Category: Blog Posts

In Episode 45, we had a conversation with Joe Erpelding, Principal at Design39Campus in San Diego, CA, and two learners, Sydney Huber and Riya Anand.

Key Competency

Learner-center leaders lead with empathy, listening to stakeholders. As Principal of Design39Campus, Joe is constantly listening to stakeholders. This is a big part of the design process to empathize with stakeholders in supporting change. It is also critical in supporting correction when change does not go as planned.

Takeaways

What does teaching and learning look like at Design39Campus? Design39Campus is located within a public school district. The goal of Design39Campus is to create learners who are life-ready thought leaders elevating humanity and, thus, creating an impact for others.

We started by asking the learners what it was like to learn in this learning environment. They shared students get creative freedom, and can work wherever they choose – outside, office, collaborative spaces. Students work on impact projects and collaborate with many other organizations. After a certain period of time students choose Explorations and Deep Dives thus applying the core knowledge from content classes to areas of passion, specifically in science and engineering. This allows students the freedom to be curious about many topics.

Why did you choose Design39 Campus instead of your home school? Learners reflect they had the opportunity to see the evolution of the campus as it was being developed. They noticed the differences right away. Instead of the standard library and classrooms, there are collaborative spaces and outside workspaces. They utilize principles of design thinking, and the projects are different. Learners feel very free academically.

Joe has been principal for four years The initial principal was released for 2 years and 5 teachers were released for one year to investigate and research the possibilities of designing a school from the ground up. They visited other sites and employers. There were 17 different design process opportunities for parents to connect.

Joe shared he had to “re-route his whole firmware” about education. Joe doesn’t have an office and teaches a class two times a year to continue to understand what the design learning process looks like.

What is an Impact project? The teacher assigned a simple writing assignment that turned into an event. Students reached out to companies that they admired. Sydney shared about her work on a beach clean up in San Diego. She talked about the process of creating an event and how it moved quickly and easily. The organization sent $2000 worth of bracelets. Instead of selling the bracelets, Sydney gave the bracelet as a token of appreciation to the volunteers who helped with the clean up process. The team cleaned up about 40 pounds of trash at the beach.

Reeya shared her process for developing a NPFH application. She pitched the idea to every teacher so they could understand their perspective. The learners also had the opportunity to visit Disney for a leadership experience. In that experience, they learned about the 4Cs and how to apply them into their mission.

What is an impact project? Anything that can impact the community in a positive way. Examples include a clothing drive, canned food drive, etc. Basically it is your perspective on a problem and how you want to fix it. The projects are passion-driven. Sydney shared she is passionate about the environment and how it connects to her Oceans Impact project. Students need to think globally and act locally. It starts small.

What is the role of the LED – Learning Experience Designer – in the impact projects? A teacher is someone who is guiding students. He/she has to have the courage to let the students take the reins sometimes. “The LED is there to show me where to look, but not what to see. They don’t tell me what, when and how to do it. Instead they offer support and guide me.”

At the heart of their guiding principles at Design39Campus is design thinking. Design39Campus has 8 guiding principles. Creative confidence, growth mindset, collaboration, opportunity to connect globally and act locally, etc. Teachers may not integrate all 8 principles, but they are intentional about technology integration, planning for creation, etc. The principles are a structure to remember that learning is complex, and it allows teachers to be designers throughout the process.

The learners reflected on seeing the principles in action. Reeya reflected she really needed growth mindset when working on her robotics project. Having a growth mindset means you are willing to grow from mistakes. Sydney used a lot of guiding principles during her projects. She couldn’t get enough of working with her peers and teachers – collaboration. She also developed creative confidence to get up and talk about her project as a guest on another podcast. Guiding principles permeate the culture. Learners reflect on the principles as they complete projects and learning experiences.

The school created a schematic about the knowledge, skills, and dispositions, a dramatic piece of the evolution of Design39Campus. Without this, they may not be as successful in the learner-centered environment. Learners need the skills to avoid frustration when communicating their message. Without the dispositions, they could end up with apathy.

How is leadership different in a the learner-centered environment? Joe filled up 3-4 notebooks at the start of his principalship. He did a lot of listening The first year was not easy. One hundred and fifty kids left the school. Twelve teachers left, and Joe needed to hire more. The school wasn’t meeting the expectations, and he needed to learn more by listening. The context was what mattered. He had to give people grace to be good with what they were currently doing. He asked them, what is your 10% to move forward?

Leaders need to be vulnerable and bring teams together to have input. There is now a distributive leadership model, and making decisions was super complex. The team had to come to an agreement on decision-making and collaboration. This environment needs everyone to be invested. It’s a little messy but it is the best work you can do because you are doing it with others.

How do you enroll people in this movement? Joe reflects the best way to  enroll others is with tours and tours – both outside and inside the school. They called it Project Beep Beep! The team hopped on buses and toured other schools, resulting in ideation coming out of that space. Touring internally is also important, and the school hosts over 150 tours each year. They are now re-investing in parents. He asks them to notice. Before, we would have tour guides, but now we just ask parents to “tour in”. Ask any learner what they are working on and understand where they are in the journey.

Finally, think about your priorities. What is driving the system? Design39Campus is a learner-centered lab school. They want their learners to be life-ready thought leaders who are curious and inquisitive. It is not about GPA or how many AP courses. Instead, what is your impact?

There are 150 tours per year at Design39Campus to learn about what is going on at Design39Campus. With so many micro-successes and major successes, they need to develop a culture of sharing. They are touring each others building, taking Instructional walkthroughs, and connecting to learn from each other in the various campuses.

\What advice would you give to others who are making the shift to a learner-centered environment. First, you need adaptability. In Disney, the students learned Walt Disney was shut down so many times. Not everything will be perfect. You have to be willing to work through it as a leader and a learner. When working on impact projects, students experience productive struggle. Perseverance is always important to answer his/her question. Information has to be clear and not false. Sydney persevered through getting over her presentation challenges. She shared how she has grown out of her shell. Joe shares the learning environment is amplifying opportunities and providing grace to make mistakes is critical. As the principal, Joe realizes ultimately, you have to launch. If you wait, you are delaying the time you are going to make mistakes. Instead, shorten the time period, launch, iterate, and make it the next best version.

