Learner-Centered
Learner-Centered Strategies
Learner-centered strategies are actionable steps educators can take to design a learner-centered community and create personalized, competency-based, and authentic learning experiences. Want to go into more depth? Check out our Self-Paced Courses.
Provide Options for Accessibility
Provide Options for Accessibility In a learner-centered environment, all learners, regardless of their ability, will be able to engage meaningfully with the learning experience. Providing options for accessibility can look like adding closed captioning to videos, providing an audio option for readings, ensuring the readability of text based on language needs, providing a translation…
Protocols for Reflection on Learning
Protocols for Reflection on Learning Reflection is a key practice for deeper learning and should happen throughout the learning experience to shift the focus from the product of learning to the process. Reflection protocols, which are sentence starters/stems or specific reflection questions, support learners in learning how to reflect. Bright Spots Gain inspiration from…
Design a Flexible Learning Space
Design a Flexible Learning Space Flexible learning environments are spaces that honor the fact that learning happens both in and outside of the traditional classroom. They also enable opportunities for collaboration and student agency when deciding where and how to learn. A flexible learning environment may be a classroom space set up with desks…
Take Learners into the Real World
Take Learners into the Real World When we prioritize engaging learners in authentic learning experiences and tasks, the entire world becomes our oyster for learning, exploration and reflection! Learning outside the four walls of the classroom can be as simple as stepping outside onto the playground to take measurements for learners’ proposed redesign plans,…
Bring the Real World into the Classroom
Bring the Real World into the Classroom Blurring the boundaries between the classroom and the real world doesn’t only mean physically bringing learners outside the classroom walls. Equally important is bringing the real world into the classroom by connecting students with content experts, community members, or governmental organizations, or by using technology to go on…
Connect Learners to Mentors
Connect Learners to Mentors While your school might not yet have a formal internship or mentorship program, there are still many ways to ensure learners get connected with local community members and with work-based learning experiences to expose them to the ever evolving world of work, and to support them in building essential skills…
Create Learner Jobs
Create Learner Jobs Learners identify classroom leadership roles, creating a sense of accountability for their classroom community. Learners can take on jobs like classroom photographer, greeter (for guests), birthday celebrator, historian, etc. There are so many ways that students can help! Learner jobs create a sense of ownership for the students and empower them…
Provide Learners With Tools to Prioritize Their Time
Provide learners with tools to prioritize their time NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Develop Learner Agency Course A powerful way for learners to build their agency and determine priorities, self-management skills that are crucial for learners to build, is for them to plan and prioritize their time. First educators must provide…
Provide goal setting frameworks and tools
Provide goal-setting frameworks and tools NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Develop Learner Agency Course Goal-setting is an important life skill and leads to better learning outcomes when done right. Providing tools and frameworks, such as SMART Goals and WOOP Goals, to learners to scaffold their goal-setting and reflecting process has proven…
Make Thinking Visible
Make Thinking Visible NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Develop Learner Agency Course Metacognition, the ability to think about your thinking and act on that reflection, has been shown to lead to greater learning outcomes and higher learner agency. To start the metacognitive process, educators can make their own thinking visible by…
Provide non-verbal options for participation
Provide Non-Verbal Options for Participation Not all learners are prepared to participate by speaking out loud. Technology can be used to provide polls or virtual chat spaces, such as polleverywhere, mentimeter, and padlet. If you want a low-tech way for students to non-verbally participate, have them write on post-it notes, use hand signals or…
Develop Classroom Agreements with Learners
Develop Classroom Agreements with Learners NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Nurture a Meaningful Learning Community Course In contrast to the teacher presenting the rules to learners, a collaborative agreement can be created with learners, allowing them to shape their learning community together. Learners feel bought-in because they played a central part…
Let Students Make Decisions in your Classroom
Let Students Make Decisions in your Classroom NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Amplify Learner Voice Course In addition to making choices about their individual learning, students should be invited to engage in decisions that happen in their classrooms that affect them, their peers, and their educators. These decisions can range from…
Create Playlists for Learners
Create Playlists for Learners A learning playlist is a sequence of resources and activities designed for students to work through at their own pace in order to achieve the desired learning objectives. Playlists can be used to structure an entire class or just a lesson or unit. Playlists scaffold learners from an introduction to…
