How to Create Personalized Learning Environments Where Students Are Architects of Their Learning

How can we move away from a one-size-fits-all paradigm and toward one in which learners have the agency to design their own learning experiences? Today I visit the Davis School District to meet Robert Kinghorn and Amy Thompson.

Amy has been a teacher for the past 18 years. Amy was formally recognised as a "Exemplary Teacher" in the Salt Lake City School District based on student progress and competency outcomes while teaching in the Salt Lake City School District. She has also worked as a teacher's aide and an assistant principal. Amy is presently teaching coding and digital skills to upper elementary pupils.

During Robert's five-year time as principal of a Title 1 school in Clearfield, Utah, he worked with teachers to change the atmosphere and improve academic achievements, virtually doubling student competence rates on end-of-level state testing.

The section of Amy and Rob's book, Out of the Dugout, that has stayed with me the most is when they discuss how they foster a mentality in learners based on growth, belonging, and agency. It's one of the things that, as adults, many of us did not have exposure to in school, and as a result, it's one of the reasons why so many of us struggle with change.

0:00 Introduction
1:29 Introducing Robert Kinghorn and Amy Thompson and how they came together to publish their book
10:53 What should leaders focus on to build trust across an educational team
13:12 Tools for identifying someone's strengths and the level of psychological safety
14:54 Rob and Amy's take on what 'personalized learning' means
19:40 Challenges faced when desigining experiences of agency and autonomy for learners
24:49 Talking about 'Out of the Dugout' and its proposed framework
32:45 How to approach teachers when implementing changes in schools
35:33 How to help teachers develop a sense of self-efficacy
40:51 Talking about teacher collaboration and how it looks like in Rob and Amy's framework
43:47 Some hurdles that Rob and Amy faced while implementing their framework
48:09 Rob and Amy's views on design thinking for creating change in schools
52:02 Defining motivation and how to develop it while implementing changes

Connect with Rob and Amy:

Website: https://outofthedugout.com/
Rob's Twitter: https://twitter.com/rwkinghorn
Amy's Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmyT_555

Connect with me, Dr. Sabba Quidwai:

Website: https://designingschools.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabba-quidwai/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/askMsQ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designing_schools/