Connections to our Practice

• Our high school is also a NPFH, and some of our learners have had the chance to participate.
• Staff know their superpowers and how they can best support work. Our teachers and leaders have had a chance to uncover their superpowers.  Should we revisit and celebrate?
• Do all of our learners have opportunities to impact locally and think globally?

Questions Based on Our Practice

• Do our teachers show students where to go or what to see?
• How does the role of teacher need to evolve?
• Do our teachers, leaders, and learners have time to collaborate?
• Do we link everything back to our Profile of a Graduate and Learning Beliefs?
• Are we “rerouting our firmware”?

Next Steps for Us

• We need to make some site visits and figure out how to take staff on a Project Beep Beep!
• How can we tour each other’s buildings?

In Episode 44 we spoke with Dr. Cory Steiner, superintendent in the Northern Cass School District in North Dakota. We learned about the audacious goals and vision, driven by their Profile of a Graduate, that are focused on creating a learner-centered school district. Northern Cass School District is a public school district located in Hunter, ND. It has 635 learners in grades PK-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1.

Takeaways

Northern Cass has adopted audacious goals – including moving to a competency-based model by 2020. They offer big school opportunties in their small school system of 635 learners. They took  6-8 months to work with educators and learners on a 3-year transition which will eliminate grade levels, offer credit for learning beyond the day,  rethinking grading, and making sure kids move at a pace which works best for them.

Significant planning is in process to make this happen. They started several years ago with the Teacher Leadership Academy. Professional learning is a key compenent in this work. The District partnered with a local university to provide a masters degree aligned to the District’s vision. Administrators partnered with professors to teach courses related to District content. The school considered a school within a school model, but decided they wanted to do more for all learners.

Community engagement has been critical – using a personalized learning team (including learners) and a parent group. Engaging parents and community members in conversations around potential concerns (transcripts, credits, etc.) has helped build the vision and understanding while addressing various pieces.

Northern Cass recently developed a Portrait of a Graduate to guide this work- identifying eight areas (collaboration, communication, critical thinking, leadership, growth mindset, organization, accountability, and self-reflection.)  Every conversation focuses on how the work will support students being choice-ready to leave their school with the discreet skills and dispositions. Next year, the school will use the first 10 days at elementary and 6 days at the secondary level to directly teach the skills through activities designed to help students better understand the skills and ideas in the Portrait of a Graduate.  The POG is the guided pathway to getting to personalized learning.

Along the way, there have been high points and challenges. Cory shared about his Jaguar Academy – a school within a school – and how it really focused on pace.  Students quickly completed required courses and then moved to passion courses and internships. He reflected his kids are ready to own their own learning, and sometimes the adults need to get out of the way.  

The majority of the staff has embraced the idea of learner-centered, and believes they are doing the right things for their learners. Learner-centered is what is right, even though it is a heavy, heavy lift. Some educators have struggled with this change because the school district has to build its own system.  At times, there is stress because you have to build the system as you go and you don’t know what it will look like until you start doing it.  Also, there is always more work to do… revamp the curriculum, build in a learning management system, etc.  

Cory reflected on site visits to gain new ideas. While visiting and viewing these other learning environments, the educators could see what is possible. He knows Northern Cass’ learners are as capable as all other learners. He realized that the district has not given ownership to the learners. He realizes they have to do a better job of teaching the skills to the learners. While they have learned significantly from other districts such as Lindsay Unified and Harrisburg, Northern Cass has had to design its own original system.  Everyone’s context is different.  

Agency is at the core of this work. What does it look like in Northern Cass? How have the adults embraced the agency? Cory shared the teachers need to give up their control and know that it is going “to be ok.”  Controls such as tests, retests, etc. can be given up, and it will still be ok. Teachers are starting to let go some of those controls.

How have you as a superintendent reshaped the control? Cory has full trust that the people in the district will do what is right for their learners. He knows his staff truly care about the learners. The educators want their learners to have their best day every day. He trusts that teachers will work at a pace that works best for them. When teachers are not doing what it is needed, they may need more resources or time. Additionally, he has had to rethink his role in professional learning, reflecting on the best way to involve his own voice. Using teacher leaders for direct instruction on programs/initiatives and allowing time for professional conversation is often more important than leading the professional development.

Leaders need to be empathetic. We need to honor the work that our teachers do, and celebrate our successes. Leaders also need to focus on their why. What is your why and how does it drive your work every day and in every conversation? The why needs to become more than the a mission or vision.

Leaders need to find a medium area to let their runners run, and ensure every one makes an effort.

Leaders also need to be willing to fail. If you are going to try to do this work, you have to be willing to take the risks to do what is right for kids.  Don’t make excuses for doing what is right for kids.  People who are struggling in this system are people who don’t live in this system.

What advice would you give?  Stop waiting for things to be perfect before you start. Be willing to take small steps instead of waiting. Leaders also need to find a way to give up the excuse of not being able to afford it. Provide opportunities for teachers to see other people doing the work. When teachers believe it, they will do it. Let your runners go, and figure out what you need to do to support everybody else. The change permeates the whole system – teachers, leaders, clerical support, and parents.

To flip the system, we need to create agency throughout the entire system. Sometimes we may feel personal frustration, and we have to slow down and be empathetic. Trust and empathy are critical throughout the change process.  When we feel stress, it is important to have the conversation, be vulnerable and empathetic, and seek solutions.

Connections to our Practice

• We have worked to build our Profile of a Graduate and learning beliefs.
• We have provided two years to build a shared understanding – with runners and teachers who need more time.
• We have developed a school-within-a-school model in our middle school.

Questions Based on Our Practice

• Does everyone understand our why statement?
• How do we surface parent concerns?
• How do we create action groups which include diverse stakeholders including learners?
• Do our adults have agency?
• Are our adults able and willing to give up control?
• How can we better understand how others feel?

Next Steps for Us

• Talk with leadership team about venues for feedback. How can we truly partner with parents?
• How can we organize some more site visits?

