When we start with learners, we start from a place of possibility. With learners at the center, we define the desired outcomes, design meaningful learning experiences, and create the enabling conditions to bring our vision for learners to life. Our framework is designed to align with the world we live in and develop learners who will become engaged and productive citizens.
This model guides our work at Learner-Centered Collaborative and serves as a blueprint for all our partners as they build out their unique learning models.
Whole-Learner Outcomes
The system is centered on attending to the social, emotional, cognitive, and mental health needs of learners.
Agency
Learners set goals, initiate action, and persist through challenges by pursuing interests, building on strengths, and working purposefully to develop knowledge, skills, and dispositions critical for a changing world.
Collaboration
By building empathy, respect, understanding and connection with communities near and far, learners express comfort working with people similar to and different from themselves, can be relied upon, and engage productively with all.
Real-world problem solving
Respectfully expressing curiosity about the past, present, and future, learners plan, apply skills and knowledge, and reflect often to carry out individual and collective action to solve problems that matter to them and their world.
Learning Experiences
The experiences that are co-designed and facilitated with learners to ensure they can demonstrate mastery of desired learner outcomes.
Competency-Based
Learning is driven by evidence-based instruction, assessment, and feedback cycles based on progress toward desired knowledge, skills, and dispositions.When learning is Competency-Based, educators:
Modify path or pace
I use quantitative and qualitative evidence to understand individual strengths and opportunities to co-design personalized learning paths with learners.
Promote Effective Feedback
I create opportunities for learners to receive effective feedback from me, their peers and others to support the learning process.
Assess formatively
I frequently use a variety of formative assessment methods, including self-assessment, to monitor progress and guide educators’ and learners’ next steps in the learning process.
Design backwards
I design backwards, starting from essential questions and desired learning outcomes aligned to appropriate summative assessments.
Emphasize the iterative process
I maintain a focus on high expectations for achievement while providing feedback and opportunities for practice, revision, and improvement.
Define levels of proficiency
I co-create rubrics with learners that clearly define the desired learning outcomes of the learning experience and what “proficiency” looks like.
Assess skills and content
I design performance-based assessments to authentically assess skills and content.
Support students telling their learning story
I facilitate the development of a Student Portfolio: a curated collection of performance assessments from multiple subjects aligned to the Profile of Success, which shows evidence of growth and proficiency in those skills.
Enable authentic demonstrations of learning
I provide students with an opportunity to create public products and share their learning with a public audience.
Personalized
Learning is co-constructed based on each learner’s unique strengths, skills, interests, and needs.When learning is Personalized, educators:
Empower learners
I help learners build their agency, determine priorities, and develop skills to choose between competing interests and persist through challenges.
Encourage goal setting & reflection
I develop learners’ abilities to set goals, self-reflect, and take action.
Highlight the process of thinking
I use metacognitive strategies to model my thinking process and have learners think about and share their thinking.
Engage learners as decision-makers
I provide opportunities for learners to engage in classroom or school-based decision-making.
Solicit feedback
I solicit my learners’ feedback about their classroom experience and use it to improve and iterate.
Promote equity of voice
I use protocols and methods to ensure all learner voices are heard.
Provide Voice and Choice
I design learning experiences that offer flexibility in process, product, and/or pace.
Leverage technology
I use technology to efficiently track learner progress, engage learners in different ways, and offer academic supports.
Design with, not for
I co-create learning experiences with students based on their interests, strengths, and passions.
Authentic
Meaningful, relevant learning grounded in real-world challenges and applications for authentic audiences.When learning is Authentic, educators:
Tackle real-world problems
I co-design learning experiences in which learners solve authentic local and global issues while building content-based knowledge and skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem-solving.
Co-design interdisciplinary projects
I co-design collaborative, cross-curricular projects with learners, to develop content area knowledge and skills that apply beyond school.
Embed reflection
I embed reflection opportunities throughout the learning experience to support the learning process.
Create flexible learning environments
I develop diverse physical and digital learning environments to honor both in and out-of-school learning.
Connect with the community
I connect learners with the local and global community through learning experiences that happen both in and outside of the classroom.
Collaborate with the community
I create opportunities for real-world learning experiences with community members through mentorships, internships, and community-based projects.
Design for Equitable Collaboration
I design collaborative group work that engages and stretches each learner, allowing them to demonstrate desired learning outcomes.
Develop collaboration skills
I design and facilitate learning experiences that foster learners’ collaboration skills.
Navigate group dynamics
I support learners to navigate the challenges of collaboration.
Inclusive & Equitable
Learning communities are collaborative and culturally relevant, where every learner feels they belong and can tap into their full academic and social potential, contributing to the collective success of their community.When learning is Inclusive & Equitable, educators:
Build relationships
I invest time to get to know my learners and for my learners to know me.
Build Community with Learners
I build learners’ ability to be in community with others, especially those of different backgrounds, identities and strengths.
Plan & Design for Equitable SEL
I design learning experiences that develop social and emotional skills and model my own social-emotional learning for learners.
Address systemic inequities
I co-design a learning community with equitable policies, rituals and routines (ie, homework policy, late work policy, summer reading choices, materials for projects, etc), addressing the historical marginalization of youth due to race, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, learning differences and/or behaviors.
Honor learner cultures
I practice culturally responsive teaching to center learners’ cultural diversity as an asset.
Curate inclusive curriculum intentionally
I audit my curriculum and instructional resources to ensure they represent diverse voices, stories, and perspectives, particularly from marginalized identities.
Design for equitable access
I design learning experiences that are flexible and ensure that all learners are able to equitably access, engage with and share their learning.
Prepare learners for their next step in life
I provide age-appropriate and individualized career exploration, planning and connections counseling to help each learner to explore, plan and take the necessary steps to navigate their path in college, career and life.
Create a support network
I teach learners about the value of positive networks and supportive communities, and help them build networks to achieve their academic and career goals
Enabling Conditions
The conditions that are critical to support the learning experiences that lead to desired learner-centered outcomes.
Coherence
Framework for the Future
There is a shared vision, learner profile, and learning model that clearly defines a learning community’s aspirations.
Enabling Policies
Policies support a learner-centered paradigm and empower all learners to demonstrate mastery in flexible times and spaces.
Holistic Learner Outcomes
Whole-learner outcomes are prioritized, transparent, measured, and aligned to learning progressions.
Resource Allocation
Resources such as curricula, programs, and tools are allocated in ways that align with the vision and desired outcomes.
Culture
Collective Efficacy
Teachers and leaders feel empowered to impact structures and policies in service of learning.
Relational Trust
High levels of relational trust and collaboration across the school community.
Capacity Building
Systems are set up for continuous improvement, professional learning, and talent development, beginning at recruitment and continuing throughout each individual’s career.
Connectedness
Digital Ecosystem
Tools, resources, data, and supportive systems are in place to empower impactful teaching and learning opportunities.
Use of Time and Space
Schedules and spaces are optimized for anytime/anywhere learning and connectedness.
Family and Community Partnerships
Learning is facilitated by a variety of community, industry, and family partnerships that address barriers and expand access to real-world learning that enables students to explore passions through authentic learning experiences.
