Over the past year, the Institute team had the opportunity to refresh our current services and learning opportunities and work on some new offerings as well. With the New Year right around the corner, we want to be sure you and your colleagues are aware of these exciting opportunities, which include face-to-face and virtual options!
We’ve refreshed Foundations of Personalized Learning and it’s now BOOT CAMP: Getting Started with Personalized Learning. This three-hour session is a great introduction to the why, what and how of learner-centered practices. For anyone new to PL or needing a bit of a refresher, this option is a great fit. We offer the session both face-to-face and virtually, so no matter where you are, you can get the foundation you need to begin personalizing learning in your classroom or school.
Our new leadership cohort offering, Leading Learner-Centered Education, is based on a model designed to guide and support the successful scaling of learner-centered practices while at the same time ensuring educational equity. Teams of school and/or district leaders will engage in activities that honor and build upon their current context as they develop a shared vision, identify success measures, and develop strategies to empower learners. Participants will take time to reflect on their successes and challenges, conduct a root cause analysis, develop a theory of action, and design an action plan. Teams can utilize the Leading Learner-Centered Education process and structure year after year as they continue to implement and iterate on their initial plan.
As a follow-up to our years of cohort work to help educators gain an understanding of personalized learning, we have developed a new set of workshops – The HOW Series: Bringing Learner-Centered Practices to Life. Implementing learner-centered practices involves more than adopting an expanded set of instructional skills and strategies. Join us as we explore how to grow learner-centered practices in your environment in order to take this work to the next level. Each half-day session will dig deeper into elements from our Honeycomb and explore practical strategies for implementation. The sessions are offered a la carte throughout the year – attend one or as many as you’d like!
For Institute members, we offer two special opportunities! The first is Personalized Learning University (PLU), a series that pulls all the pieces together. PLU includes a Boot Camp workshop plus the entire How series. Participants also have the opportunity to add on a Field Experience at a 20% discount over the normal rate.
We’ve also brought back an old favorite. When working with educators across the country, we often hear them express a desire for informal conversations and collaboration with other educators who are working on personalizing learning in their classrooms. The Personalized Learning Network enables educators, coaches and school leaders from member districts to connect with each other and explore learner-centered topics, visit a personalized learning site, and network after school hours. This is a great opportunity to continue the conversation outside the walls of your learning environment. Best of all, you can attend in person or virtually!