In Episode 43, we learned about an innovative learning environment – North Star Teens in Hadley, MA. with Kenneth Danford and a 15 year old learner – Nolan Saito.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders place the agency in the hands of the learner and transform their learning environments.

Takeaways

Norh Star is not a school – instead it is a learning environment. Most teens do choose to go onto college after attending North Star.

Adults offer classes and students decide whether or not to attend. There is significant 1:1 time, and opportunities are provided for teens to control how they spend their time, while some classes may look like a typical school in which an adult is teaching in the front of the room. In addition to participating in North Star, many of the teens are homeschooled.  

Nolan reflected that a major difference between North Star and school is that students set their own pace. He can study what really interests him at the pace he needs to go in order to absorb what he needs to absorb. Nolan participates in tutorials to cover math, learn Spanish and cover science. He does school work online with Khan Academy and reads books to learn.  

For many of the North Star teens, their learning is fluid, and there is not a clear line between what counts for North Star and what counts for homeschool. Students under 16 are homeschooled.  The structure allows for pursuit of motivation and passion and complying with state requirements.

North Star has about 60 learners and serves local teens in western Massachusetts. There are other sites – Princeton, upstate NewYork, Leesberg VA, etc. – serving local teens through the Liberated Learners Network.

How does North Star represent a learner-centered environment? North Star was born out of shifting tables from requiring students to complete specific learning experiences to inviting students to participate in learning activities. Ken and his colleague wanted to get rid of the assignments which were created by the teachers and required of learners. Instead, they wanted to put the control in the hands of the learner.

North Star supports learners with all of their passions. For example, Nolan is a dancer who practices 3 hours a day. He has always gotten up early to practice violin before school. Attending a traditional school makes it difficult to pursue these passions.

Community and people who volunteer to teach at North Star are diverse. Nolan participates in a class on Tuesdays called Essential Shelter. It focuses on architectural history. He participates in a Monday class – Guitar, Spanish, making boats. Other classes include math, making bread, making lunch, and how to listen to classical music. North Star also has a band, a theater group, and even debate class. Nolan reflects that students can think about a class, and it will appear. Students participate in the classes only if they are interested. 

What are some leadership competencies which are needed to lead in this type of a learning environment? Ken first identifies the leader needs to treat the small program like a business. Funding, keeping the doors open, is a challenge.  This is true for other small non-profits. Leaders need to have a team ready to tackle the challenges of starting this small business. Don’t underestimate the seriousness and need of a team to start a small business.

Ken shares you have to be willing to take “no” for answer. You might create a class and students have no interest in participating. You have to be able to accept the “no, thank you!” If that is going to frustrate you, then this isn’t for you.

When Ken can suspend his judgement and agenda, the good stuff – respecting kids, watching them blossom and challenge themselves, make friends, etc happens! Ken’s job is to make sure North Star is a safe place for the learners. He is not in charge of making sure Nolan learns fractions or the periodic table.

No one gets turned away for financial reasons. Many families get a fee reduction if needed.  Ken then works with the team to raise that money through special events and fundraisers.

The biggest piece of advice Nolan offers to other learners or educators is to not be afraid of what you don’t know. Nolan has a cousin who was considering homeschooling, but he had reasons why this wouldn’t work for him. For example, he thought he wouldn’t be able to go to college. Nolan argues homeschooled learners can go to college. Fear of the unknown can hold people back from leaving school and broadening their mindset in a different learning environment. Short answer – Don’t be afraid!

Ken shared you need to trust yourself, and everything counts. Ken doesn’t propose everyone leave traditional school. Instead, he hopes that everyone knows they could leave traditional school, and North Star would be there to support them. He offers he attended traditional school, his kids attended traditional school, and many North Star siblings attend traditional school. If school is working, great. If it isn’t working for you, there is another way.

What is next for Nolan? He anticipates taking the GED test, and eventually attending college, although he is not sure when he will go to college. He has goals and knows he wants to stay connected to the arts in the future.

Learner-centered leaders release agency, transform their schools, and create new options!

Connections to our Practice

• We have an online academy – which does allow students flexibility in terms of time for completing course work. Students could participate in athletics in the morning, and complete their online work in the afternoon. In this case, we are still controlling the content.

Questions Based on Our Practice

• How do we listen to our learners and create opportunities based on their interests?
• How often do we take no for an answer?
• How can students earn credit for outside learning?

Next Steps for Us

• Engage in conversation with the learners to talk about their learning experiences.

In this episode, we learned about Nautilus School with leader Milissa McClaire Gary and a young learner Andrew (AJ) from the Nautilus school located in Chicago.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders are open and responsive to feedback.

Takeaways

When asked what teaching and learning looks like in Nautilus School, Milissa shared there was significant collaboration to get their learning space ready for the learners. The curriculum, activities, and experiences are designed to meet what learners need academically and socially.

AJ described his day which begins with morning meeting and Daily 5. He participates in yoga twice a week, STEM challenges, geometry, enjoys recess and lunch in the dining room. and ends the day with wrap-up. AJ shared he has been learning about electric cars and will share what he has learned through an Animoto video at the school’s portfolio night.

Milissa was working with teacher teams in Chicago Public Schools, and worked to bring Nautilus to life. Through the work, observing classrooms and reviewing neuroscience research (including executive functions and mindfulness), Melissa determined the need to create a new school since current systems are not set up to support the most effective kind of learning and success. After planning with other community members, the school opened its doors in September 2018.

What is portfolio night?  Students developed two individual goals and learner-centered projects in the first couple of weeks of the trimester. The learners access their  neighborhood library and online classroom resources for their research. Portfolio Night is similar to parent conferences or report card pickup.

There are no letter grades at Nautilus, but there is a language that has been developed to indicate how the students are progressing towards their goals. Students then review their self-selected work in their portfolio. They present their videos also.

By the end of the year, the school hopes the students will be running their own conferences. To do this, Nautilus staff are working with learners on speaking and articulating their learning for parents.

The school is working to release agency in its learners. Students set goals for learning during morning meeting every day. Students use set processes to review their progress. Even on the parts of the day which are more free choice or play-based, learners determine what options work well in their space.  Learners complete self-checks and monitor how they are doing. Learners also use a free choice calendar, which was designed by the learners.

