You're Doing Too Much: Sustainable Personalized Learning Strategies to Reach All Learners

Outline

Engagement (15 minutes)
Teachers will complete an anticipatory journaling prompt to activate background knowledge on sustainability. Using Think-Puzzle-Explore, they will answer the question: What is learner agency? And how might it #MakeTeachingSustainable?

After answering the opening prompt, teachers will engage in discourse with peers using the Stand Up, Hands Up, Pair Up routine. Unknowingly, teachers will have already experienced #SustainableTeaching practices, including discourse and journaling.

Interactive Lecture (35 minutes)
At this time, I will reveal to teachers that they've already experienced two sustainable, personalized learning practices. I will unpack each of these, as well as the research that supports these practices. Then, we will explore other tools and practices, such as open-ended tasks, learning menus, and learner-friendly assessment tools that personalize learning and build learner agency.

Reflection (10 minutes)
Teachers will reflect on the practices they've explored and set intentions for implementation in classrooms. They will be offered two ways to reflect: (1) Amplify-Alter-Activate will get them thinking about what to do more of, what to change, and what to start; (2) SORT goal, meaning they identify a Specific practice, Observable evidence of implementation, articulate its Relevance, and create a Timeline for implementation.

Supporting research

Almarode, J. & Vandas, K. (2018). Clarity for Learning. Corwin Press.

Cohen E., & Lotan, R. (1997). Working for equity in heterogeneous classrooms: Sociological theory in practice. Teachers College Press.

Cohen E., & Lotan, R. (2014). Designing Groupwork: Strategies for the Heterogeneous Classroom Third Edition. Teachers College Press.

Fiorella, L. and Mayer, R. (2015). Eight Ways to Promote Generative Learning. Educ Psychol Rev.

Goodwin, B. and Rouleau, K. (2023). The New Classroom Instruction That Works: The Best Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Hammond, Z. (2014). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain. Corwin.

Hattie, J. (2023). Visible Learning. https://www.visiblelearningmetax.com/influences/view/self-judgement_and_reflection

Ritchhart, R., Church, M., & Morrison, K. (2011). Making thinking visible: How to promote engagement, understanding, and independence for all learners. Jossey-Bass.