Big Moves
Mixed-Age Cohorts
Overview Creating mixed-age cohorts allows students to learn from each other in unique ways while also building a range of interpersonal skills. These experiences enable younger students to learn from older students, give older students valuable leadership opportunities, and serve as community-building experiences across grade levels. Often, the makeup of these groups carries over…
Big Moves
Coaching and Mentoring Programs
Overview: Transforming schools into learner-centered environments begins with investing in the people closest to students– teachers. Coaching and mentoring are not just supports– they are catalysts for lasting change. When educators are supported to reflect, take risks and grow in community with one another, they develop the confidence and skill to design experiences where…
Big Moves
Career Pathway Programs
Overview: Career pathway programs in K–12 education create opportunities for learners to explore, experience, and prepare for their futures. These programs connect academic knowledge to the tools, skills, and opportunities needed to succeed in today’s workplaces. As learners move through a progression—from early career awareness and exploration to hands-on experiences like internships and apprenticeships—they…
Big Moves
Communication Plan
Overview: Finding ways to communicate the Framework for the Future (or Portrait of a Learner and Strategic Plan) after the initial launch is crucial for ongoing success. This includes ongoing transparent communication, storytelling that highlights the bright spots and feedback loops that center the voices of learners and continue to build relational trust amongst…
Big Moves
Reframe Discipline
School-Centered discipline systems often prioritize control and compliance over connection and development. In learner-centered environments, we see every behavior as an opportunity for deeper learning– about self, others and community. Discipline isn’t about punishment, it’s about repairing harm, restoring relationships and building the skills learners need to thrive both inside and outside of school.…
Big Moves
Physical Space Design
Overview Physical spaces, when designed with intention, can enable the Learning Model to be fully embraced by a school, shaping the learning environment to align with the Portrait of a Learner. The guiding principle is that form drives function and that both influence and reflect a school’s culture. Thoughtful care for physical space demonstrates…
Big Moves
Professional Learning Plan
Overview A truly learner-centered school models the same principles for all learners, including educators. Developing a professional learning calendar and plan aligned with the Learning Model ensures that educators experience the agency, collaboration and authentic application they are fostering in their classrooms. By incorporating educator voice, practice-based professional learning and ongoing cycles of reflection,…
Big Moves
AI Principles
Overview AI tools are increasingly accessible to learners and are more ubiquitous in the world and workforce outside of schools. In order to meet learners where they are and to best prepare them for a future that is already integrating AI into the workforce, it is important to establish thoughtful guidelines to ensure that…
Big Moves
Capstone Projects
Overview A capstone project is a culminating project, usually done in a learner’s final year at a school or in a program, that allows them to apply the knowledge and skills they’ve gained throughout a course, program, or educational experience. Typically, it is comprehensive, often interdisciplinary, and requires learners to engage in critical thinking,…
Big Moves
Master Schedule Redesign
Overview School-centered schedules often focus on compliance and efficiency over learning. Students move through the instructional day, most often dictated by bells, learning content in isolation. In a learner-centered system, time is prioritized to ensure that a school day provides opportunities for learners to engage deeply in meaningful work that supports their progress toward…
Big Moves
Developing Community Partnerships for Internships, Mentorships and Community Projects
Overview Developing a community partnership strategy for internships, mentorships, and community projects is a valuable initiative for schools and districts, as it lays the groundwork for meaningful authentic learning experiences that support learners in developing their school or district’s key outcomes as outlined in their Portrait of a Learner. Through these community-connected experiences, learners…
Big Moves
Redesign Educator Growth Plans & Evaluations
Once a system has clarity and coherence on leader and educator roles in service of their learner-centered vision, other structures require rethinking. Evaluation models in a school-centered paradigm focus on compliance and accountability. As we shift our focus to empowering learners, we must also empower educators and leaders by focusing on feedback and development. …
Big Moves
Family Engagement Strategy
Overview Families are an integral part of a successful learner-centered ecosystem; partnering with educators to ensure positive outcomes for their child/dren. In today’s modern world, family engagement goes beyond asking for room parents, volunteers on a field trip, or the number of responses on a family survey. Although those are important metrics, engagement looks…
Big Moves
Redefine Educator Roles & Responsibilities
Overview With a shift to learner-centered learning and in the age of AI, the role of the educator is also shifting. A learner-centered vision for the future where all learners (both young learners and adults) are developing the whole learner outcomes defined in a school or district Portrait of a Learner, what defines effective…
Big Moves
Exhibition of Learning
Overview Exhibitions of Learning (also called Celebrations of Learning, Showcases of Learning or Demonstrations of Learning) are events where students share their learning and any products from a learning experience or project with a broad and public audience. These events could take the form of a formal presentation (ex. play), an individual exhibition (ex.…
Big Moves
Student-Led Advisory Councils or Boards
Asking students their opinions about decisions that affect them in their school community is a great place to start listening to learners. However, taking it a step further puts students at the decision-making table. Inviting students to participate in school or district-wide decisions by being on the board, a part of a student government…
Big Moves
Portfolios
Overview A school or district-wide portfolio structure supports learners in curating evidence of their learning and growth over multiple years, across multiple courses or learning experiences. Portfolios are student-curated collections of work that include a self-reflection on progress over time and why that piece was selected to include in the portfolio. They work best…
Big Moves
Student-Led Conferences
Overview A student-led conference is a meeting facilitated by students with their families and teachers. In this meeting, students reflect on their overall learning, progress towards goals, and next steps. Students who participate by leading their own conferences take more ownership of their learning and the communication between school and home becomes more transparent.…