Personalized Learning Notes
April 2021
National Poem in Your Pocket Day, April 29th
You Are Awesome!
Making Time for Project-Based Learning (PBL)
For example,
#5: Chunk Your Standards
With PBL, we can have students learn a concept while also practicing a skill. They can work on multiple, interconnected standards at the same time instead of going sequentially through each standard.
Listen to the full Podcast or
Read the Blog post
and/or listen to:
The Powerful Combination of PBL and SEL
Every Student Deserves Access to PBL "ELL students deserved access to the same student-centered projects that gifted students were already doing. Soon, another colleague Jen led the way with special education."
Updates on the Progress of Our School Garden
- We received book donations from the Stearns County Farm Bureau to support instruction in gardening and agriculture. I have compiled lesson plans and resources for using them in your classrooms and Heather has entered the books into our library system. Garden books have been classified as textbooks so only teachers can check them out. The Ag books will be in available to students and teachers. The books are geared toward K-4. Find a summary of books and lessons HERE.
- PATHS is helping to fund a curriculum library in support of the school garden.
- We have two Stearns County Master Gardeners working with our school garden committee.
- Quarry Nursery donated potting soil and pots for 4th grade classrooms to conduct experiments.
- We have applied for a grant to build raised beds, and to purchase tools, storage, and other garden essentials. I am continuing to explore other funding options also.
Student Ownership of Learning Targets and Resources
Taking Choice Menus to the Next Level
- Early on in a unit, when they need to increase background knowledge
- Toward the end of the unit, when they need to own the intervention process
- When completing standards that don’t work as well with project-based learning or design thinking
- In the moments when there is a time crunch and they don’t have as much time to search for resources or where some of the online resources actually reinforce misconceptions
- If you are just making the leap into student-driven learning and you want to start with something that builds on student choice but doesn’t require a massive project"
Personalized Learning at STRIDE
Personalized Learning (PL):
Develops self-reflective learners who actively participate in:
Setting learning goals
Designing learning paths
Deciding how to demonstrate learning and growth
Ruth Thom, Personalized Learning Coordinator