachers thoughtfully incorporate physical elements into instruction, we elevate the learning experience". She goes on to say that physical activity increases oxygen flow to the brain, improves mood, and promotes creativity.

According to Ferrer & Laughlin (2017), movement improves concentration, relieves stress, and increases retention, and that giving any opportunity for students to move during class, from a ten minute standing coffee break to a kinesthetic learning activity can positively impact student learning. Their studies focused on college aged students, but given that I tend to work with 17 and 18 years olds mostly, it has been my observation during my years as an educator that a little movement in the classroom can go a long way towards helping the students break the monotony of the traditional classroom.

The predetermined classroom breaks also work during online learning sessions when "zoom fatigue" can become an issue (Lee, 2020).

Movement breaks have been known to have the following benefits (Using Physical Movement to Increase Student Engagement and Learning | U-M LSA LSA Technology Services, n.d.)

- Increase students’ capacity to retain and learn information
- Boost students’ desire to learn
- Lessen boredom
- Increase attentiveness and on task behavior
- Help students better process content
- Gives students a mental reset that helps them refocus
- Opens up opportunities for student collaboration when using such techniques as Jigsaw learning

Some of the ways that educators can incorporate more kinesthetic activity in the classroom is by utilizing the following:

- Group discussions/projects: field trips, outside learning, stretching breaks, brainstorming on the sports field
- Independent projects: making posters and physical mind maps, trips to the library, primary research/interviews
- Classroom activities: role plays, skits, seminars, presentations, jigsaw methods activities, debates
- Student choice: giving students the freedom to work where they wish - on the floor, at a standing desk, in their seat, by the window
- Classroom breaks: toilet breaks, water breaks, stretching breaks, short strolls down the hall and back (to shake off the sleepiness)

These activities fit into Vygotsky's theory of Social Constructivism, which states that students learn primarily through interactions with their peers, teachers, and parents, whereas teachers stimulate and facilitate conversation through harnessing the natural flow of conversation in the classroom (Hofmann & Asmundson, 2017).

References

Hofmann, S. G., & Asmundson, G. (2017). The Science of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Elsevier Gezondheidszorg.

Lee, J., MD. (2020, November 17). A Neuropsychological Exploration of Zoom Fatigue. Psychiatric Times. https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/psychological-exploration-zoom-fatigue

Michelle E. Ferrer & David D. Laughlin (2017) Increasing College Students' Engagement and Physical Activity with Classroom Brain Breaks, Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 88:3, 53-56, DOI: 10.1080/07303084.2017.1260945

Strauss, Valerie. (January 2015). Letting kids move in class isn't a break from Learning. It IS
learning.Washington Post.http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/01/19/lettingkids-move-in-class-isnt-a-break-from-learning-it-is-learning/

Using Physical Movement to Increase Student Engagement and Learning | U-M LSA LSA Technology Services. (n.d.). https://lsa.umich.edu/technology-services/news-events/all-news/teaching-tip-of-the-week/using-physical-movement-to-increase-student-engagement-and-learning.html

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Some low-lift activities you can start using today are movement breaks, also known as brain breaks. Many students, during emergency remote teaching, reported appreciation for instructors who adopted pre-planned instructional breaks to mitigate the exhaustive effects of Zoom fatigue. But the benefits of a mental and physical break are not exclusive to a virtual environment. Classes that have transitioned back to in person would similarly benefit from opportunities for physical activity, or movement breaks. Movement breaks increase students' capacity to retain and learn information. They also boost students' desire to learn, lessen boredom, and increase attentiveness and on task behavior. Movement breaks can range from giving students an extended amount of time to return to their seat after a group discussion or team activity to asking students to jog or jump in place for a minute. When planning for a movement break, first arrange your lesson in chunked segments, remembering that the average student has an attention span of 10-15 minutes before attention drops and needs to be renewed. If you have a longer instructional chunk or an extended group practice activity that might drain students, definitely schedule a movement break to follow.

Physical movement can also be used to help students process content. One example of a movement activity is four corners. You can set up this activity in a variety of ways. For example, you can place papers describing four different scenarios in the four corners of the classroom. Then divide the class into four groups of students, requiring that each group move through all four corners. This activity requires students to actively engage with content in groups while physically moving around the room. Not only does the movement give students a mental reset that serves to refocus them on the content presented, standing allows students to easily collaborate with different students in their group. Another way to organize the same activity is to place questions in the four corners of the room. Students can self select the question they would most like to discuss and answer. Or, you can put answer choices in each corner of the room and pose the same question to the class at large. In this format, students must stand in the corner of the room containing the answer choice that best answers the question posed. Of course, this works best when the question asked is one that is open ended or laden with misconceptions in order to foster lively discussion and diverse explanations. Complex scenarios are great for this activity. There are many other movement activities that allow students to process content including student whiteboards, mingle, gallery walks, stand and be counted, and student scale.

