Learning Gets Personal
March 11, 2016
What a Roller Coaster!
My dad and I waited in line for over an hour. It was agony! The entire time my anxiety mounted as the minutes slowly ticked by. My dad had to talk me off the ledge several times. Finally, we got on the ride, and my panic was at a peak. I wanted to get off the ride immediately! As the car lunged forward, I was crying and hanging onto my dad's arm with a death grip. The entire time, he reassured me and coached me through the whole thing... up we climbed in the dark... I could hear my dad saying, "This is the fun part, Heather. Put your arms up over your head and scream as loud as you can." I was trying so hard to be brave, but I begged to differ with his assessment that this was fun. Then, all of a sudden, something changed... my tears gave way to laughter and screams, and I was having fun. When the ride was over, I begged him to go wait in line with me again and do it again. That day I had a breakthrough, and I didn't ever look at roller coasters the same again. Something that I once feared, was now something that I enjoyed and that brought me and my dad closer together.
I tell this story because I think it relates to the journey we are on with personalized learning. We are reinventing the way we think about learning and teaching. That can be exciting, but also terrifying at the same time. There will likely be times when you want to get off the ride. No matter where you are on the journey, it is okay. As leaders we need to remember to respect the process, but also to stay the course. In the end, the reward is well worth the ups, downs, twists and turns. It may even change the way you look at yourself and the students you impact forever!
Best,
Heather
Spotlight on Personalized Learning: Holcomb Bridge MS
Group 4: A Message from Ed Elements
Greetings Fulton Group 4 PL Teams!
We at Ed Elements can't wait to see you all next week for Personalized Learning Design Academy 1.0, which will take place at Milton Center (86 School Drive, Alpharetta, GA 30004).
Please ensure your team completes the following pre-work for our Design Academy. 1) Read one or more of the following articles and come with ideas and questions 2) Bring a device and a pair of headphones.
· 5 Things Educators Should Know About Design Thinking
· When Risks in the Classroom Lead to Rewards
· Design Thinking Comes of Age
Best,
Dana Britt + the Education Elements team
Collaborating in the Classroom with OneNote Class Notebook Creator!
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Helpful Links
Questions?
Heather Van Looy, Ed.S.
Fulton County Schools
Email: vanlooy@fultonschools.org
Website: https://employees.fultonschools.org/academics/Personalized%20Learning/Pages/default.aspx
Location: 6201 Powers Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA 30339
Phone: 470-254-6899
Twitter: @heathervanlooy