Month: April 2018

In Episode 28, we spoke with Dr. Pam Moran, superintendent in Albemarle County Public Schools in Virginia and Keaton Wadzinski, a consultant working with Albemarle learners. We discussed what learner-centered learning looks like in Albermarle County Public Schools along with the importance of honoring all individuals as learners.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders hold learner agency and students voice at the core of their work. They create conditions for learners to develop a sense of agency in their own learning in school and in life. This developed sense of agency and self-awareness helps learners understand they have influence, seeing change happen in the classroom, school, nation and world as a result of who they are and what they do.

Takeaways

Albemarle started their transformation over a decade ago with the question: What are the kinds of competencies and skill sets learners need to be successful at home and in life?

Classrooms in Albemarle County focus on many models of learning where students not only explore what to learn but how to learn: project-based learning, maker culture, using technology in interactive/connected ways, opportunities to orient within the learning space. Still, some classrooms represent a more traditional model. The new models represent a shift in pedagogy, assessment and curriculum.

There has been a focus on different kinds of assessments beyond the multiple-choice test: portfolios, performance-based assessments, task and skill-based learning.

Project-based learning has helped change the relationship between teacher and learner. Both bring an expertise to the work – instruction, background and interest. In one Albemarle high school, learners complete a passion project. Learners take learning into their own hands with these projects, and that often times result in significant increases in learner engagement.

Power shifts from the teachers to the learners in learner-centered environments. Traditional teacher controls are given up – teacher is in control, compliance is valued. If we want to educate our learners well for this century, we have to shift the power from the teacher to the learner.

Passion is an “educator” word. Learners don’t necessarily connect with this word.

One of the most critical factors influencing learner-centered leadership is to honor the fact that everyone in the organization is moving at a different pace of change. Some teachers are significant risk takers and explorers. Some are waiting to see what happens with the risk takers. Learner-centered leaders provide teachers and leaders with the space to understand change in their own time.

Learner-centered leaders understand relationships and focus on the developmental nature of learning. A focus on learning is a non-negotiable for effective leadership for transformation. Leaders need to listen to those who are challenging the direction of change.

Superintendents shift power from the superintendent’s office to the people that are served – teachers, principals and parent community. There are lots of leaders in the system!

Structure is not the same thing as control. Innovative learning can feel like chaos. How do we design structures to elicit agency and ownership? Structure can be scaffolding that allows leaders and learners in the system to experience agency.

Transformation takes time! And in Albemarle, they are in this for the long haul – well over 10 years of supporting teachers at the edges of educational innovation!

When we feel we have “arrived” in the transformation process, we realize we haven’t. There is always more to achieve!

School boards are essential to achieving a transformation. Learner-centered superintendents provide the school board with professional learning. Boards need to understand the work as well as those within the schools.

Connections to Practice

• As we shift mindsets, we focus on shifting the power in the classroom – from teacher to learner.
• Our Profile of a Graduate and Learning Beliefs are filled with educational jargon. How do we make that language accessible?
• Our board is supportive of this work because we provide them opportunities to deepen their own understanding of what is happening in the district.
• Transformation does take time! And it’s messy. Stakeholders will move towards this vision at different paces.

Questions Based on Our Practice

• What new models of learning do we see in the Salisbury environment? How can we promote more of the models with our teachers on the edges?
• How are our assessments shifting as we move toward a more learner-centered environment?
• How can we influence teachers to share control in the classroom?
• How can learners help us explore this idea that “passion” is an “educator” word? What words would learners use to describe their passions?
• How can we create conditions for learners to be engaged in more real-world projects providing impact on a greater scale beyond the school walls?
• When is it time to stop waiting to see what happens with change?
• How are we scaffolding agency in our leaders and learners? What structures do we put in place?

Next Steps for Us

• Implement the new walkthrough tool to gather data on learning in Salisbury.  What does our data say? How learner-centered are we? How can we grow more learner-centered models?
• Engage learners across the district in a conversation about the vocabulary we use as we transform our learning environment. How much of the terminology is not connecting with stakeholders? How do we brand the message?
• Identify structures that create the conditions for greater agency among leaders and learners in the organization. How can we better share leadership?

In Episode 27 we spoke with Jon Hanover, Founder and Executive Director of Roots Elementary School in Colorado. We discussed the history and GROW values of Roots Elementary, their transformation to a learner-centered environment, barriers they have overcome, and advice for learners and leaders as they move towards a more learner-centered environment.

Key Competency 

Learner-centered leaders place learner passions at the center of learning in core academics and social-emotional learning.

Takeaways

The work at Roots Elementary looks through the learner-centered lens at each learner and then designs and builds the work around learner needs. The work falls in three buckets: core academics, social-emotional learning, and learner passions.

Sometimes learners need to move across grade levels in order to get the instruction they need. Roots is keenly aware of individual learner strengths and needs, examining data and designing a core academic program for each learner.