Finally, a more advanced use of movement in the classroom is using one's own body to process new concepts and skills, an approach known as embodied learning. One such activity, called statues, is used to assess students' understanding of new concepts. For example, after reading a poem, an instructor might ask students to assume a physical pose embodying the tone of the poem. To provide scaffolds for students hesitant to participate in such a physical way, the instructor can give options, like using a facial expression to show the tone of the poem. Poseable dolls could provide an option for students with physical disabilities or social anxiety to embody learning without using their own body. Other examples of embodied learning are acting out the use of a learned skill during a role play exercise and participating in a hands-on experiment, building project, or simulation. Many upper-level classes incorporate such things already, to good effect.

Though the majority of college-age students reported positive reactions to movement breaks, some students had a negative reaction, stating they failed to see the "point" of participating in physical activities during class. To get student buy-in, it helps to present an informed rationale for including movement in the classroom. It could even be presented as an experimental observation of the effects. Regardless of what level of movement you choose to incorporate into your class, if the following indicators are present, you can be confident that movement is serving learning.

Students actively engage in the strategies

Students' energy levels appear to increase

Students can explain how the physical movement keeps their interest and helps them learn.

(Marzano, 2017)

For a deeper understanding of the scientific evidence linking increased physical activity to optimum brain function, consider reading Brain Rules. If you would like assistance with incorporating physical movement into your course, please feel free to reach out to LSATSLearningTeachingConsultants@umich.edu or request a consultation here.

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Using Physical Movement to Increase Student Engagement and Learning | U-M LSA LSA Technology Services

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Some low-lift activities you can start using today are movement breaks, also known as brain breaks. Many students, during emergency remote teaching, reported appreciation for instructors who adopted pre-planned instructional breaks to mitigate the exhaustive effects of Zoom fatigue. But the benefits of a mental and physical break are not exclusive to a virtual environment.

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What are some student-centered approaches or techniques for reading?

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What are some student-centered approaches or techniques for reading?

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Moon et. al (2016) wrote that reading comprehension, or understanding the author’s message, is a critical component of teaching literacy, and that implementing student centric, technology driven reading comprehension lessons could dramatically improve student motivation to read ad overall literacy scores.

Reading is an important skill because it allows for:

Enhanced communication and collaboration skills

Improved research and fact checking

Faster cognitive processing and problem solving skills

When teaching literacy, the objective is to get the students to become active participants in their own quest for reading mastery:

Students must be given clear objectives and  desired outcome of learning

Students must be given some measure of control over the learning process, the reading materials, and the types of assessments

Students must understand why reading skills are important and how they will be applied in the future

Student must be allowed to discuss the things they learn with each other to further spur their interest

More and more, students should be taught how to make use of reading based technologies to expand their reading capabilities

What does student-centered teaching for reading look like?

Reading can be taught individually and in small groups

Teachers should encourage students to write notes,  summaries, or short reflections to make sure that they are properly processing and absorbing the information they read

Students should be encouraged to note down things they would like clarification on, as well as words and/or concepts that might not be familiar

Students should be given the choice as to what kinds of books and/or reading materials, as well as genres they would like read

Keeping track of student progress is key; this can be done through formative and summative assessments, and online reading apps that keep track of a student's literacy scores

Plan out project based assignments that give the student the opportunity to organize, make use of, and explain their new found knowledge to an audience to reinforce knowledge retention

Use an effective pre-reading strategy to build schema.  One good strategy is “What I know, what I want to know, and what I learned (KWL).  This is useful for tapping into students’ prior knowledge while helping them make connections in learning

Provide instruction in basic reading strategies by using reciprocal teaching practice which includes; predicting, visualizing, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing

References

Acquavita, F. (2016).  A Language Arts Program with a Student-centered Approach.  Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute.

Retrieved from http://teachersinstitute.yale.edu/curriculum/units/1978/1/78.01.01.x.html.

MacMeekin, M. (2017).  28 Student-Centered Instructional Strategies.  Teachthought.

Retrieved from http://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/28-student-centered-instructional-strategies/.

Mansaray, H. (2013).  Nine Strategies for Reaching all Learners in English Language Arts. Edutopia.

Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/stw-expanded-learning-time-individualized-learning-hassan-mansaray.

Moon, A. L., Wold, C. M., & Francom, G. M. (2016). Enhancing Reading Comprehension with Student-Centered iPad Applications. TechTrends, 61(2), 187–194. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-016-0153-1

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by TeachThought Staff

Student-centered teaching is teaching designed for the student.

This means that planning often begins with the student in mind as opposed to a school policy or curriculum artifact, for example. Done well, it can disarm some of the more intimidating parts of academia, while also shortening the distance between the student and understanding.

Put another way, student-centered teaching is teaching that is 'aware' of students and their needs above and beyond anything else. It places students at the center of the learning process.

This isn't as simple as it sounds, especially without shifting one's mindset towards that approach. We recently shared 32 Research-Based Instructional Strategies. The following infographic via Mia MacMeekin provides additional tools (in the form of strategies) that can help create a learning environment that can, depending on the context, more approachable, friendly, or familiar to students in your classroom.
See Also 28 Critical Thinking Question Stems & Response Cards
Let us know in the comments which are your favorites, or any good ones you think it might have missed.
28 Student-Centered Instructional Methods

28 Student-Centered Instructional Strategies

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Executed well, student-centered instructional methods can disarm some of the more intimidating parts of academia.