Nautilus is digging into open-walled experiences and shifting to a more learner-centered environment. They are currently thinking about assessment and how it will evolve. They are determining how they and the learners can articulate what they are learning.

Helping parents see school differently is important as Nautilus seeks to increase the number of students attending the school. Community members and parents are generating a buzz on social media. Word of mouth is spreading.

You cannot do this work by yourself; it has to be a collaborative effort. As a leader, Milissa does not hold all the responsibility of developing the school and generating all of the ideas. She uses her coaching background to engage the whole team in reflection while she learns alongside others. Leaders need to constantly have the eyes open for what lessons they are learning on a daily basis.

AJ reflects that Nautilus is a friendly time and place for kids to learn. He appreciates they have a class pet, a lemonade stand, yoga, and working with the teacher on Daily 5.  Some of the work is also different from his previous school. He notices there are fewer worksheets and more choice in his learning. AJ reflects on his learner-centered goal. He wants to learn more about electric cars, and has created an Animoto. AJ brainstormed about next goals, and pondered about learning more about his friends.

What advice do you have for learner-centered leaders? It is really important to partner with parents and  know kids deeply.

Connections to our Practice

• We have done several surveys to seek input from learners, teachers, leaders, and parents.
• We have elementary learners creating student-led conferences as an outcome of our Leader in Me process.
• We struggle with deep parent engagement.

Questions Based on Our Practice

• Do we know our learners deeply?
• Are we open and responsive to feedback?
• What is our attitude towards feedback? Do we seek it out, or do we only accept it when we receive it?

Next Steps for Us

• Talk with leadership team about venues for feedback. How can we truly partner with parents?

In Episode 41, we spoke with Travis Lape, Innovative Programs Director in Harrisburg School District (SD), Shana Wagers, Instructional Coach at Freedom Elementary School, and Landri, a young learner in the Freedom Elementary program.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders help all learners understand that everyone’s journey will be different.

Takeaways

A typical day in this public school starts with a morning meeting and includes reading, math, and content areas. Learners are grouped according to needs and not age. Groupings are labeled as Littles, Middles, Molders, Olders rather than second or fourth graders.

Learners may attend studios with students across multiple groupings. Learners flex based on where they are at in the learning continuum and what they need. Their learning journey starts where they are instead of with same-age level peers. This has allowed the flexibilty to move learners where they need to be during their school day.

This work started in the high school over 10 years ago. The educators looked at different schedules – blocks, modified, etc. But, they were looking for more of a college schedule with varying blocks of time to meet different learning needs. They developed a customized look for their learners.  For example, some learners might not need a whole year of Algebra 1. Through the early years, they determined they needed to rethink some ideas to make sure they were meeting all of the needs for all of their learners.

The high school now offers two paths – traditional and customized. In the customized path, learning is flexible. Learners control the pace – moving as quickly as works for them. Additionally, they can take more time.  Check points allow for the school to monitor progress.

Travis is thoughtful in sharing their learners express voice and choice. Learners use their creation devices – iPads – to determine how to communicate their learning. In the traditional path, learners may have more paper/pencil tests and move at the pace of the class. Teachers differentiate for learners.

In the elementary school, learners have set blocks of time. In the middle school, learners have greater opportunity to schedule their own courses. In a four block time, facilitators advertise their offerings. Middle school learners then schedule their day based on what they need. For example, students will advocate for themselves. If they have a conflict between a science lab and extra help for math, they work with the facilitators to solve the issues. The middle school use Personalized Learning Tools to facilitate this process. It takes six minutes for the process to occur.

The organization is making bold changes – such as implementing the tools to offer students opportunity to schedule their own day. The school also focuses on Habits of Mind and growth mindset. Learners recognize everyone’s journey will be different, and everyone is there to support each other. Learners work in mixed groups to learn the Habits of Mind.  Sometimes the best learning happens when one learner can explain it to another learner.

Landri shared how her voice contributes to learning. She reflects she and her classmate are working on different math tasks. While she is creating a Write About project after her Mastery Check, her classmate completes another task.  Learners choose how they want to show their understanding.  Learners are taught multiple productivity apps on their iPads.

What kind of leadership competencies do leaders need to have to do this work?  Leaders need to think differently about how they support staff and teachers. It is tough to tear down a system that has been built by others. This has not been a top-down initiative. A team observed other schools, identified strengths, and possible opportunities for change in their own system. Leaders and teachers are on the ground everyday. They have had to empower teachers to make decisions, even if those decisions don’t work. The leadership has to be flexible and feel the heartbeat of the facilitators to better support them.

As a result of that support, the teachers are encouraged to share their voices. Constant communication between leaders, facilitators, and learners is essential. Together, they figure out what can be put in place to improve. The leadership recognizes it is all a process to make sure it is done well.  Everyone in the organization has agency, and that is a big shift in terms of leadership. It can be uncomfortable for leadership as well as new staff members.

This learning environment puts differentiation on steroids. Facilitators learn quickly that in any one room, there could be learners across many standards. Faciltators need to better understand the standards across grade levels.

If teachers are not accepting the agency or invitation, how do you support and enroll them in the conversation? Engage in conversations, develop team norms and standard operating procedures. Facilitators may also need to support in content, math and reading, etc. The facilitators might have pacing and grouping questions or concerns. The leader needs to function as a go-to resource!

Is this shift systemic?  Starting to move forward. For example, Kindergarten has WIN – What I Need groups – 15 minutes, four times per day. Learners are grouped based on need in letter groups and math groups.

What advice would you give to other leaders? We did not get here alone. We encourage others to look at a lot of different models, and ask questions. Travis tells schools not to replicate Harrisburg’s program. Instead, schools need to look at their context critically.  Leaders also need to raise expectations because learners will meet them.  Travis also tells leaders to, “See it to believe it!”  Secondly, he tells leaders to engage in conversations with their your core team. Discuss what the team wants for learners when they leave. Systems are different. communities are different. And needs are different.

Leaders also need to know it is ok to make mistakes and fail. Struggles made this team better, even through the range of emotions – frustration and struggles. Reflect to make it better and the positive changes will keep growing.

