Some people think “21^st Century Learning” may just be a new badge for some very traditional ideas in education, or a fresh phrase for “technology in the classroom.” Certainly, technology has a place in the definition, as it is a powerful tool to facilitate students’ abilities to collaborate. But while technology offers unprecedented abilities to personalize education, that is only one component of the concept as a whole.

Q: What is the role of the teacher in supporting personalized learning for the 21^st Century?

Dr. Parker and Joanne Robertson: Teachers have a central role in supporting four key pillars of learning for students: the development of knowledge, skills, self-esteem and a place in society. They can harness the power of student engagement to help students learn through groups and cooperatively. They can welcome and integrate the resources of the community in the learning opportunities they design. They can practice what we call “assessment for learning”, that is assessments need to begin by observation, letting the student lead knowing what the goal is, and providing the support they need to get there.

We may be seeing the greatest shift in philosophy at the Secondary level. Traditionally, teachers at the secondary level have focused on the transfer of content from teacher to student. 21^st Century Secondary teachers provide the best options for information and skill development that they can to students. It’s a switch from being the “sage on the stage” to the “guide on the side”. They are the coach, they set baseline expectations and encourage students to “stretch” in critical thinkers. They help students see their progress and what they need to do next to achieve a goal. Emphasizing the process of learning, rather than the memorization of facts, is essential. For many of our educators, this is not new, but certainly the value placed on it is higher than ever before.

 … to be continued

Leaps and Bounds toward Math Understanding is a comprehensive resource that provides diagnostic tools and remediation/intervention lessons for students who are struggling in mathematics (Gr. 3 – 8).  The approach used in Leaps and Bounds is supported by research on how children learn mathematics.  The focus is on sequencing the content in a developmentally appropriate way and providing alternatives in approach that allow for differentiated instruction.

Knowing where children struggle and why they struggle, asking targeted questions and observing them enables teachers to plan learning experiences that are likely to develop the mathematics outcomes for students.  Leaps and Bounds provides diagnostic tools that highlight the common difficulties that students have.  This allows the teacher to determine the kinds of intervention activities that are appropriate to address the needs of the individual student. 

“Leaps and Bounds allows teachers to re-teach the critical concepts behind each topic in a developmentally appropriate way”

Carefully sequenced interventions are included based on what is known about development in mathematics, these are called “Intervention Pathways”. The (three) pathways allow for students to re-examine concepts in a conceptually meaningful way and includes tasks that target common areas of difficulty.  A clear list of the common areas of difficulty is provided for teachers, as are the key behaviours to look for and questions to ask students.

The instructional approach with Leaps and Bounds can be individualized or differentiated.  Teachers can make a choice as to whether to use an open approach or a guided approach based on the pathway of intervention.

… courtesy of Shannon Sharp, District Math resource teacher