DISTINCTIVE GUEST POST: |
 Sarah Gaw | Guest post by: Sarah Gaw The Distinctive Schools network continues to make fantastic gains in our implementation of Personalized Learning (PL). Part of our PL journey has been to learn how to look at our daily work through a PL lens. As the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Coach for the Distinctive Schools network, I advocate that using the PL lens helps us to see the SEL opportunities all around us! |
At Distinctive Schools, we empower students to learn about themselves so that they can take more ownership over the learning path they choose. Our students learn to navigate the flexible learning environments in their school to pick the best space for them to work, using self-awareness and responsible decision-making to make the right choice for them. Our students identify (and share and celebrate) their motivations and goals within their learner profile and use the SEL skill of self-management to check-in on their progress and alter their plan in collaboration with their teacher. Self-directed learning is an SEL skill! The learner profiles we utilize tie our students’ academic experiences to the SEL skills that they need to be successful in school, in life and in the future.
Although not explicitly outlined in a student’s personal learning path, our teachers notice each student’s social and emotional development and explicitly cultivate foundational skills and provide coaching and mentorship to facilitate the student’s SEL progress. Finally, using our SEL Roadmap and PRIDE model, we ensure that our students follow the path created by CASEL’s SEL Competencies. In that way, we are creating our own DS competency based SEL progression that is personalized for each student!
Our aim is to make learning meaningful, with an ultimate goal of growing a community where students see themselves impacting positive change in their classroom, their school, neighborhood and beyond.
Our teaching of SEL skills is not separate from academic learning, but rather is a critical part of every interaction we have with every student. Our teachers understand that SEL skills are embedded in each moment we have with our students. Our aim is to make learning meaningful, with an ultimate goal of growing a community where students see themselves impacting positive change in their classroom, their school, neighborhood and beyond. We hope to cultivate well regulated citizens who are motivated to make a difference in the world.
As we look forward to the 2017-2018 school year, one strategic focus will be continuing our fantastic SEL work across the network and deepening our connections to one another as a learning community. Although we are still in the planning stages, Danielle, Mike and I wanted to share a little preview we are hoping to bring to campuses in the fall.
We will work to grow PRIDE at each campus, to further refine its practices, make systems more consistent, and continue with the great structures campuses have already built.
We hope to expand the mentorship at each campus, creating authentic opportunities for older students to teach younger students SEL skills that will serve them in and out of school.
As part of our community work, it is our intention to build restorative practices, skill building, and consequences that extend beyond the Dean’s Office, to create a larger community of team-work and support through restorative justice.
We will work to grow PRIDE at each campus, to further refine its practices, make systems more consistent, and continue with the great structures campuses have already built.
We hope to expand the mentorship at each campus, creating authentic opportunities for older students to teach younger students SEL skills that will serve them in and out of school.
As part of our community work, it is our intention to build restorative practices, skill building, and consequences that extend beyond the Dean’s Office, to create a larger community of team-work and support through restorative justice.
We aim to help our primary grades build a strong foundation of self-regulation and coping skills, necessary for each learner to access the academic content being taught in their classroom. We hope to continue to grow our incredible Middle School program, deepening our understanding of the MyWays Model, so that we can incorporate intentional teaching/assessing of the MyWays competencies: Content Knowledge, Creative Know How, Habits of Success, and Wayfinding Abilities. As each campus refines their use of the learner profile, it is our aim for students to build in self-management tools that they can access when they are struggling with an emotion.
2016-2017 has been an incredible academic year for our SEL work! We built common language and collaborative practices across campuses with a shared PRIDE structure and a new vision for the importance of student strategies, classroom practices, and school-wide systems and events. Conversations with students have become more solution-focused. We see staff members challenging our students to use skills they already have to solve new problems and encouraging the growth of new SEL skills that will serve them long after their academic career at our campus ends. I wanted to share a few highlights of this year:
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Bulldogs Belong initiative at CICS West Belden
The work that we’ve done so far could only happen through the hard work of each member of the Distinctive Schools network. High-fives to everyone! We’re excited for what’s to come next school year, and to see all that our students can accomplish.
-Sarah Gaw
Social Emotional Coach
Social Emotional Coach
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DISTINCTIVE GUEST POST:
Brian Austin Cupp's Vision for Personalized Learning
 Brian Austin Cupp | Ahh, the elusive concept of personalized learning. I initially came into contact with the concept about five years ago. At that point, my understanding of 'personalized learning' was to ask a student what they liked (basketball), what they wanted to be when they grew up (Michael Jordan), and how they felt they were able to best learn (playing games). So naturally, I concluded I should create a learning environment that involved taping English notes to basketballs, while Michael Jordan assisted by playing a basketball game with my students. The Summit Learning program has redefined the way our school looks at personalized learning. |
As a sixth grade teacher at CICS Bucktown, I have been part of the implementation of the Summit Learning model. This model helps to place students directly in the drivers seat, in control of their own learning. For example, during our project time, students are introduced to cognitive skills and academic tasks. When students feel confident in their knowledge, they are able proceed and complete the task without having to sit through the rest of the lesson.
Students who might need more support are able to work at the pace that works for them. They can move into a smaller group setting where the teacher facilitates the lesson on a more personal level to clarify any existing questions. It is no longer an option for a student to respond to a question with “I don’t know”... For our students it is now a question of how quickly the answers can be found and understood. With technology at our fingertips, student ability to comprehend their best learning style is apparent more than ever.
Students generally have creative options in presenting their mastery of the cognitive skills that are being addressed. During independent study time, students work on their Power Focus Areas. They are building deep knowledge in the “Habits of Success” (specifically perseverance, drive, and goal setting). Students learn in the way they prefer, selecting from a variety of resources that encompass all interest and skill levels. Students have learned to identify the way they learn best, and utilize the resources that speak directly to them. They have the freedom to create notes in the style that is most conducive to their learning.
Overall, the Summit Learning program has redefined the way CICS Bucktown engages with personalized learning. Giving students access to technology, teaching and modeling the habits of success, and allowing creative control on how they present their mastery has increased student engagement tremendously. Personalized learning allows students to take control over their education. It has been an amazing experience to watch students take ownership of their learning, and I feel honored to be a small part of that!
-Brian Austin Cupp
Sixth Grade Teacher at CICS Bucktown
Sixth Grade Teacher at CICS Bucktown
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