GWAEA BL/PL
JANUARY 2020: Blended & Personalized Learning
Feel free to share this SMORE with anyone in your district who is interested in learning more about Blended and Personalized Learning.
Tim Patience, 6th grade Social Studies
Tim has been working to evolve his SS classroom into a more learner-centered blended class. He has developed a process for each of his standards that leads students through 5 playlists. Each playlist is delivered through Google Classroom with an accompanying paper copy. Tim's self-created videos accompany the playlists, and highlight concepts as well as dig deeper into online sources. Additional online tools being used in his classroom include EdPuzzle, Formative and Actively Learn.
A powerful part of this playlist is the student tracker portion. Students self assess their engagement with both the process and the content as well as provide feedback for Mr. Patience. Thanks, Tim, for sharing a glimpse into your classroom!
What does Blended Learning LOOK like?
A few years ago she partnered with McGraw Hill to do a series on blending in her language arts classroom. These are great videos that help us "SEE" what it looks like in a classroom. The one linked below highlights three beginning types of blending...station rotation, flipped classroom and whole class flip.
If you are struggling with how to put this into action or if you need a January Jolt to get you moving...take a look. This is a link to the entire playlist.
The Goal of Personalized Learning
In the book Pathways to Personalization, Rubin and Sanford talk about personalized learning "as a learning paradigm that can be stretched and configured to local conditions while centering on core elements."
These are the three core elements of Personalized Learning
- Differentiation - "differentiating and scaffolding learning for students based on current proficiency levels, cognitive skills, and social-emotional profiles."
- Pacing - "enabling students to progress through competency-based progressions or a well-sequenced curriculum at their own pace."
- Agency - "student ownership: by offering students increased voice and choice; and through a focus on individual identity, interest, and ability."
~ from Pathways to Personalization by Shawn C. Rubin and Cathy Sanford pg. 26
TAKE-AWAY
- Personalized learning must fit with your school setting for it to be successful
- There are multiple ways to personalize - you need to only pick ONE
Shawn C. Rubin & Cathy Sanford at GWAEA
“If our goal is to provide every public school student with an education leveraging individual strengths, identities, and interests in order to produce learners who feel engaged, inspired, and motivated, then school must look and feel fundamentally different.”
Based on the book, Pathways to Personalization, this workshop outlines an innovative five-step framework to help school leaders and teacher teams design and implement blended and personalized learning initiatives based on local needs and interests. The framework recognizes three key roles: a change agent, a design team, and a group of pilot teachers. Leaders across these roles must respect the different perspectives, cultures, identities, and social-emotional needs of their stakeholders to guide this process. Pathways to Personalization meets this need by providing a field-tested road map for educators seeking ways to meet the academic and emotional needs of all students and to empower them to take charge of their own learning.
Register your team at aealearning.truenorthlogic.com
Course #181041
March 4, 2020 1:00 - 3:30
Wakelet
It is a fantastic digital playlist tool for classes as well as a tool to help you organize your own digital life! Mindy Cairney and Amber Bridge detailed this fantastic tool in a blog post. Check it out here.
...reading
A standout and thought-provoking statement...
"The most important factor at lessons starts is that teachers need to be open to
feedback from students about what they already know or do not know. We need
to also note that too often we presume students do not know the material for
the next lesson. Nuthall (2005) found that about 50-60% of the material taught in
a lesson is already known by the students (pg. 49)."
I find that this statement changes based on your experience in the classroom.
As a parent, I recall more than one conversation where my daughters complained about teachers teaching the same things. As a teacher, I would not have believed this at all. Instead of becoming defensive - I think it is valid to seek data in our classrooms to find out if these statistics are true for us. I believe it all comes down to feedback. We need to provide a wide variety of ways for students to share what they know and methods to build out different paths to mastery!
On a side note: I did read the Nuthall book mentioned here - The Hidden Lives of Learners . It was another thought-provoking read. I have mentioned parts of this to many coaches in my coaching conversations. All the research is from a Middle School - I'm not sure if that has an impact on the results. I'd recommend this read for more information!
~Beth Swantz
...listening
This past week I listened to The Source of Creativity. This episode explores whether we are born with creativity or whether it is something that can be grown and nurtured in all of us. There is a piece by a neuroscientist who has done MRIs on jazz musicians to see which parts of the brain fire during a creative jam session. Another section focuses on writer Elizabeth Gilbert and her descriptions of the hard work of creativity - and the fact that just showing up for that work is part of the process.
The part of this podcast that really stand out, though, was the interview with Sir Ken Robinson. He is quite frank about the role of schools and creativity. And it is not very positive! As I listened to this, I kept thinking about all of you working so hard to implement new practices in your classrooms.
That is CREATIVITY!!
When you explain a concept in a varied way that connects with the needs of the student in front of you - that is creativity! When you seek out a different model, or example, or process, or project - that is creativity! When you stop and listen to your students and adjust the plan based on their needs - that is creativity! Being open to a different view of the ordinary - that is creativity!
~Beth Swantz
...connecting
Remember that our aim is to meet your learning needs in the same ways that we are encouraging you to meet the needs of your students.. Here are a few different ways that we might be able to meet those needs.
We could meet you 1:1 in your classroom, online via Zoom, or through emails to…
Brainstorm lesson planning
Discuss opening moves with your specific students and content
Talk through barriers to blended in your classroom
See your teaching in action
Talk blended and personalized - what can it look like, what might be the next step, what is holding us back.
About Us
Email: bswantz@gwaea.org
Website: www.gwaea.org
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA, United States
Phone: 319-399-6400
Twitter: @GWAEABL
The Blended and Personalized Learning Team works with GWAEA schools to help them build their understanding and practice of blended and personalized learning. We work with teachers and administrators on-site and at Grant Wood facilities.
Your GWAEA BL/PL Team:
- Chris Klostermann & Jessica Quandahl - Literacy
- Janet Greene - Math
- Carol Cassells - Science & Social Studies
- Laura Musser - Science
- Erikka Vosmek - School Improvement
- Mindy Cairney, Gina Rogers & Beth Swantz- Digital Learning
- Stacy Behmer - Coordinator of Digital Learning & Media Services
- Shane Boeve - Regional Administrator