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Personalized Learning
15 Characteristics of a 21st-Century Teacher
Obviously, teaching in the 21-century is an altogether different phenomenon; never before could learning be happening the way it is now -- everywhere, all the time, on any possible topic, supporting any possible learning style or preference. But what does being a 21st-century teacher really mean?
Below are 15 characteristics of a 21st-century teacher:
1. Learner-Centered Classroom and Personalized Instructions
As students have access to any information possible, there certainly is no need to "spoon-feed" the knowledge or teach "one-size fits all" content. As students have different personalities, goals, and needs, offering personalized instructions is not just possible but also desirable. When students are allowed to make their own choices, they own their learning, increase intrinsic motivation, and put in more effort -- an ideal recipe for better learning outcomes!
2. Students as Producers
Today's students have the latest and greatest tools, yet, the usage in many cases barely goes beyond communicating with family and friends via chat, text, or calls. Even though students are now viewed as digital natives, many are far from producing any digital content. While they do own expensive devices with capabilities to produce blogs, infographics, books, how-to videos, and tutorials, just to name a few, in many classes, they are still asked to turn those devices off and work with handouts and worksheets. Sadly, often times these papers are simply thrown away once graded. Many students don't even want to do them, let alone keep or return them later. When given a chance, students can produce beautiful and creative blogs, movies, or digital stories that they feel proud of and share with others.
For the remaining 13 steps, read on at: http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/15-characteristics-21st-century-teacher
My Goal for Both of My Schools
I know that both schools that I serve have their own school focuses. To support each focus I have narrowed my goals under the new Instructional Framework:
PLAN - True PLCs. It is my goal to truly help you personalize learning for your students through assisting you in your planning processes.
TEACH - Co-teaching, I am here to help facilitate, if you should ever want an extra hand in student facilitation, let me know!
EVALUATE - Electronic portfolios. I will assist you in making sure you are evaluating students every minute -- every class through feedback. If you want it, then I've got it!
I truly believe in this new buzz phrase called Personalized Learning, it is more than a word, it is truly an experience. Join me...
Pulling the PL out of PLC
Pun intended for sure! Professional Learning Communities can easily be translated into effective Personalized Learning not only for the students but for the educators as well. As we stretch ourselves to meet the needs of students we will continue to guide our planning surrounding the Four Essential PLC Questions and how we respond to them:
1. What do we expect our students to learn? (PLAN)
2. How will we know they are learning? (EVALUATE)
3. How will we respond when they don't learn? (PLAN/TEACH/EVALUATE)
4. How will we respond if they already know it? (PLAN/TEACH/EVALUATE)
* As you plan continue to look closely into T3 and T4 of our Instructional Framework to make sure you are aligned with the district expectations.
How do you learn best? Do you let your students learn the way they need to?
Knowing the Learner
Did you give a learning inventory with your students during the first week of school? Hopefully you uttered a yes with so much excitement you quivered. Or perhaps your ears turned red at the simple thought of what to do with the inventories once students discover their True Color? If you experienced both sensations then read on...
Most teachers are fairly good at assessing learning styles just by viewing how your students work. But have you ever thought of how a student can grow if they realize they are extremely auditory, a Gold or visual-spatial? Having this information makes a huge difference when having students process information more effectively.
One of the important pillars of personalized learning is where you as the teacher get to know the learners that you serve. That is a foundational step to teaching based on the instructional, and mental needs of your students. We have mentioned several learning inventories as well as multiple intelligences surveys this summer. Within the first few weeks of school, students should complete one of the inventories (VARK, True Colors, Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences) weekly and watch them grow in their understanding of themselves and the curriculum. My Personal Favorite is VARK
This assessment is based on a student’s learning profile. It is a great tool to pinpoint some instructional strengths and opportunities for growth. It can be given digitally or in hard copy form. See the attached resources for more detail.
Personalizing with Canvas
Get Logged In –
a. Use the Chrome Browser – Canvas works best in the Chrome browser, so use Chrome if you have it, or download it here. Otherwise, give Canvas a whirl using the browser you have.
b. Claim Your NCEdCloud Account – Beginning this year, we will use NCEdCloud to simplify logins to the various web tools you use (PowerSchool, SchoolNet, NCEES, Canvas, etc.).
i. GCS’s LEA Code – 410
ii. Your State UID# – this is the ten digit number you use to login to PowerSchool
c. Login to Canvas via NCEdCloud –
i. Navigate to https://my.ncedcloud.org. This is where you’ll go from now on to login to Canvas (or PowerSchool or SchoolNet or NCEES, etc.)
ii. On the next page, enter your NCEdCloud username and password, and click the “Login” button.
iii. On the next page, click the Canvas icon. You should land in Canvas.
The Tablets are Coming...
Student Tablet Training Modules
Students must complete the training module prior to receiving their tablets.
Our tablet roll out date is right around the corner. Student training modules are available for you to look through. Every student will need to complete the five(5) student training modules completed by the district team. We will provide clarity on this implementation soon. The courses are slated for 30-40 minutes and will be teacher-led. All teachers in the building will be required to be familiar with the sessions.
Click the link below for a preview of the student training modules. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact me.
Amplify Market Spotlight
JogNog is a library of more than 1,700 quizzes and 70,000 review questions that are aligned to state standards. It is a perfect way to review for state tests or as a homework helper for teachers or parents.
Wenalyn S. Bell Glenn
I'm only an email away, contact me if you need me or have any questions!
“Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Let me do and I understand.” ~Confucius
Email: bellglw@gcsnc.com
Location: 501 West Washington Street, Greensboro, NC, United States
Facebook: facebook.com/theplefs
Twitter: @cheerplef