Landri encourages learners to think flexibly if something doesn’t go your way. She also tells others to trust their facilitators because they know what they are doing.

The art of teaching and leading is being able to be fluid. This transformation is a long-term process which requires analysis of contextual factors. Learner-centered leadership shifts the agency and voice from the leader to those they are working within the organization. This process isn’t a straight line from point A to point B. Instead it is a messy curvy line with detours and failures along the way. Learners will understand every journey will be different. The norm is not that everyone gets the same and travels together. The norm is that everyone’s journey is different. As leaders, we need to be intentional about supporting our teachers, be on the ground with them, celebrate the positive/less productive risk-taking.

Connections to our Practice

• Our elementary students learn success skills through the Leader in Me program.
• We have a traditional path in our high school, even though students have options.
• We have been working to support our teachers in our Project Wonder program at the middle school.

Questions Based on Our Practice

• Would two paths work in our system?
• How would our learners feel about creating their own schedules?
• How are we teaching Habits of Mind or growth mindset in our secondary schools?
• Do our learners trust their teachers – that there learning experience is better because of them?
• How could we scale Project Wonder?

Next Steps for Us

• Take a look at the software scheduling tool. How could a tool like that support our work?
• Consider running two paths simultaneously in middle school.

In Episode 40, we learned about Design Tech High School in San Mateo, CA. Joining us today is Rachel Siegman, Internship Coordinator and Educator at Design Tech; Wendy Little, Director of Intersession & Community Learning; and two learners – Vani Suresh and Hezekiah Smithstein.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders unlock time to create experiences where students can dive deep into core academic classes or their personal interests and explore other potential passions/interests. They also unlock time for teachers so they can be as effective as possible in this personalized, learner-centered model.

Takeaways

• Learners reflect on their experiences at dTech. They indicate they have freedom to pursue their own paths. For example, one learner is using the design thinking process they are learning at dTech and taking that process to elementary schools. Hezekiah shared he appreciates the flexible Thursday Lab Day to pursue his interests. In a given week, he might prepare for Model UN and host a fundraiser for his animal rights club,
• dTech employs a Thursday Lab Day where students have agency over their work. They plan their day every Thursday, and collaborate.
• Learners reflected learning at dTech is different from learning in traditional schools. Instead of taking the classes in isolation of clubs and extracurriculars, the clubs and assignments are integrated into real world applications. For example, in environmental science, Hezekiah is working on a project to determine whether or not the school should install solar panels.
• Vani reflects along with focusing on traditional education (core classes/content), dTech gives students the ability to see what life might be like after school or even college.  dTech encourages values that some traditional high schools might not see as important – creative confidence, self-direction, independence, and storytelling.
• dTech employs an intersession programs. What is intersession?  During these two-week programs, students try different “electives.”  These short programs are opportunities to explore different content areas. This program is available four times per year – allowing students to go deep in four different topic areas. Some topics might include: art, coding, sports, bug science, etc. In the morning, students complete the lab time, and in the afternoon they connect with industry partners. The industry partners share learning experiences which are project-based. The purpose of these experiences is to expose learners to different potential career opportunities/industries.
• Community partners also work with students on the Thursday lab days. Students meet with their advisors first thing on a Thursday to plan their day. Maybe they redo a lab, work on a group or club activity/project, or continue an intersession activity.  Teachers have office hours so you can get additional help.
• What do the physical spaces look like in DTech? The entire space is designed for learners. The front entrance opens to a giant space for assemblies, club meetings, lunch, ping pong table and is referred to as the Hanger. Each classroom is part of a four classroom block, connecting via sliding white board walls. The connected design allows for ease of interdisciplinary learning and joint projects.  Each four classroom block has two breakout spaces with interactive whiteboards which students can use for group projects or independent work. (It is important to know the designers worked with the students and teachers to envision this space together.)
• The furniture is also flexible – easily moved and transformed into different formations.
• Tne mission of the school is to make the world a better place.  Students are making the school a better place – including developing murals and flower boxes.
• Students are required to earn a specific number of credits to qualify for graduation. Some courses are completion-based, and others are letter-graded. Students complete pass/fail courses for personal development credit. If a student completes a dance class during an intersession, it can count towards a visual/performing arts credit.
• Internship program is an extension from intersession. These experiences are designed to be mutually-beneficial for the learner and the industry partner. The external experiences focus on bringing design thinking to the partner. Learners work collaboratively with partners to potentially solve an authentic problem.  Internships range from forty differnt lines of businesses (including health care, libraries/non-profits, etc.). Some are group internships where 4-5 students participate in a design challenge, and other opportunities are individual. Some internships exist for 2 weeks and others are once per week for a longer period of time. There are six pillars to the student-designed internship programs (adaptability, professionalism, networking, significance, and relevance.)
• Hezekiah reflected on an internship he completed with the San Mateo COunty Office of Education. During the internship, he put together research for the environmental literacy fellows which was later used by the Department in meetings with city officials. They also assisted in the organization of a city-wide youth summit which discussed sustainability.
• Design thinking is a critical component. How can we get started? Check out the Design School design thinking process. Learn more about the students’ experience. Consider shadowing a student to better empathize with your learners and/or community. Once you know the process of design thinking, it can become a vehicle to shift a mindset. You need to be more open to trying something new because, “everything has an expiration date.”
• When asked what competencies leaders in more learner-centered learning environments need, these leaders shared the need to prioritize unlocking time for what counts.  Teachers have a half-day once per week for professional learning, providing feedback to learners, or personalizing a new strand they are preparing. Leaders also need to defer judgment with staff, faculty, and learners. Educators have the freedom to fully design the curriculum, choose books, and labs.  Staff and adminstration tries to empathize and be open to new ideas. As a leader, you need to offer various opportunities for roles and new experiences. Faculty members wear many hats and allow for a breadth of experience.
• Final thoughts… advice for leaders and learners. You need to be open to change because you never know where the greatest experience of your life is going to come from. The leaders shared – our high school students are really an underutilized resource. We need to create opportunities for youth to do real work and impact the school and our community.  Everyone needs to find their passions by trying new things because discovery doesn’t come from hesitancy. Practice is a way to embody and implement new skills/learning.

