Dr Jeni Wilson

1. Personalising Learning Day 2 • Dr Jeni Wilson

2. Remember when… • Virtual tour of schools • Role of the teachers • I dream a school….

3. To be perfectly blunt…this workshop is not for you if… • If you can’t handle learners being in control • You are stuck in the “What about the VELS?” rut • You want a recipe for “it”

4. Spot the Difference

5. More true than false • Read all statements. • Individually select one you are not sure about • Find the ‘unsure’ statement on the large strips and put in the middle of the table. • Read out one at a time. • Discuss the statement and teasing out implications

6. PL - It’s not all about… Teachers and Teaching Classrooms, resources desks & tables Assessment of learning & Standardised testing Imposed topics Content Teacher as expert Passive learning Learners and learning Use of spaces Using data for Individual progress Negotiated learning Process & content Everyone is a learner, community involvement Active participation

7. Time for action… ‘Many schools are good schools, if only it were 1965.’ Stoll & Fink • ‘

8. What’s getting in your way? ‘We need to decide to give full service or lip service.’ Peter Block • ‘

9. FAQs- Workshopping Planning Timetabling Assessment Use of open spaces Goal setting Student voice Children with special needs Specialists Teacher change* Maintaining the passion* Parents*

10. Planning • KIDS COME FIRST- assessment data analysis (SPA*) for planning workshops, independent tasks. • Eg targetted workshops: time management, inferential comprehension • Timetabling- teacher roles • Whole school focuses, Shared inquiries/problem based learning/student records • Share own personal inquiry • *Student performance analysis

11. STUDENT VOICE (concerns, issues and needs) • Based on the idea that learning is more effective when learners are ready and motivated to learn • All stakeholders deserve equal rights in decision making • Enacts the power of ‘learning to learn’

12. From Informing to Empowering ‘We must accept that those most often in touch with learners – the educators – may not always be the most well informed about what the learners really think’ … It is more than simply listening to learners: it means engaging learners as concerned partners, coherent contributors and equal agents of change.’ Future lab, 2006.

13. Student Voice: Some questionsAdapted from Learner Voice, Futurelab 2006 • How ‘deeply’ are learners involved in making decisions and setting agendas? • Are all learners heard? • Who is listening? • Do learners feel their voices are being listened to? • What evidence is there of student voice? • What processes are in place to ‘hear’ and act on voices? • How are new technologies being used to ‘hear’ and act on student voices?

14. Student Voice not just rubber stamping staff decisions Inform- Consult-Involve-Collaborate-Empower • Feedback to teachers, Committees/school board membership • PINS (Discovery1) Passions, interests, & needs • ICT: blogging, wikis etc • Multi-age/whole school electives • Personal Inquiries • Choosing assessment (when, how, what) • HOW, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE THEY LEARN

15. Decision Making Continuum Focus of work & goals Questions asked Who to work with & group roles What sources of info How to organise and record data How to present What to do with data Reflection techniques Deadlines Assessment strategies

16. *Each teacher roves, workshops, conferences (½ day per wk )

17. A Session Example Independent tasks (Rover) Conferencing Workshops Related to inquiry and goals (teacher & student) Bring goals, evidence of progress & set new goals & assessment criteria Focus on needs as discussed in conferences