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Competency-Based Learning: Shifting from Grading Points to Assessing Learning
Photo by Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages I started as a first year teacher, armed with a student teaching experience and a master’s degree, fairly confident that I was well prepared. If you are or have ever been a teacher, you are laughing right now because as you know, I figured out pretty…
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These Pennsylvania Educators are Ready to Make Change Happen
Co-authored by Brittany Griffin and Jesse Ross Collaborative, learner-centered innovation has taken off in Western Pennsylvania. Throughout the 2023-24 school year, 23 educators from four Western Pennsylvania school districts—Hampton Township, Shaler Area, Deer Lakes, and Avonworth—are participating in a Learner-Centered Collaborative Innovation Cohort. Get an inside view into the experience in this 3-part series…
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Get “Outside” With Us: Exploring Innovative Schools Nationwide
In today’s rapidly changing educational landscape, school district leaders face exciting possibilities when it comes to providing the best learning experiences for students. To accelerate the adoption of these learner-centered models, leaders have the opportunity to learn with and from colleagues nationwide who have done and are doing the work and to build upon…
BlogWebinars
Webinar Recording: Beyond Standards: Innovations in Competency Based Assessment
Tired of standardized tests and letter grades that fall short of capturing deeper learning? Explore the possibilities of competency-based assessment with school leaders at Embark Education as they: Explain the core principles and benefits of competency-based assessment. Share real-world examples and applications of competency frameworks in action. Provide valuable insights and lessons learned from…
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Animalia: An Authentic Learning Project
During the Countdown to Winter Break 2023, Liz Perry shared three examples of projects that engaged authentic audiences for her 10th grade learners. Readers provided their input on which project they wanted to know more about and Animalia: Morals, Ethics & The Animal World, was your, the readers’, top vote. An Authentic Learning…
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3 Optimistic Predictions for the Future of Learner-Centered Education
As we look towards 2024 and beyond, I foresee several exciting developments in learner-centered education. At Learner-Centered Collaborative our focus remains steadfast on advancing learner-centered education. We envision a future where education systems are dynamically aligned with the needs and aspirations of each learner. The potential for transformative impact is immense, and our…
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Ready-Set-Goal! Then Reflect & Repeat
We often talk about goals at the beginning of the school year and the calendar year as these are really natural times to reflect about what’s gone well and what we might do differently. However, these “seasonal” goals often end up on a physical or digital shelf and forgotten by the time October or…
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5 Ways to Drive Learner Agency with Goal-Setting
Enabling students to take control of their own learning is one of the most powerful results of a learner-centric education. We share five techniques for cultivating student agency.
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Elevating Learner Voices: Deer Lakes Students Share Their Vision in Video
At Learner-Centered Collaborative, we know centering student voice is key for meaningful change in education. We recently witnessed the power of learner voice in an impressive video produced by high school students at our partner district, Deer Lakes School District. To showcase Deer Lakes’ work with Learner-Centered Collaborative to redesign learning, high school students…
BlogWebinars
Leadership Forum: Igniting Limitless Potential for All Learners with Encinitas Union School District
Our Learner-Centered Leadership Forum series is an opportunity to gain timely, first-hand insights, examples, ideas, and lessons learned from learner-centered district leaders doing the work in the field with their teams, community, and learners. In this second event in the series in December 2023, Encinitas Superintendent Andrée Grey and Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services…
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Navigating Our Future: The Revised Big Questions Shaping Our Research Partnership with UCSD
In the ever-evolving landscape of education, the need for research and practices that are robust and reflective of contemporary challenges is imperative. Recognizing this need, Learner-Centered Collaborative, in partnership with UC San Diego, has embarked on a journey to foster innovation and advance knowledge in the field of education through collaborative research projects, shared…
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Empowering Educators As Designers
By Liz Perry and Sarah Mathews Liz Perry is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Learner-Centered Collaborative and former Director of Instructional Innovation at San Diego Unified School District Sarah Mathews is the Program Manager of Cross-Content Literacy at San Diego Unified School District. Educators As Curriculum Designers & Decision Makers As…
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What It Means to Center Learners By Design
What does learner-centered education have to do with design? A lot, actually. At the core, both design and learner-centered education are human-centered. Contrary to what one might think, they don’t require a blank canvas or a sleek modern building, but rather a story, assets to build upon, challenges to address, and a deep understanding…
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How You Can (Almost) Have It All With AI: Optimizing the Balance of AI and Human Interaction
Written in collaboration with Brittany Griffin, Director of Strategic Partnerships There’s ample buzz around AI’s potential in K-12 education. It ranges from excitement, to concerns around ethical dilemmas, to debates about the efficacy of learning in front of a screen, to fear that technology will replace educators. Some have called for an all-in adoption…
BlogWebinars
Webinar Recording: Supercharge Learning: Unlocking the Learner-Centered Power of AI
Join host Marlon Styles and guests Sophia Mendoza (Los Angeles Unified School District) and Brittany Griffin as they discuss strategies for leveraging AI to supercharge learner-centered education. In this engaging webinar, they explore topics including: Creative ways educators are currently using AI like summarizing text and generating feedback Ideas for how school leaders, teachers,…
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A Learner-Centered Research Triad Launches in Southern California
In July of 2023, the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and the Learner-Centered Collaborative (LCC) announced a groundbreaking strategic partnership that would unite researchers, practitioners from LCC, and regional districts in advancing learner-centered practices. Among the key objectives of this partnership is to share knowledge and resources and disseminate findings to ensure broader…
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Growth Through Connections
By: Dr. Leighangela Brady, Superintendent, National School District (CA) Dr. Brady shares a first-hand perspective from the Fall 2023 Learner-Centered Connections in-person convening in San Diego, CA where the cohort visited four innovative public schools and Illumina, a biotech company. Hearing directly from a student ambassador panel at Bostonia Global High School in the…
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Using Feedback to Drive Learning, Connection, Purpose, and Ownership
Meaningful feedback is not the same as a grade or an evaluation. Feedback is information for the learner about where they are in relationship to the goal or target to help them get there.