Provide Choice Boards
Provide Choice Boards Choice boards can take a variety of forms but they are essentially a list of options of learning activities for learners to select from. They can provide choices in what, how, with whom, where or when students learn. Many of them include “must dos” and “may do” options so learners are…
Create Learner Portraits
Create Learner Profiles Have learners reflect on who they are as learners– their strengths, interests, goals, needs, and how they learn best. These Learner Profiles can help learners become more self-aware, while teachers can use it to adjust learning experiences to leverage each student’s strengths and interests and better meet their needs. Some of…
Passion Projects
Passion Projects NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Customize the Learning Experience Course Empowering learners to develop the knowledge and skills of your course by exploring their interests is a powerful approach. It can increase student engagement and motivation, it can help students see the relevance and real-world application of what they…
Use tech tools to personalize instruction
Use Tech Tools to Personalize Learning NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Customize the Learning Experience Course Provide personalized instruction that meets each student where they are and provides them voice and choice. When tech tools are leveraged to provide learning materials for students to work through at their own pace, the…
Personalized Learning Strategies
Make Thinking Visible
Make Thinking Visible NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Develop Learner Agency Course Metacognition, the ability to think about your thinking and act on that reflection, has been shown to lead to greater learning outcomes and higher learner agency. To start the metacognitive process, educators can make their own thinking visible by…
Provide goal setting frameworks and tools
Provide goal-setting frameworks and tools NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Develop Learner Agency Course Goal-setting is an important life skill and leads to better learning outcomes when done right. Providing tools and frameworks, such as SMART Goals and WOOP Goals, to learners to scaffold their goal-setting and reflecting process has proven…
Provide Learners With Tools to Prioritize Their Time
Provide learners with tools to prioritize their time NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Develop Learner Agency Course A powerful way for learners to build their agency and determine priorities, self-management skills that are crucial for learners to build, is for them to plan and prioritize their time. First educators must provide…
Create Learner Jobs
Create Learner Jobs Learners identify classroom leadership roles, creating a sense of accountability for their classroom community. Learners can take on jobs like classroom photographer, greeter (for guests), birthday celebrator, historian, etc. There are so many ways that students can help! Learner jobs create a sense of ownership for the students and empower them…
Passion Projects
Passion Projects NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Customize the Learning Experience Course Empowering learners to develop the knowledge and skills of your course by exploring their interests is a powerful approach. It can increase student engagement and motivation, it can help students see the relevance and real-world application of what they…
Encourage Retakes & Test Corrections
Encourage Retakes & Test Corrections NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Design Performance-Based Assessments Encouraging retakes and test corrections provides learners with an opportunity to identify their mistakes, review their work, revisit the content, address misconceptions, and correct their answers. This practice not only helps students improve their grades but also ensures…
Support Learners in Understanding Themselves
Support Learners in Understanding Themselves In order for learners to make high-quality decisions about their learning and truly be in community, they need to develop a strong sense of self. Who am I? How would I describe myself? What are my strengths? How do I learn best? As educators, we can support this self-discovery…
Use Tech Tools to Provide Just-In-Time Assessment Feedback
Use Tech Tools to Provide Just-In-Time Assessment Feedback Quickly gather assessment data to use to personalize learning and provide students just in time feedback. Bright Spots Gain inspiration from authentic examples of this strategy shared by teachers who have used them with their learners. Creating your own Bright Spots? Let’s get them out into…
Use Tech Tools to Nurture Inclusion
Use Tech Tools to Nurture Inclusion NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Customize the Learning Experience Course Listen to students and include their voice in the classroom through more than just verbal discussions. This can include tools such as text-to-speech or speech-to-text software, interactive whiteboards, and online tools that allow students to…
Use tech tools to personalize instruction
Use Tech Tools to Personalize Learning NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Customize the Learning Experience Course Provide personalized instruction that meets each student where they are and provides them voice and choice. When tech tools are leveraged to provide learning materials for students to work through at their own pace, the…
Authentic Learning Strategies
Protocols for Reflection on Learning