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Projects can be a great way to give students more autonomy in their assessments. One way that I implement this in my science classes is by having students design their own lab. They are given some background knowledge of a topic, then are given the freedom to come up with a question and design an experiment.
When students work together to actively consume the course material, and collectively decide which aspects of the curriculum they wish to focus on, actual learning takes place. (LaLopa, 2005). The important things that should always be at the heart of the project are the following: encoding, storage, and retrieval (Frisella, 2019). As long as the students are able to read up on, understand, absorb, and present their research in a cohesive, and academically sound manner, we can ascertain whether or not they are making the required progress needed to eventually attain mastery

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Inquiry based learning allows students to focus on what they are more interested in. Instead of using exams with limited scope, students can be assessed on their research, discussions, explanations, and reflections. By placing the onus of the work onto the student, not only is he or she learning how to take responsibility for his or her learning, but he or she is placed in a position whereby he or she has to master fundamental, real world skills in order to produce high quality assignments (LaLopa, 2005).

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Frisella, C.(2019, September 25). Measuring What Matters. Retrieved October 19, 2019, from https://www.iste.org/explore/empowered-learner/measuring-what-matters.

LaLopa, M. (2005). Using Student-Centered Assessment to Enhance Learning. Retrieved October 20, 2019, from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/59 vol17no8_student_centered_assessment.html.

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Harrington and DeBruler (2019) stated that “In a truly student-centered learning environment, teachers and students work collaboratively to co-create a learning plan or pathway that best suits the needs of each individual learner. In a student-centered learning environment, the teacher helps to create an environment that is personal to each student’s learning needs. The teacher serves as an architect of each student’s learning experience.”

This definition of a student-centered learning environment shows that student-centered learning approaches are well suited to addressing differentiation in the classroom.

Some models that can be implemented in the classroom to address differentiation include:
- Blended learning
- Personalized learning

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What is Student-Centered Learning?

Student-centered learning is a philosophy or an approach to education that is designed to meet the needs of each student individually. In their post " What Exactly IS Student-Centered Learning? ", Harrington and DeBruler (2019) shared,

"In a truly student-centered learning environment, teachers and students work collaboratively to co-create a learning plan or pathway that best suits the needs of each individual learner. In a student-centered learning environment, the teacher helps to create an environment that is personal to each student's learning needs. The teacher serves as an architect of each student's learning experience."

Student-centered learning may include some components of blended learning or personalized learning models, such as a flipped classroom, station rotation, or competency-based learning, and you are likely to see students using technology. However, true student-centered learning is more than that. No matter what model is used, student-centered learning will look like students and teachers working together to choose a path for learning that works best for each individual learner.

What Do Organizations and Experts Have to Say?

A student-centered learning model has four main characteristics:

voice,

choice,

competency-based progression, and

continuous monitoring of student needs (Harrington & DeBruler, 2019).

In a truly student-centered learning environment, students have voice and choice. According to Susan Patrick, Aurora Institute President and CEO and co-founder of CompetencyWorks, "Students co-construct their goals and have 'voice and choice' in determining what, how, when, and where the learning occurs" (Bouffard, 2019). Rather than a teacher leading students through a lesson where the students are all doing the exact same thing at the exact same time, the teacher serves more as a facilitator of the learning, helping to give each student the support that they need when and where they need it.

In a truly student-centered learning environment, learning is competency-based. In order to advance through a unit, students must demonstrate mastery of the individual concepts before moving on. As Erin Figula, director of professional learning at LEAP Innovations stated, "Students advance based on demonstrated competency, not time spent on a subject" (Bouffard, 2019). Competency-based progression acknowledges the fact that all students learn differently and should be allowed to progress at different paces while still demonstrating their knowledge.

In a truly student-centered learning environment, there is continuous monitoring of student needs. Technology is used to help monitor students' progress and to help both teachers and students evaluate and adjust learning pathways. "Assessment can be formal or informal, summative or formative, observational, anecdotal, via portfolios, rubrics, or projects, but ongoing monitoring of student progress is key to personalization of the learning experience" (Harrington & LeBlanc, 2019).

Student-Centered Learning, Blended Learning, Personalized Learning, & Customized Learning: Related, But Not the Same

While student-centered learning, blended learning, and personalized learning are all closely related, they are not, in fact, interchangeable.

"Student-centered learning is an educational philosophy or approach to learning that places students' needs and interests at the forefront of the operations and decision-making of a school or district. Conversely, blended learning is a format or a method of learning experienced by students. In short, blended learning combines traditional face-to-face instruction with online experiences that work together as an integrated experience for students." (Harrington & DeBruler, 2019)

In the same "family" of educational concepts, in a personalized learning approach, students have some degree of control over their curricular pacing and learning pathways towards achieving standards. Customized learning is a variation of personalized learning that provides a deeper, more entirely customized learning experience for each child.

