This page was created by Lorena Rojas.  The last update was by Vanessa Monterosa.

Teaching & Learning in the 21st Century

Executive Summary

This report is comprised of instructionally-focused concepts with supporting infrastructure suggestions for the Board’s consideration. In order to prepare L.A. Unified learners for today’s world, the recommendations that follow are founded on providing personalized learning opportunities for all learners. Thus, the recommendations propose a shift in instructional paradigm: effective instruction necessitates technology. If educators are not leveraging technology, how will students be best prepared for today’s increasingly digital world? How can students be expected to excel in higher education environments or effectively launch their careers without exposure to digital tools? More importantly, how can teachers effectively meet each student precisely where they are without digital tools to help them identify areas of instructional need? Personalized learning cannot occur in the District’s current instructional model unless educators begin leveraging the many opportunities afforded by digital tools to promote learner agency and academic rigor.

This report is comprised of the following sections:

Introduction: This section provides the framing necessary to understand the proposed recommendations, which requires an instructional paradigm shift. 

Foundations: This section highlights two resources that played an integral part in the development of each recommendation and the infrastructure requests needed to support a 21st century instructional shift. 

Recommendations: This section outlines the instructional recommendations put forth by the ITI Task Force, which were developed to lead subsequent infrastructure decisions. Recommendations were informed by a great deal of discussion through independent workgroup efforts and collaborative task force learning experiences

Grade Span Examples:: This section provides classroom examples that demonstrate how instructional activities can be designed to address the aforementioned recommendations while helping students meet International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards in elementary and secondary settings.. 

Infrastructure Support: This section identifies District infrastructure needs that must be fulfilled to support the proposed instructional recommendations. 

Funding Options: This section provides a summary of funding models that can be considered by the District to support effective instruction by leveraging digital tools.

District Efforts: This section outlines the District’s current efforts to develop an effective and sustainable model to implement personalized learning practices with digital learning tools. 

Glossary: This section defines keywords that are essential to understanding the full extent of each recommendation and their implication for cultivating a District-wide culture that supports personalized learning for all learners. 

Appendix: This section houses ITI Task Force information such as minutes, task force member list, resources produced and/or reviewed by the task force.  

Each recommendation and infrastructure support identified were based on discussion, research, and hearing directly from District stakeholders. Two key resources that informed this work were the 2015 National Education Technology Plan (NETP) and the 2016 ISTE Standards for Students. The 2015 NETP provides the vision for instructional technology nationwide, highlighting the potential of technology to amplify instructional practices and address matters of equity and accessibility. The 2016 ISTE Standards for Students were designed by educators across the nation representing a variety of curricular background and grade levels. 

Six instructional recommendations were developed around three core principles: learner agency, academic rigor, and learner-centered learning environment. Below are the instructional recommendations and the infrastructure supports needed to support the instructional vision:

Instructional Recommendations​

 

Recommendation 1: Enact a continuum for achieving learner agency for students and school leaders.
Recommendation 2: Support teachers in exploring curricular content that is interdisciplinary and provides authentic, real-world application.
Recommendation 3: Support personalized learning initiatives District-wide.
Recommendation 4: Integrate a learning management system (LMS) in support of a learner-centered learning environment
Recommendation 5: Design and deliver learner-driven professional learning opportunities for school leaders, teachers, students, parents, board members and community and business leaders.
Recommendation 6: Develop and adopt District-wide tools to measure lesson effectiveness.

Infrastructure Needs

Need 1: Ensure students and educators have broadband access to the internet and adequate wireless connectivity at school.
Need 2: Establish a baseline minimum that every learner has access to at least one device that connects to the internet.
Need 3: Ensure interoperability between a District-wide Learning Management System (LMS) and the District information technology system.
Need 4: Ensure District leaders understand and adopt a change management approach to leveraging digital tools and resources for instruction.
Need 5: Repurpose staffing according to the instructional goals and vision to achieve personalized learning.
Need 6: Implement a process for consistent annual review and update of related policies that support the instructional vision of personalized learning.
Need 7: Establish pathways for collaborative partnerships between the Division of Instruction and key departments within the District.

In order to provide access to digital learning devices District-wide and realize the vision of the ITI Task Force recommendations, the following funding models were discussed:To support the instructional paradigm shift outlined in the recommendations above, L.A. Unified has taken necessary steps to begin the shift towards personalized learning and effective integration of digital learning tools. Current efforts have included:Please note this hard copy version of the report is out of date as soon as it is printed. In recognizing the dynamic nature of digital learning, the ITI Task Force recommendations will live on a platform called Scalar, which is a media-rich publishing platform aimed at creating an interactive reading experience. With Scalar, each recommendation will be annotated with videos, pictures, and research to help readers develop a comprehensive understanding of what it will take to enact personalized learning District-wide. The digital counterpart to this report will be available at the following link: www.tinyurl.com/ititaskforce.