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Common themes emerged around the supports that school leaders have put in place as their district makes the shift toward student-centered learning. We hope their insights and advice provide some guidance for other school leaders who may be just getting started.
Shifting to a more student-centered learning model can and will present many challenges, but it’s also an opportunity to design learning differently.
In a truly student-centered learning environment, it really goes beyond just data. Teachers and administrators should look at the whole child, considering both their academic and non-academic needs.
Creating competencies and designing flexible learning opportunities that allow students to demonstrate mastery of these competencies on their own pathway and at their own pace is one piece of designing a learning environment that is student-centered.
We know that not all students learn in the same way. Why is it then that in the traditional model of education, we expect students to learn along the same pathway at the same time?
While the more traditional teacher-centered model of education does work for some students, it does not work for all.
What steps can you be taking now to better prepare your students, yourself, and your school district for the future? When you think about the learning environment that your students will need, does it encompass any of the principles of student-centered learning?
Student-centered learning is about more than just putting students at the center of education. It is about giving each student the opportunity for success. It is about designing learning to be flexible and adaptable for each learner, not just the average student. It is about understanding the whole child—what they need both academically and non-academically—and giving students the skills they need for success within and beyond the classroom.
It might as well be the motto of 2020: Things aren’t going quite the way that we had hoped. . . Alright. Now, what can we learn from it? How can we do better in the future?
As we transition into another school year faced with many uncertainties, maybe it doesn’t make sense to try and get back to “normal.” Maybe the need for learning continuity and remote learning actually provides us with an opportunity to look at teaching and learning differently. Maybe this is an opportunity to rethink what we know and believe education to be. Maybe this is an opportunity to make learning more student-centered.
Schools will look different this fall, there’s no doubt. However, the need to rapidly adopt virtual learning is no longer an emergency. We knew it was coming. So what can we do differently this time?
Competency-based learning. Asking kids to do things rather than know things. Designing learning for all. Just some of the ways in which at Fraser, learning drives innovation.
Student-centered by design. Meeting kids where they are. Competency-based learning. Project-based curriculum. Just some of the ways FlexTech is giving students permission to choose rather than deciding for them.
Flexible learning options. Standards-based grading. Blended learning, teaching, and coaching. Just some of the ways in which “Each Will Thrive” at Hamilton Community Schools.
Are there naturally occurring situations or circumstances in education that serve as catalysts, facilitating change and giving student-centered learning momentum?
Student-centered learning isn’t necessarily a new concept. In fact, in one area of education, we’ve already nailed it.
In a previous blog post, we defined student-centered learning in a theoretical sense. In this blog post, we get a glimpse into what a student-centered classroom looks and feels like in practice. Alpena Public Schools high school English teacher Kris Copping shares how she works in partnership with her students to create a student-centered learning environment.
As school leaders, we sometimes confuse the labels that we place on educational strategies and models. This happens frequently when we talk about “blended learning” and “student-centered learning,” two closely related terms with distinct meanings. In this article, the research team of Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute (MVLRI) discusses how student-centered learning relates to the ideas and promise of blended learning.
In education, we often talk about “student-centered learning,” but what does a student-centered learning environment actually look like? In this article, we define what student-centered learning really means and outline the common components of a truly student-centered learning model.
We’re sorry to inform you that we have reached capacity for several of our Semester 1 and Trimester 1 courses. You’ll notice when attempting to enroll students in our Student Learning Portal that some courses are unavailable. While we are no longer accepting new enrollments for these courses at this time, many courses continue to remain open for enrollment.
With many students across the state 100% remote, demand for our online courses is greater than ever before. Because every course we offer is taught by a Michigan-certified teacher, this high volume of enrollments has created capacity issues for our teachers who provide each and every student with individual feedback.
While the Michigan Virtual team anticipated and planned for significant increases in student enrollments this Fall, the increased demand we’ve experienced has been unprecedented. As a result, we are taking steps to hire even more part-and full-time teachers to support larger numbers of student enrollments for Semester 2 as well as for Trimester 2 and 3.
For schools that still need online learning options this year, please fill out the form at the bottom of our virtual pathways page to meet with someone to discuss other solutions. While some of our teacher-led courses are full, we may still have the capacity to help you in upcoming terms or can discuss timing to implement a whole-school or collaborative program in which local teachers from your school/district use our online course content to teach students. We also have free course content and resources available for you to use.
We know this is an incredibly stressful time for all, and we’re sorry if the courses you’re looking for are unavailable. We never want to turn away a student who wants to learn from us. Our top concern, however, is student success, and we have a policy to not take on additional enrollments if we cannot guarantee that all students will have a quality online learning experience.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate the unusually high volume of enrollments we are receiving.