Connections to Practice

• While we have started an internship process, we have done so on a limited pilot basis. How do we grow this program? How do we support our high school principal in this work? Are our students solving real-world problems, or are they making copies, etc.?
• We have struggled to create some business partnerships. What strategies can we use to develop stronger mutually-beneficial relationships.

Questions Based on Our Practice

• How do we ensure our students’ learning is connected to the “Why?”
• If someone asked our learners what we value, what would they say?
• How could we connect with community partners?
• How could we get started with design thinking?
• How do we better create learning experiences where our students are doing real work?

Next Steps for Us

• Talk to our middle school principal  and superintendent advisory council to determine possibility of running two week-long intersessions.  What could that look like?  What resources would we need? What would learners say?
• Investigate the D School Design Thinking K-12 network.
• Consider creative ways to unlock time for learners and teachers. What is possible in our schedule as we plan for 2019-2020?

In Episode 38, we spoke to Dr. Toni Hull, principal at Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy (MVLA), an innovative middle school in the Las Cruces Public Schools in New Mexico. MVLA has a unique project-based learning approach which allows students to produce real-world products and presentations that demonstrate their knowledge and proficiency in any given subject. Each project is based on a monthly theme which is developed by teachers and school leaders.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders create the space for trying new and different. This involves both learners and adults. Once that space is created, time needs to be set aside for conversation and reflection – what worked, what didn’t work.

Takeaways

• MVLA was started to fill a need. Middle school learners were in need of a learning environment that starts with the learner. Students are the drivers of their own learning. Upon developing MVLA, the district wanted to focus on project-based learning.
• An example of how MVLA starts with the learner is that students focus on developing competencies. Unlike our traditional system, students are not tracked by grade. For example, an 6th grader may be working on 8th grade math, or vice versa.
• Another example of a learner-centered approach is the valuing of students’ ideas. When students come to the adults with an idea, the answer is never, “No.” Instead, the response is, “Hmm, let me think about that. Let’s figure that out. How can we do that?” Students are then enlisted to help solve the problem they just surfaced. Learner-centered leaders create the space for trying new things and engage learners along the way.
• While MVLA is a public school and has to meet certain standards, the how is in the individual learning plans, not in a textbook or pacing guide.
• MVLA connects learners to their passions through My Time, a period of time every day where learners can set goals and dive in to an area of personal interest. Learners can pursue a different area each month.  Over the course of their educational career, learners will have pursued many passions, thus providing a rich, middle school exploratory experience.
• Assessment also looks different in this environment. Because MVLA is a project-based school, paper/pencil tests are uncommon. Most assessments are performance-based.
• MVLA embraces learner agency. When students have a question, teachers put the question right back to them for a solution. This can initially be a shock as students tend to come from schools where the adults do that work for the students. It can be a bit of culture shock!
• Learning experiences are also open-walled and socially-embedded at MVLA. Toni talked about the Amazing Shake where community partners are involved with students helping them build soft skills – “…how to handshake, do interviews, do toasts, motivational speeches, pitch your product, do a weather cast…” Learning these experiences in an authentic work environment develops relevance and meaning for the learners.
• MVLA values the school-home connection and partnership.  They recognize the learners’ parents are their first teachers.
• Learners at MVLA go through a goal-setting process. This helps individual learners personalize their own learning and identify what is important to them.
• The day at MVLA takes into consideration the social/emotional learning by offering brain breaks and meditation time at various times throughout the day.
• Toni shared that learner-centered leaders need to also give their teachers the space to try new things. Engaging in the conversation around what worked and what didn’t work is equally important. “You have to be able to let go, and let it be, let them do their thing.”
• Learner-centered leaders are strong advocates. Toni is principal in a public school and has to advocate to the district administration for things such as fewer tests. “I have to continually advocate, I have to continually educate.”
• Learner-centered leaders also have to “market” this work to various audiences – parents, teachers, district administration, etc.  Telling their story is a critical component of their success.

Connections to Practice

• Our middle school Project Wonder is an example of a learning environment that starts with the learner. How will we extend this to more learners?
• As we work with our Leading #YourSalisbury teaching and learning transformation all of our teachers are taking risks in redesigning two learning tasks to better reflect our learning beliefs. By developing this professional learning opportunity, we are creating space for the new!
• Leader in Me Leadership Days help capture the soft skills similar to the Amazing Shake. What other opportunities do we shape for this purpose?
• We have experienced success in saying “yes” to our learners, and many new clubs and activities have been formed as a result. How have we extended/do we extend those “yes” statements to what is happening in our core program?

Questions Based on Our Practice

• How often do we say YES to ideas put forth by our learners?
• How do we engage parents? Do we value them as the “the first teacher”?
• Are we all involved in “marketing” our work? How do we continue to tell the story of Project Wonder for our stakeholders, beyond information presented in curriculum meetings?

Next Steps for Us

• Continue the work with Leading #YourSalisbury to encourage risk-taking, support the new ideas, and provide relevant/meaningful feedback.
• Talk with leaders about our perceptions of creating the space for these new ideas. How often do we say, “no”?
• Identify additional forums for learners to share ideas.

In Episode 37, we revisit One Stone in Boise, Idaho to learn from Neva Geisler, Opportunity Wrangler, and two learners – Kylie Caper and Bennett Huhn. You may recall that we spoke to members of the One Stone community previously in Episode 29. One Stone is a unique learning organization. It’s student-led and directed and focused on making students better leaders. The program empowers high school students to learn and practice skills through experiential service, innovative initiatives, social entrepreneurship and the radical reinvention of learning.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders fearlessly embrace the work of transformation. The coaches and learners at One Stone collaboratively design learning environments and expectations that represent a break from the system. They embrace what many in the realm of education would consider innovations. And in a manner that is designed to disrupt the system driven by the mission of helping students become better leaders and the world a better place.