Core academics is not enough for learners to thrive. Learners at Roots have experienced a wide array of situations prior to coming into the learning environment, including trauma. Roots works to understand how trauma impacts the brain, understanding the gaps in social-emotional development and competencies. This requires building deep relationships between teachers and learners.

Project Wonder focuses on uncovering each learner’s passions and personalizing for core academics. Learners are asked questions such as, “What lights your fire? What are you passionate about? What is it that you want to learn more about?” Once these questions are answered, deep learning projects are designed to support each learner to achieve their goals and interests. Customized, small group work as well as external speakers are common facets of the deep learning work of Project Wonder.

Jon shared how the GROW values (developed during the initial design of the school) are the heart of the Roots learning community.

• Grit – How do learners manage learning and the failure and frustrations that often accompany it?
• Relationships – How do learners develop the self-competency for success in core academics?
• Ownership – How do learners own their progress and growth? How do learners understand themselves as learners and where they are on their learning pathway?
• Wonder – How are learners encouraged to be curious about the world? How does this work foster connection to individual passions?

The Roots model represents a break from the traditional school-centered model. In core academics, one-size-fits-all instruction, by age cohort, along with whole group instruction do not fit with the way learners learn. School cannot be only about core academics, but must be supported by the effective social-emotional development of learners. Learners are more than just their reading and math skills. Project Wonder helps learners build the entrepreneurial skills to apply what they’ve learned in core academics to the real world.

Transformation is not easy work. Jon shared a number of barriers that Roots has overcome to make it the school it is today. One of the barriers included underestimating the importance of social-emotional skills for the adults in the school. Since teaching is being radically transformed, educators need to develop the skill to intensely collaborate and communicate with others. Nothing happens without the complete work of the full team. Roots has spent a lot of time investing in developing the social-emotional skills of the team.

Jon also talked about the inherent dissonance between personalization/individualization and community/relationships. Leaders need to realize that when you optimize for one over the other there are trade-offs and affordances and constraints that come with that optimization. For example, optimizing for personalization can lead to incredibly dynamic scheduling. Learners are seeing many adults during the day. Groups are fluid and change easily. This optimization impacts the depth of community and relationships you can build as time is a finite resource. In the early days, Jon reflected, Roots may have optimized too much for personalization. Some kids thrived, but others felt lost, struggling to build relationships with teachers. The challenge is finding the point that’s right for the organization – balancing personalization with community/relationships.

Leading change and leading the innovation process is the most important skill leaders need to bring about an impactful learner-centered environment. To really innovate, leaders need to feel comfortable taking risks and changing course when necessary. This can be hard on teachers, learners and families. Leaders cultivate an understanding that the “old way” isn’t working and decide to lead the charge for change. Meaningful innovation happens through developing an interesting hypothesis for change, testing the hypothesis, reflecting on what is working and what is not, pivoting when necessary and designing the next iteration. Leaders help their team get comfortable with this process, involving “a ton of teacher voice.”

Jon’s final piece of advice for leaders shifting to learner-centered? “You just have to do it.” The system isn’t working for all of our learners. It’s scary and hard, but continuing to do what we’ve always done will lead to certain failure. Moving to learner-centered, while it may lead to failure, could lead to success. When given the choice between certain failure and possible success, we have to choose possible success.

Connections to Practice

• We are struggling with the “why” in our district. Many of our students (over 88%) graduate and attend further education in a two-year, four-year, or trade school. Our school community values this and views it as a success. Based on our learners’ success in achieving this next step, our urgency for change is reduced.
• This year, with our Leading #YourSalisbury professional learning cohort, we are working to build the way. Through inquiry and discovery of future work place skills and careers, this small pocket of teachers is understanding the urgency of change.
• We are having more conversation about leading change with our leadership team.  We are currently engaging in a Lunch and Learn series using Cale Birk and Charity Allen’s exceptional and fun book, Changing Change Using Learner-Centered Design: From Failed Initiatives to a Change Process that Connects, Empowers and Actually Works.   Learn more about their book at this TLTalkRadio podcast.

Questions Based on Our Practice

• Do our teachers view themselves as a member of the “tennis” team or the “soccer” team?
• Would they see the benefits/differences between the two?
• Do we as leaders have the sub-skills required to lead change?
• Do we have the will to reflect critically on our practice?  Have we cultivated an understanding that the old way isn’t working for all of our students? Are we willing to just do it?
• Do we need to invest more time developing our own social/emotional skills?

Next Steps for Us

• Have a reflective conversation about these questions with learners at an upcoming superintendent advisory council.  How do you as learners manage learning and the failure and frustrations that often accompany it? How do you as learners develop the self-competency for success in core academics?  How do you as learners own your progress and growth? How do you get to know yourselves as learners? How are you encouraged to be curious about the world? How does this work foster connection to your individual passions?
• As a result of our Changing Change book study, each of us as leaders will take a risk and redesign a learning opportunity.
• We will also seek additional ways to incorporate teacher voice.  How can we learn more from our teachers’ perspectives?