So to pull it all together, student-centered learning is an approach that aligns all aspects of a school community (curriculum, staffing, finances, technology, facilities, schedules, community partnerships, etc.) in a way that truly focuses on the desired outcomes for each individual student, while accounting for the differences of each student. Blended learning, personalized learning, and customized learning are all models that schools and school districts may choose to implement in order to create a student-centered learning environment.

Student-Centered Learning: Why is it Such a Good Idea?

As our society becomes increasingly more dependent on technology, it is even more important that students graduate high school prepared with the knowledge and the 21st-century skills they need to enter the workforce and/or further their education. School districts are realizing the importance of starting this preparation early on and are also recognizing that the education models that have traditionally been used, such as the teacher-led, one-size-fits-all model, are not helping students become digitally literate or equipping them with the skills they need for their futures.

As Dr. Sarah Pazur, director of school leadership at FlexTech High Schools, stated, "Student-centered learning mirrors what happens in life and the workplace; you have to set goals, take action, manage your time, reflect and revise, and have a belief in yourself that you can improve." Dr. Pazur added, "Students need to learn how to leverage resources and make connections between prior learning and the problem at hand."

In a student-centered learning environment, students are encouraged to be more self-directed, to take control of their own learning, and to understand how they learn best. Learning is more self-directed, allowing students to learn in a way that ultimately works best for them and encouraging them to go at their own pace. Mastery of knowledge and skills is encouraged and expected, which has been shown to lead to a deeper understanding of concepts. This all leads to more engaged, responsible learners.

Okay, But What Does Student-Centered Learning Really Look Like?

In a student-centered learning environment, technology is usually a key component as it can help to better prepare and equip students with skills they will need for continuing their education beyond high school and/or when entering the workforce. Technology is often provided in a 1:1 ratio where each student has their own computing device. Schools implementing a student-centered learning model also usually have some sort of digital curriculum and many use a Learning Management System (LMS). Technology and the data features of an LMS can help track student progress and provide high-quality, ongoing feedback to both students and teachers to help guide the learning process.

It is important to note that technology-based instruction does not imply that student-centered learning is taking place. John Armstrong, the Director of Technology and Information Services for Joliet Public Schools (Joliet, IL), added:

Used correctly, technology can greatly support key practices of a student-centered learning environment.

In reality, student-centered learning looks very different from school to school. It all depends on the degree of implementation that each district or each school chooses to pursue. In some school districts, their student-centered learning environment looks like some degree of technology-rich personalized learning, blended learning, or customized learning where the teacher serves as more of a guide or a facilitator of the learning instead of the traditional teacher-led model. Some school districts may choose to take it a step further, implementing additional components such as flexible scheduling options, offering alternative pathways to graduation, placing students into learning bands rather than placing students by traditional grade levels, or even using Marzano-scale proficiency levels as opposed to the more traditional letter grade scale. As Dave Tebo, superintendent of Hamilton Community Schools reminds us, "Grades don't necessarily correlate to success."

No matter what the degree of implementation is, school districts that choose to move to a more student-centered learning model are doing so because they realize that what has traditionally been done in the past, what is easiest to continue to do because "that's just the way that it has been done" or what their traditional bell schedule permits, is not necessarily what is best for students. Schools that choose to implement student-centered learning are doing so because they are realizing that in order to overcome the challenges that they may be facing (declining test scores or graduation rates, lack of student engagement, low achievement, etc.), schools may need to make changes that are difficult, but that are made keeping in mind what is best for students.

Student-Centered Learning: Put Into Practice

Not all student-centered learning models look the same. The following are just a few examples of some of the innovative approaches being utilized by school districts across the country.

Crossroads FLEX High School - Cary, North Carolina
Providing choice by offering flexible learning options for students following outside pursuits
Serving students in grades 9-12 since August 2016, Crossroads FLEX High School focuses on helping students take advantage of opportunities they are presented because of their talents and abilities, despite the time commitments that are required. The Crossroads FLEX building offers an open and flexible learning space, ideal for these students whose outside activities and interests interrupt the traditional school day. While students do have to spend 10-15 hours per week on-site, they have the option to attend school anytime between 7:30 am - 5 pm Monday through Friday, giving them choice and flexibility. Students can also choose to take courses face-to-face or virtually through the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) to alleviate scheduling conflicts. As the Dean of Students, Natarshia Sharpe says, "...our goal is for students to feel connected, even when they are away. For us, school goes along with you wherever you go" (DLC, 2020).

Virtual Learning Academy Charter School - Exeter, New Hampshire
Voice and choice: Offering variety in supplemental online learning
Founded in 2007, Virtual Learning Academy Charter School (VLACS) serves over 12,000 students in grades 6-12 and has plans to expand into grades 4-5. While approximately 400 students take courses from VLACS full-time, 72% of their students take courses supplementally and 15% are homeschooled. Because VLACS uses open enrollment, students can start anytime and work at a flexible pace. Their 300+ course offerings are divided into three different "Journeys." The first journey is a "Traditional Course," offering flexible, asynchronous learning. Through badging, students can see what learning looks like outside of the traditional classroom by earning competencies and pursuing industry certifications. The second journey is "Projects" which take 3-4 weeks and targets a single competency. Students are placed in fictional scenarios where they create learning artifacts true to the industry they are interested in. The third journey is "Experiences" which allows students to create their own learning adventure. Students propose their own experience and then work with their teacher to design what the learning competencies will look like. At VLACS, students can choose their own journey, or even combine journeys, forging their own paths in the design of their learning (DLC, 2020).