Takeaways

• One Stone is driven by a mission – a mission to make students better leaders and the world a better place.
• There is a significant emphasis on agency and student ownership. In a school-centered environment, students may be involved in service projects organized by adults. Students just need to “show up.” At One Stone, students demonstrate agency in participating in student-led and directed projects they are passionate about. In order to create the conditions that connect learning to student passions, the culture has to help learners find their passion. To do that, they start with the learner first!
• One Stone is led by a board – 2/3 students; 1/3 adults. Learners really do have a voice in the organization!
• Teachers are known as coaches and have a role different from the traditional teacher. Bennett shared, “If you’re in a bowling alley, and we’re the bowling ball, then the coaches are the bumpers on the side that are really kind of just guiding you towards your goal.”
• The focus at One Stone is on growing the learners as people. This is different than in the traditional school-centered paradigm that might be focused on, according to Kylie, “getting good grades and getting that perfect test score. But here at One Stone, I’ve realized that it’s the experiences that I’m learning here and the knowledge and insight that I’m gaining that will help me be more successful in the future.” Neva followed up with the framework at One Stone: Knowledge, Skills, Creatively, Mind Set.
• Learning experiences at One Stone are connected to learner passions. Bennett shared an example connecting physics to his passion for music. Neva spoke about the One Stone makerspace, the Foundry, which provides opportunities for learners interested in doing work with their hands.
• One structure in place at One Stone that fosters and recognizes student passion is Winter Exploration. This is a week-long deep dive into one thing students are passionate about.
• Neva shared her thoughts on leadership. Leaders must be vulnerable. “We talk a lot here about vulnerability, and vulnerability can be tough. But when you are vulnerable within your community, that really opens up avenues for creativity and this culture of failing forward. We are all encouraged to show up as our real, authentic selves. Whatever that may look like. You’re supported here in that, and we are here to help each other grow.” Empathy is also key to Neva. “I think from the coach perspective, you really need to believe in the power of students, and we do here at One Stone. We believe that learners are capable of extraordinary things when they find their voice and they’re empowered to use it.” Kylie and Bennett reiterated the emphasis on the power of student voice.
• One Stone has an advisory model where students are encouraged and supported to check in and set goals.
• The One Stone community are committed to being “fearless, embracing the work. It’s not easy to disrupt the system, but that is what we are here to do.”

Connections to Practice

• Our high school students are provided some open-walled, personalized opportunities through our internship program.
• We have advisory models in our high school and middle school. What are the successes and challenges of these learning experiences? How could these experiences be developed further so learners are setting goals and tracking progress?
• We offer many clubs and activities at all levels. This summer we added some workshops – Fly a Drone, Etc – for our learners. But, how do we do more.  Could we have a Winter Exploration session? What would that look like?

Questions Based on Our Practice

• How can we take our high school internship program to the next level by releasing the agency of our learners to find the projects and work they are most passionate about?
• How can we get more students involved in decision making?
• Do we talk to learners (and adults) about how to own their own learning – how to shift that mindset?
• In what ways do we start with the learners first? In what ways can we improve?
• Do we believe in the power of students (and the adults in the system) – that they are capable of extraordinary things when they find their voice and are empowered to use it?
• How do we create more opportunities to connect students with projects in the community?
• What are the barriers that constrain us from disrupting the system? What does our community want to disrupt?
• As leaders across the organization, are we fearlessly doing this work? Are we making ourselves vulnerable? How do we know?

Next Steps for Us

• Reflect upon the ways we act that start with the learner and the ways we start with the system.
• Consider the idea of a winter exploration session. What are the possibilities? Constraints? If not winter, could it be summer?

In Episode 36, we visited with the Founder/Executive Director and a learner from an innovative learning environment in Bethel, CT – Workspace, a maker and co-working space designed to help families implement education their way in a vibrant learning environment. Families choose and co-create what their children need in this private school environment. The learning environment is a place where parents can teach, bring in teachers and experts, or choose from a database of tutors and teachers, online classes, and curriculums, as well as a smorgasbord of classes that appeal to all kinds of learners.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders approach work with learners using an assets model. They believe all learners have passions, interests and curiosities. Effective learning environments build upon these.

Takeaways

• Catherine Fraise, the Founder and Executive Director of Workspace has brought to life an audacious vision for learning: Google-like-high-tech spaces and feel, parental and family engagement and involvement, high levels of learner agency, support resources to help parents co-design powerful learning opportunities with their children.
• The Workspace environment provides learners with the opportunity to explore their curiosities. “I feel as though Workspace has given me the option to try things and really tell me where my curiosity will lead me, so that my curiosity takes me through the world.”
• The Workspace learning environment is designed to provide learners with options. For example, Raphael, the learner on the podcast, spoke about the Socrates room. “I think that was really a powerful moment for me when I realized the space was giving me a toolbox and not a piece of paper that told me, ‘These are all the things that you’re going to do.’ It wasn’t a checklist. It was options.”
• Learner-centered leaders need to be great listeners and observers if they want to create the ideal environment for personalization.
• Learner-centered leaders understand that age and quality of ideas do not necessarily go hand-in-hand. They respect everyone for his/her ideas. Young and old are co-learners.
• Learners have opinions. They have power. They can be heard. Learner-centered leaders encourage that. Raphael shared, ” As long as that is encouraged, speak out whatever it is that you’re thinking, and dream as big as possible.”

Connections to Practice

• Workspace has a high level of family engagement. While our families are not engaged at a level we may want, conversations with parents and board members indicate a level of support for our learner-centered vision.

Questions Based on Our Practice

• Do we operate from an asset model? Under what circumstances do we drift?
• While Workspace is a private school with different constraints than traditional public schools? What elements of Workspace could transfer to public schools/our schools? What constraints of the public school system (policy, funding, etc.) are we not yet pushing on hard enough to realize an audacious vision for learning?
• As we move toward our vision of a competent learning, how will we ensure the vision is available to all learners regardless of how well they read, how much money their family has, the language they speak or what they believe in?
• It would appear that Workspace provides significant room for families to determine what learners need to know and be able to do. Where does the role of community fit into the vision for learning? What other “communities” shall we engage in our work as we strive to develop competent learners? What happens when the members of various communities do not accept the invite to be involved?
• How are we getting to know our learners – young and old – so we are able to design environment conducive to personalization?
• What areas could we be more “learner-centered”? For example, looking at our goals, how can families and learners intersect with the work, improving the outcome? What’s appropriate?

