The following is meant to be a reflective prompt. There are TONS of questions, mainly to get you thinking. There is no one way to go about this work, so proceed with an open mind and please know that there is no judgement accompanying this post.
It's that time of year when we start reflecting on how fast the year has gone and looking forward to (perhaps yearning for is a better word) that elusive warmer weather. Later in February, teams of observers will once again head into schools and classrooms to speak with our students and ask them questions about their perceptions of the work we've undertaken in regard to personalized learning. With that in mind, I wanted to ask you to think about what you've done and what you can still do to further that focus on the Learner Profile and on Proficiency Based Progress.
Thinking about the Learner Profile
With the Learner Profile, our goal isn't just that students know what it is, but that they've considered how it helps them chart their course. If you asked your students what the Learner Profile was, would they be able to tell you? If not, how else have you prompted their reflection? If they are reflecting, what are they doing with that reflection? Have you created a classroom environment in which they feel comfortable advocating for their needs based on what they know about themselves?
Remember, it's not your job nor is it the expectation that you are aware of every slide in a student's learner profile. Instead, you should be thinking about what you're doing and saying that would prompt that reflection from them. We all do this in different ways. Ask you colleagues about some of the things they might be doing; make it a part of your professional dialogue. Do you have students journal? Do you use a bell ringer? Do you build it into class discussion?
Once you're comfortable with that, ask yourself what practices you've established that empower students to act on that reflection. Where are places they can exercise their voice or their choice in their learning? These don't have to always be giant changes--it could be something as small as selecting a seat or something as large as creating their own assessment option. Each class will be different, and again I'd challenge you to ask your peers what they're doing and reflect on ways you could increase some element of choice in your classroom.
Thinking about Proficiency Based Progress
While we want students to reflect on who they are as learners, what their goals are, and how they can use what they know about themselves to reach those goals, we also need to give them meaningful benchmarks in their progress along the way. If you recall, our focus on Proficiency Based Progress this year is really all about outlining expectations and providing feedback.
We've asked you to try to really use learning targets this year. It's one thing to post them, another to have students notice them, write them down, or state them, but how are those targets working for you (and better yet your students?) Students knowing what they are is a good start, but how are they able to tie what they're doing back to those learning targets? How are they able to judge their progress toward mastering them? Finally, what are they able to do with the feedback you've given them that lets them take the next step toward mastery (here's where that voice and choice comes back in).
If you're not sharing your learning targets with your students, then that's the place to start. Again, there are many ways to do this and to highlight them with your kids. Posting them is one way, putting them on your assignments, worksheets, and rubrics is another. Creating assessments with them explicitly stated is yet another. I know of students who have created their own study guides using all of the I can statement the teacher had shared.
But feedback is really where the rubber meets the road. How are you giving your students feedback that they can tie directly to one of your learning targets? Are you conferencing with students and referencing those learning targets? Are you using a learning target based rubric? Are you having students reflect and justify their work based on how they think it supports specific targets? What are your peers doing?
Some Closing Thoughts
Your colleagues are your best friends here. Consider your grade-level peers, your subject area teams, or that friend down the hall you always talk to. What's something you could ask them or share with them to spark some focus on either the Learner Profile or Proficiency Based Progress?
Don't forget about your instructional coaches, either! They are highly talented folks who want to help this district move forward in these two goals, and they are well-equipped to help you grapple with some of these questions. Stop in and talk to one about some of the things you're pondering, or request a coaching cycle and see how far you can push yourself with someone there to help you.
I am grateful for the staff we have and your commitment to the continual honing of your art. We're all going to be moving at different paces--and that's okay. The key is to be reflecting, thinking, and doing something with these concepts in your classrooms.
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