High Tech High - San Diego, California
Making learning authentic and applicable to the real world
Founded as a charter school in 2000, High Tech High (HTH) has grown into a school development organization made up of a growing network of K-12 charter schools. Students at HTH are encouraged to use their schools' wealth of technology to pursue projects in subjects that they are passionate about. Students engage in project-based learning, often related to community-based issues and real-world problems, using curriculum based on personalization, adult world connection, and common intellectual mission. "The leadership at HTH believes that giving their students the freedom to pursue their passions, and providing them with the tools to do so in a professional, authentic manner, results in students who are more engaged than students forced to work on projects of little or no interest to them" (Moller & Reitzes, 2011). Most of their assessments are performance-based, culminating in a performance or product. Juniors participate in a semester-long internship in a field of their interest and HTH schools boast that 100 percent of their students attend college with 80 percent attending a four-year school. "From the ground up, technology enables many of the innovative practices at HTH" (Moller & Reitzes, 2011).

Governor Mifflin School District - Shillington, Pennsylvania
Connecting to the world through student-centered learning
In order to better prepare their students for the future, Governor Mifflin School District (GMSD) implemented K-12 one-to-one Chromebooks and offers students three primary learning modalities: traditional classroom instruction (with technology-enhanced experiences), formal blended learning opportunities, or fully online opportunities. By leveraging their devices, digital curriculum, and varied learning modalities, students and families are afforded more choice when it comes to their learning. In working towards a more developed student-centered learning model, the district launched a pilot program at the start of the 2018-19 school year called the "Student-Centered Learning Experience" or "SCLE." As part of this program, teachers have developed courses that include competency-based progressions, resulting in students becoming more self-directed and developing an even greater degree of agency in their learning. As one SCLE student stated, "I like to come to school now. I don't feel anxious about school anymore because I can control more things." Both students and teachers a GMSD have embraced the concept of anytime, anywhere learning. (Harrington & LeBlanc, 2019).

Westminster Public Schools - Adams County, Colorado
Rethinking the system of education: Competency-based learning
To better serve a highly-mobile and at-risk population of students, Westminster Public Schools (WPS), whose mantra is "where education is personal," fully implemented a Competency-Based System (CBS) of learning. In order for students to move on to the next concept in their curriculum, they must master the previous one, focusing on their learning targets. Students understand that with this system, not everyone will have the same pathway to mastery because each student has the ability to move at their own pace. Resulting from their student-centered learning efforts, WPS teachers and administrators have seen improved academic achievement, higher graduation rates, and improved student growth. A WPS teacher described her own experiences by saying, "[Adopting competency-based learning is] absolutely the right thing for kids - and it is absolutely the hardest thing I have ever done in my life" (Harrington & LeBlanc, 2019).

And that is what student-centered learning is all about - doing what is right for kids.

Student-Centered Learning in Michigan schools

Throughout schools in Michigan, student-centered learning models are being implemented in varying degrees and to various depths. School leaders at three innovative schools shared some of the exciting ways in which they are making learning more student-centered.

Hamilton Community Schools - Hamilton, Michigan

Prior to spending the last 10 years as the superintendent of Hamilton Community Schools, Dave Tebo spent 4 years as a superintendent at Michigan Center Schools. After serving in this role for some time, Tebo has come to realize that "as a superintendent, you can't scare parents, you don't want to be the bad guy. As a result, it's hard to implement ideas that are outside the box." He admits, however, that at Hamilton, the shift towards implementing a more student-centered learning philosophy was made easier because test scores were already good, families were already supportive, and they already had eager students.

Although Hamilton's transition had been in progress for quite some time, Tebo said that he feels the real work has been done in the last 5-6 years when they really began to embrace their strategic plan. In 2015, Hamilton Community Schools entered into a collaborative partnership with Michigan Virtual to increase student engagement and achievement through the implementation of personalized and blended learning strategies. Hamilton saw that this work would complement the continuous work they were already doing in regards to standards-based grading and competency-based learning. Teachers were trained in cohorts and learned the blended learning coaching model. Then in 2017, Hamilton updated its vision and mission statement and in 2018 adopted an Instructional Model, coining the phrase "Each Will Thrive" based on this updated vision. The model is based on four pillars: a safe educational environment, rigorous instruction and assessment, a modern learning culture, and personalized learning. Students have additional choices and opportunities as Hamilton offers a few Project-Based Learning (PBL) classes, online courses, as well as the option to enroll in the Hamilton Flex Virtual School.