Next Steps for Us

• As part of our goals this year, draft an advocacy/policy white paper on learner-centered education in the context of a rapidly changing future to share with policymakers as appropriate.
• More intentionally include conversations about learning space design in task redesign activities this year.
• Design creative ways of engaging families in the learning process. How do we go beyond the custodial role of education in the current era?
• Uncover areas in our goals where we could be more learner-centered.

In Episode 34, we spoke with leaders from Norris Academy in Wisconsin. Norris is a a small public school near Mukwonago, WI serving the needs of learners from a variety of diverse backgrounds and changing the lives of its learners through the power of learning. Learners at Norris gain life, career and community experiences through an innovative approach that builds learner agency (ownership) and self-efficacy (worth) while addressing four dimensions: academic, employability and career planning, citizenship and personal wellness. Together these four dimensions lead to life, career and community success. In addition, the Academy leverages educational, behavioral health and community resources to provide an integrated service for disadvantaged learners and their families.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders approach challenges through a design-thinking process. At Norris, the work of transformation has gained momentum as the result of communication of the vision and involvement of stakeholders in a comprehensive five level process. Transparency guided by a compelling vision is one of the main components leading to Norris Academy’s success as a learner-centered environment.

Takeaways

Norris Academy is the outcome of a call for urgency to transform – moving from a compliance, ritualistic environment to one that is student-centered.

In the first year a design thinking process was used to look at the structures and policies, instructional framework and roles and responsibilities of those in the school. This resulted in the Norris Macrocosm, a framework with six core elements:

• Empowered learning – developing urgency stories, learner profiles, knowledge/skills/dispositions for success, competency continuums
• Four dimensions of competency-based learning – Learning occurs within four dimensions – academics, employability, citizenship, wellness
• Open-walled plans and pathways – learning specialists conference with learners to identify goals, problem-finding processes, pathways to graduation
• Learning network – redefined roles and responsibilities of people within the system – interdependent relationships; What are the communities that learners can engage with (I.e. STEM, business and human services, etc.)?; community transition plans
• Operating practices – What is the design process we use to develop? What is our communication framework so that all key stakeholders understand the vision? How do we develop each other as practitioners and leaders?
• Learner-centered infrastructure – What is in place behind the scenes – policy, procedures, LMS, technology?

Learners find something they want to participate in or learn about and present a project/pursuit pitch to the adult staff. The learner defines the learning they will experience and how they can engage their peers. The adults then take the learner’s idea and make certain their are opportunities for academics, employability, citizenship and wellness. The adults then bring the project/pursuit pitch back to the learners with some additional ideas. Once ready, the opportunity is open up to all learners in the academy for participation. An example shared includes a cardboard boat regatta design challenge and race. Projects such as this one are highly personalized and contextualized. The process and outcome are tied back to graduation competencies and include many opportunities for open-walled learning. Johnna and Paula shared other examples as well.

Learners participate in open-walled conversations and experiences with experts around careers. Speakers are also brought into the school.

Competencies are tracked using Epiphany Learning. Learners design their learning pathways in this software environment. Learners also keep track of their learning in a portfolio. Many times competencies are clustered together. The way they allow student choice and voice along the way, along with documentation of competencies, allows for building a transcript that translates to colleges.

The greatest barrier that Norris needed to overcome was mindset. Examples include the transcript and adult roles in the organization. Learning looks different. It doesn’t have to be a teacher in charge of a class for a period of time during the day. How can we as a connected team work to service learners in different, unique ways? Mindset shift is critical. Norris has overcome this barrier through a design process. They have developed a process of five levels of stakeholder input unique to Norris. When there are perceived barriers, the design process is engaged to develop a means to overcome that barrier. This approach demonstrates how Norris puts people first before the system. Learners take precedence over efficient systems. Johnna and Paula shared examples of challenges solved through the five level design process: transcripts and open-walled learning.

What they do with their young learners they do with their adult staff. This includes learning profiles, personal goals and pathways to growth. Learners have a profile. Staff have the same. As an organization, Norris does this as well.

Johnna suggests to those working on school transformation to stay the course and don’t compromise the vision. It’s challenging, but rewarding work. Keep all the stakeholders involved and over communicate. The design process needs to be distributive. Keep reflecting on promising, emerging practices. What do you need for those practices to become enduring? Communication. Reflection. Involving stakeholders.

Paula reminds us that there will always be challenges. Approach them through a design process.

Connections to Practice

• The Norris Macrocosm demonstrates the complexity of this work. Many of the elements are consistent with our Profile of a Graduate work and our learning beliefs. The model is just different.
• While we have articulated the knowledge, skills and dispositions our learners need to be successful upon graduation, we have yet to articulate clear competencies at various places along the continuum of time with us.
• We have often come back to this idea of shifting mindsets. This conversation with Norris has reinforced the idea that this work is primarily about shifting mindsets.
• We are working to build the same knowledge, skills and dispositions in our adults that we expect in our younger learners. We also aim to create the same kinds of professional learning environments for adults that we want for our younger learners.

Questions Based on Our Practice

• While it’s not clear what the urgency was that was fueling transformation, how do we create more urgency in our organization as we move from invitation to expectation?
• How might our learning models iterate across time depending on learners, beliefs about learning and reflecting on our practice?
• What are defined competencies for our Profile of a Graduate?
• How do these defined competencies become integrated into our teaching and learning?
• What impact does this work have on curriculum documents?
• What can we learn from their competency model and creating a transcript that is useful to colleges?
• How are we doing with shifting mindsets? How do we know? What can we do differently? What are our barriers?

Next Steps for Us

• During the upcoming leadership team retreat, reconnect with our WHY? and use it to build urgency to fuel the transformation.
• Reflect upon how our work has changed over the past several years. How does that help inform future work?
• Design competencies in the areas of our Profile of a Graduate for the various grade spans.
• Consider redesigning curriculum documents to more accurately reflect knowledge, skills and dispositions.