Protocols for Reflection on Learning Reflection is a key practice for deeper learning and should happen throughout the learning experience to shift the focus from the product of learning to the process. Reflection protocols, which are sentence starters/stems or specific reflection questions, support learners in learning how to reflect. Bright Spots Gain inspiration from…
Design a Flexible Learning Space
Design a Flexible Learning Space Flexible learning environments are spaces that honor the fact that learning happens both in and outside of the traditional classroom. They also enable opportunities for collaboration and student agency when deciding where and how to learn. A flexible learning environment may be a classroom space set up with desks…
Take Learners into the Real World
Take Learners into the Real World When we prioritize engaging learners in authentic learning experiences and tasks, the entire world becomes our oyster for learning, exploration and reflection! Learning outside the four walls of the classroom can be as simple as stepping outside onto the playground to take measurements for learners’ proposed redesign plans,…
Bring the Real World into the Classroom
Bring the Real World into the Classroom Blurring the boundaries between the classroom and the real world doesn’t only mean physically bringing learners outside the classroom walls. Equally important is bringing the real world into the classroom by connecting students with content experts, community members, or governmental organizations, or by using technology to go on…
Connect Learners to Mentors
Connect Learners to Mentors While your school might not yet have a formal internship or mentorship program, there are still many ways to ensure learners get connected with local community members and with work-based learning experiences to expose them to the ever evolving world of work, and to support them in building essential skills…
Support Learner Self-Assessment
Support Learner Self-Assessment NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Use Assessment as a Tool for Learning Course Self-assessment is empowering learners to consider where they are in their own learning by intentionally creating transparency of the learning process, and creating a safe space to make mistakes. Self-assessment is often supported by a…
Project-Based Learning
Project-Based Learning Project-based learning is a way to engage learners in meaningful, authentic tasks that develop both content knowledge and 21st century skills. Project-based learning is different from doing a traditional project in that it does not come after the learning but is instead the learning process itself. Learners are presented with or come…
Cooperative Learning Strategies
Leveraging Cooperative Learning Strategies NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Spark Collaboration Course Cooperative learning strategies, often called Kagan strategies, are low-lift and low-risk ways for students to engage with each other while learning. They are structured ways to break up a direct instruction lesson and ask students to collaboratively process information.…
Help Learners Teach Each Other
Helping Learners Teach Each Other NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Spark Collaboration Course Leverage cooperative learning strategies in which learners teach each other something. In these learning experiences, each learner has a unique piece of information that they share with a group. This helps teach collaboration skills, especially active listening and…
Lead Guided Discussions
Lead Guided Discussions Guided discussions are group conversations that use a structured protocol and usually a variety of sentence stems to support learners with the conversation. These build collaboration skills that can be used in larger group projects. Bright Spots Gain inspiration from authentic examples of this strategy shared by teachers who have used…
Competency-Based Learning Strategies
Support Learner Self-Assessment
Support Learner Self-Assessment NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Use Assessment as a Tool for Learning Course Self-assessment is empowering learners to consider where they are in their own learning by intentionally creating transparency of the learning process, and creating a safe space to make mistakes. Self-assessment is often supported by a…
Data Trackers
Use Data Trackers NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Use Assessment as a Tool for Learning Course When learners track their own progress, assessment for learning (formative assessment) quickly becomes assessment as learning. Learners figure out where they are in their learning and how they learn best, which is powerful. Ideally, learners track their proficiency…
Move On When Ready
Move On When Ready NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Use Assessment as a Tool for Learning Course Learners are empowered to progress through the learning experience based on their demonstration of the desired skills and knowledge. This can be as small and contained as learners working through the writing process at…
Create Playlists for Learners
Create Playlists for Learners A learning playlist is a sequence of resources and activities designed for students to work through at their own pace in order to achieve the desired learning objectives. Playlists can be used to structure an entire class or just a lesson or unit. Playlists scaffold learners from an introduction to…
Use Tech Tools to Provide Just-In-Time Assessment Feedback
Use Tech Tools to Provide Just-In-Time Assessment Feedback Quickly gather assessment data to use to personalize learning and provide students just in time feedback. Bright Spots Gain inspiration from authentic examples of this strategy shared by teachers who have used them with their learners. Creating your own Bright Spots? Let’s get them out into…
Co-Create Rubrics with Learners