Tebo believes that the school district has made their greatest gains in giving students choice and voice and says that the next step is pushing them together. "Giving choice gives voice, but it requires a leap of faith, which is difficult for teachers to take - to empower students to make the decisions for themselves. Giving students ownership of their learning is a key component of a student-centered approach." He also pointed out that when transitioning to a more student-centered learning model, there is no quick and easy path, so you need to play the long game. "It's not about throwing out what was done before, it's about determining what we are going to bring with us to a new model. It's about adding and enhancing."

FlexTech High Schools - Brighton, Novi, & Shepherd, Michigan

At FlexTech High Schools, student-centered learning is at the heart of everything they do - it is a project-based learning school, founded on student-centered learning principles. FlexTech Director of School Leadership, Dr. Sarah Pazur, shared:

"We are student-centered by design. Student projects are governed by a framework, but students can pitch modifications to projects, tailoring them to their own interests. They can pitch their own deliverables to show mastery, giving students voice and agency. We are competency-based and give kids permission to use their time how they need to in order to complete projects. Students can move at their own pace through courses. This removes barriers related to time, place, and pace."

FlexTech's competency-based approach to learning is based on Michigan's state standards and includes the use of mastery-based progress reports and transcripts.

FlexTech is unique in the sense that it was designed with formal student-centered learning principles in mind. Their curriculum is entirely project-based, built on competency-based learning progressions. Self-assessment practices are used in all classes. At FlexTech, they focus on really getting to know students as individuals. According to Dr. Pazur, "We use learner profiles, where students describe what they want the adults in the building to know about them, how they learn, how they like to receive feedback, what they are passionate about." At FlexTech, this model gives students permission to choose rather than deciding for them. Dr. Pazur says that this model helps students feel that they are part of a community, it's part of their school culture. "When students have a voice, they feel ownership over everything - the whole school. It's not just about them."

Dr. Pazur noted that in a traditional school model, the transition to a more student-centered learning model would be an overhaul and requires a mindset change as you can't design student schedules around adult conveniences.

"You can start small and slowly implement more student voice, but until you really take a look at the system as a whole, you will only get so far. It is important to take a holistic view of your curriculum, instruction, assessment, schedule, culture - this works together to empower or disempower students. Embrace the fact that kids will make good choices, poor choices, and everything in between, but they won't get better until they can authentically practice being in control of their education."

Fraser Public Schools - Fraser, Michigan

Prior to spending the last 2 years as the superintendent of Fraser Public Schools, Carrie Wozniak spent 7 years as their assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. So she understands the ins and outs of the journey this school district has been on towards a more student-centered approach to education. Fraser is changing the traditional view of school to a new personalized, engaging, and customized learning environment for each student. Students are given both voice and choice in their learning. At Fraser, students are 1:1 with technology - all high school students have a MacBook and all K-8 students have an iPad. In addition, they provide a digital curriculum housed within an LMS. Blackboard is the LMS used for their secondary students, and itsLearning is used at the elementary level.

Fraser's transition to a competency-based learning (CBL) environment began many years ago. Their CBL model is based on using a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework. Every teacher at Fraser has gone through (UDL) training, which helped to improve their lesson design and helped them focus on meeting the needs of all of their students. By using a competency-based approach in a UDL framework, students are given options to show what they know. In addition to the UDL training, 11 of Fraser's teachers have gone through training to become 21st-century literacy coaches. These teachers/coaches teach 50% of the time and spend the other 50% coaching at one of the schools throughout the district. This coaching model has been used throughout Fraser Public Schools for over 7 years and it really gives the district a sense of balance between top-down and bottom-up communication.

For schools and districts that have not already adopted student-centered learning principles, Wozniak sees student engagement and satisfying the personalization needs of students and families as being compelling reasons for making such a shift. She emphasized that schools must be purposeful in their design. "These days, students are different. There is an expectation of choice from students and families. Everybody has choices in their lives outside of school, and they now expect that from education," noted Wozniak.She also believed that Fraser's transition to remote learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was actually easier because they already employed a student-centered approach to learning and both students and teachers were used to utilizing technology and their LMS on a daily basis. Wozniak explained:

"We have a digital ecosystem. For us to shift to fully remote learning, we only had to shift slightly, modifying content somewhat as we already had the infrastructure and protocols in place to support remote learning. Our teachers already had their curricular resources in our LMS, so when we went fully remote, it wasn't a lot of work, actually. Being student-centered already, we simply stayed focused on student learning instead of figuring out how to teach remotely. This allowed our teachers to focus more on learning, than emergency remote teaching. They didn't need to entirely shift their focus."

Conclusion

Student-centered learning is about meeting students where they are and giving them what they need, but doing so in a way that meets the needs of each student individually. It is about giving students the ability to direct their own learning, go at their own pace, and demonstrate what they know in a way that truly shows their understanding. The ways in which school districts accomplish this personalization of student learning can vary, but it is clear that true student-centered learning is more than just providing students with a computer and a technology-rich learning environment. It requires turning traditional education, traditional classrooms, and traditional ways of thinking upside down. Dr. Sarah Pazur, FlexTech's director of school leadership, would agree. "You kind of have to blow the whole thing up - it's hard to start small as there are many interconnected pieces."

While there are indeed many interconnected pieces that make up a student-centered learning system, Dave Tebo, superintendent of Hamilton Community Schools, cautions against being afraid of change and knows sometimes getting started is the hardest part. "You may not be able to see your work through to completion yourself and it may outgrow you as a leader. However, you may be the one to get the ball rolling and to get the work started," Tebo explained. To truly implement student-centered learning, it requires the alignment of all aspects of a school community: curriculum, staffing, finances, technology, facilities, schedules, community partnerships, etc. If starting small by implementing pieces and parts in phases or through a pilot program is what makes the most sense for your district and your community, start there.

Doing what is best for students isn't always easy but sometimes there are situations that serve as a springboard for change, providing more of a reason behind doing what seemed too difficult to do before. Maybe the recent extended school closures across the nation and need for remote learning is one of those situations. As Dr. Pazur explained:

"Schools that have created the conditions for student agency are going to have an easier time with rapid or extended closures because students aren't waiting on the adults or the system to tell them what to do. They [students] are inspired by the work they're doing because they had a voice in shaping and designing it - they created it and it doesn't live in the school building. When the student drives the learning, the arbitrary structures like class periods and teacher-driven lessons in the form of worksheets or rote learning tasks become obsolete."

Isn't that the goal? Inspired students. Students who see that learning doesn't live inside the classroom. Students who see connections to real-world situations. Students who have opportunities to work at their own pace and show what they know in a way that makes sense to them. Maybe with those goals in mind, the difficult conversations and discomfort that tends to exist with change are worth it.

References

Bouffard, S. (2019). What does personalized learning mean? Experts weigh in. The Learning Professional, 40(4), 28-31. https://learningforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/what-does-personalized-learning-mean-experts-weigh-in.pdf

Digital Learning Collaborative. (February 2020). Snapshot 2020: A review of k-12 online, blended, and digital learning. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a98496696d4556b01f86662/t/5e61341d879e630db4481a01/1583428708513/DLC-KP-Snapshot2020.pdf

Harrington, C. & DeBruler, K. (2019, October 22). What Exactly IS Student-Centered Learning? [Blog post]. https://michiganvirtual.org/blog/what-exactly-is-student-centered-learning/

Harrington, C. & DeBruler, K. (2019, November 21). Close relatives: Student-centered learning and blended learning [Blog post]. https://michiganvirtual.org/blog/close-relatives-student-centered-learning-and-blended-learning/

Harrington, C. & LeBlanc, E. (2019). The intersection of personalization, technology, and leadership - Research into customized learning. Institute for Teaching and Leading, LLC. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58b6471486e6c03c662ce3a6/t/5d2d4cc034226700015e7924/1563249944915/2018_i4tl_Customized_Learning_Full_Report.pdf

Moeller, B. & Reitzes, T. (2011). Integrating technology with student-centered learning. Nellie Mae Educational Foundation. https://www.edc.org/sites/default/files/uploads/Integrating-Technology-with-Student-Centered-Learning.pdf

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Student-Centered Learning: In Principle and in Practice | Michigan Virtual

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Student-centered learning is a philosophy or an approach to education that is designed to meet the needs of each student individually. In the following report, MVLRI researchers provide a rationale for student-centered learning and provide multiple examples of student-centered learning models being implemented in schools throughout the country.

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Blended learning is a method of teaching where both traditional classroom instruction and online learning is used together. Students are able to access learning content anywhere they like, in their own time and at their own pace. It's a great approach for some students that may require differentiated instruction.

With blended learning:
- Students that don't function well in a social setting like a classroom can do so in a setting that they are more comfortable in.

- Students can choose the pace of their own learning. Slower students can choose to complete an activity over multiple sessions and faster students can choose to complete any extra activities provided by the teacher.

- Using technology, teachers can create visually stimulating content so concepts can be understood better by students that learn better through visuals.

- Students suffering from physical disability or chronic illness may choose to learn from the comfort of their home.

- Students with increased sensitivity to stimuli and that may find classroom instruction too distracting can choose to learn in a place alone and with minimal distractions.

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What is Blended Learning? - Types, Benefits, and More

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This article talks about what blended learning is, it's various types, benefits, drawbacks, and much more. You will get a complete understanding of classroom learning and technological advancements and its importance in education in today's times.

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What is Personalizing Learning?

According to Broussard et al. (2017), Personalizing learning is an instructional approach that empowers students to build ownership of their learning.

Educators personalize learning by:

- targeting instruction

- fostering collaboration and creativity

- facilitating reflection and goal-setting

- designing flexible learning experiences.

The 4 components of personalized learning are the following

1. Student Reflection & Goal Setting

Student reflection and goal setting are practices that can

build a bridge for students between the content they are

learning and why they are learning it.

Supporting student reflection begins with self reflection. Investigating and understanding our own identities, biases, and experiences is a crucial step to helping students navigate for themselves.

Through reflection, educators and students can develop self-awareness competencies, from identifying one’s strengths, to developing clear goals for specific tasks, amongst others (CASEL, 2020). Through reflection and goal setting, students are more well-positioned to take academic risks, learn from their experiences, and more intentionally

tackle the next task in front of them.