Co-Create Success Criteria Co-creating rubrics with learners ensures that you clearly share the desired learning outcomes for a learning experience and gives learners ownership over their learning. It not only creates clarity of expectations for the educator but more importantly for the learner who was part of the creation process. Through the process of…
Encourage Retakes & Test Corrections
Encourage Retakes & Test Corrections NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Design Performance-Based Assessments Encouraging retakes and test corrections provides learners with an opportunity to identify their mistakes, review their work, revisit the content, address misconceptions, and correct their answers. This practice not only helps students improve their grades but also ensures…
Provide Peer Feedback Protocols
Provide Peer Feedback Protocols NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Use Assessment as a Tool for Learning Course Introduce feedback protocols to students that provide a structure for giving high-quality peer feedback. Example protocols include: Warm & cool feedback 2 stars and 1 wish 1 glow and 1 grow I like, I…
Using Exit Tickets
Exit Tickets NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Use Assessment as a Tool for Learning Course Formative assessment is meant to provide information during the learning process. Exit tickets are a way to know if learners “caught what you taught” by simply asking them a question or two before they leave the…
Station Rotation
Design Station Rotations Station rotation empowers learners to rotate through different stations or learning activities, each designed to meet their individual needs and learning styles. Ideally, stations include a variety of learning settings: independent, collaborative, and teacher-led (responsive and tailored to the strengths and needs of the group). Learners can rotate through stations in…
Learner-Centered Community Learning Strategies
Create Learner Jobs
Create Learner Jobs Learners identify classroom leadership roles, creating a sense of accountability for their classroom community. Learners can take on jobs like classroom photographer, greeter (for guests), birthday celebrator, historian, etc. There are so many ways that students can help! Learner jobs create a sense of ownership for the students and empower them…
Make Thinking Visible
Make Thinking Visible NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Develop Learner Agency Course Metacognition, the ability to think about your thinking and act on that reflection, has been shown to lead to greater learning outcomes and higher learner agency. To start the metacognitive process, educators can make their own thinking visible by…
Provide Options for Accessibility
Provide Options for Accessibility In a learner-centered environment, all learners, regardless of their ability, will be able to engage meaningfully with the learning experience. Providing options for accessibility can look like adding closed captioning to videos, providing an audio option for readings, ensuring the readability of text based on language needs, providing a translation…
Host Daily Whole-Class Meetings
Host Daily Whole-Class Meetings Whole-class meetings, often referred to as morning meetings in elementary school, is a dedicated time for the whole class to come together and discuss a variety of topics that are not strictly academic. These can be morning meetings at the beginning of the day, closing circles at the end of…
Develop Classroom Agreements with Learners
Develop Classroom Agreements with Learners NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Nurture a Meaningful Learning Community Course In contrast to the teacher presenting the rules to learners, a collaborative agreement can be created with learners, allowing them to shape their learning community together. Learners feel bought-in because they played a central part…
Provide non-verbal options for participation
Provide Non-Verbal Options for Participation Not all learners are prepared to participate by speaking out loud. Technology can be used to provide polls or virtual chat spaces, such as polleverywhere, mentimeter, and padlet. If you want a low-tech way for students to non-verbally participate, have them write on post-it notes, use hand signals or…
Create Playlists for Learners
Create Playlists for Learners A learning playlist is a sequence of resources and activities designed for students to work through at their own pace in order to achieve the desired learning objectives. Playlists can be used to structure an entire class or just a lesson or unit. Playlists scaffold learners from an introduction to…
Provide Choice Boards
Provide Choice Boards Choice boards can take a variety of forms but they are essentially a list of options of learning activities for learners to select from. They can provide choices in what, how, with whom, where or when students learn. Many of them include “must dos” and “may do” options so learners are…
Create Learner Portraits
Create Learner Profiles Have learners reflect on who they are as learners– their strengths, interests, goals, needs, and how they learn best. These Learner Profiles can help learners become more self-aware, while teachers can use it to adjust learning experiences to leverage each student’s strengths and interests and better meet their needs. Some of…
Use Tech Tools to Nurture Inclusion
Use Tech Tools to Nurture Inclusion NOTE: This strategy is part of the self-paced Customize the Learning Experience Course Listen to students and include their voice in the classroom through more than just verbal discussions. This can include tools such as text-to-speech or speech-to-text software, interactive whiteboards, and online tools that allow students to…