In order for a teacher to be effective, it is important to identify which category each of his or her students falls into to determine the level of guidance and support may need:

- Emerging

- Developing

- Advancing

- Sustaining

2. Targeted Instruction

At its most actualized, targeted instruction means that students can articulate what instruction they are receiving and why, and students have some choice over the instruction they receive based on their data, passions, and preferences.

By analyzing data and using it to tailor the learning experiences, we shift from a one-size-fits-none

approach to a classroom environment grounded in students’ strengths, needs, and interests.

2. Teachers who target instruction:

• Have a deep understanding of where each student is academically, and share that understanding with students so they are equipped to take ownership of their academic progress

• Modify instruction to better meet students where they are

• Provide opportunities for students to have voice and choice in their instructional experience

• Regularly update groups based on relevant data sources so that as students progress they

• Continue to have opportunities to demonstrate knowledge at the highest level of mastery

3. Collaboration and Creativity

Personalizing learning encourages students to work with one another, share ideas, create new solutions and projects, provide one another with feedback, and, in the process, learn more about themselves.

We believe that true personalization happens when students show up as their whole selves, including their values, emotions, and perspectives, and work with others to solve

creative solutions to complex problems meaningful to them and their community.

Classrooms that encourage collaboration and inspire creativity:

• Include space for students to learn more about each other and the communities in which they live.

• Challenge students to think critically, problem-solve, and design solutions for problems relevant to student’s lives, both big and small.

• Celebrate collective success and highlight the value of taking risks and learning from mistakes.

• Recognize the power in the process of learning, even over getting the answer to a question right

4. Flexible Path & Pace

Students learn in different ways and to truly personalize the learning experience, there must be opportunities for students to progress towards mastery of their learning through flexible learning pathways at different paces.

Creating flexible opportunities for path and pace:

• Creates the opportunity for multiple, differentiated learning trajectories to guide students on their path towards mastery

• Relies on the purposeful collection and utilization of data to inform decisions for how to help students craft their learning journey

• Amplifies student ownership by giving them choice in determining the process and product of their learning

• Honors the unique talents, strengths, and abilities of students and the value that each student contributes to the learning environment

In my particular experience working in a bilingual school, I often have to cater to the needs of students that live across the entirety of the spectrum of personalization.

To that end, I make use of a number of differentiation strategies, particularly in my Global Perspectives & Research classes, where the students are required to produce a university level, 5000-word essay.

- Differentiated levels of support in selecting a research topic that suits each student's level of English ability, academic skill, and interest

- Differentiated additional formatives that help emergent and developing students acquire skills such as active reading, note taking, lateral reading, fact checking, referencing, paragraph writing etc.

- Support the emergent and developing students by providing them with easier reading materials and reading comprehension questions

- Freedom to organize and manage their time as they wish provided they have a progress chart of sorts complete with key deadlines

These ideas all relate to Kolb's theory of experiential learning, which states that knowledge is gained through both personal and environmental experiences. Working independently, in groups, and under the guidance of the teacher, students are able to (Virtanen, 2022):

- Learn and reflect on their learning experiences

- Develop and use analytical skills to conceptualize the experience

- Develop problem solving skills based on their experiences

They also tie into Bruner's theory of  scaffolding, which states that the support given during the learning process should be directly linked to the needs of the student. (Structural learning, 2023).

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Institute, M. V. L. R. (2022, March 31). Student-centered learning: In principle and in practice. Michigan Virtual. Retrieved March 12, 2023, from https://michiganvirtual.org/research/publications/student-centered-learning-in-principle-and-in-practice/

Wilson, D. (2023, March 9). Blended learning best practice. Wondershare DemoCreator. Retrieved March 12, 2023, from https://democreator.wondershare.com/elearning-tips/what-is-blended-learning.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiA6rCgBhDVARIsAK1kGPLQOiP5x55BUwo0c8iWgbLbq0_9weFVXmNbqlUIZsWK07Jc9qkFlzsaAjRTEALw_wcB

Broussard, J., Camp, K., Dougherty, N., Flanders, C., Schantz, D., & Strunk, C. (2017). The Core Four OF PERSONALIZING LEARNING. In Education Elements. Retrieved March 6, 2023, from https://www.edelements.com/hubfs/PL%20Core%204%20White%20Paper%20Final.pdf?hsCtaTracking=c1367539-d88d-4e42-a604-ddaaa06267ec%7Cd1932eaa-2d2d-477d-a07a-d6c8d770472b

Scaffolding in education: A teacher's guide. RSS. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2023, from https://www.structural-learning.com/post/scaffolding-in-education-a-teachers-guide#:~:text=The%20word%20%E2%80%9Cscaffolding%E2%80%9D%20was%20first,to%20use%20that%20knowledge%20independently.

Vargo, J. (2017). Six Examples of What Personalized Learning Looks Like. Retrieved October 22, 2019, from Education Elements website: https://www.edelements.com/blog/six-examples-of-what-personalized-learning-looks-like

Virtanen, A. (2022, November 23). What Is Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory? Growth Engineering.