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Teaching & Learning in the 21st Century Main Menu Making Connections Introduction Introduction Los Angeles Unified School District

Recommendations

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Six instructional recommendations were developed around three core principles: learner agency, academic rigor, and learner-centered learning environment. Learner agency is defined as learners being self-directed, engaging as both consumers and producers of knowledge. Academic rigor is defined as instructional experiences that encourage computational thinking, allow learners to struggle through and organize abstract information, and which provide real world connections where learners can actively apply their knowledge to circumstances beyond the classroom. Such a learner-centered learning environment is facilitated by a learning management system (LMS), where educators can design lessons that are collaborative and personalized to meet students where they are in their learning.

Recommendation 1: Enact a continuum for achieving learner agency for students and school leaders. In developing and adopting a continuum for achieving learner agency recognizes that learners will invariably be at different places in their learning compared to their peers. The primary purpose of the continuum is personal reflection, self assessment, and growth. Through change management, the development and adoption of such a continuum would demonstrate the shift in mindset, culture, practices and resources needed to achieve personalized learning.

Recommendation 2: Support teachers in exploring curricular content that is interdisciplinary and provides authentic, real-world application. A learner’s educational experience is more authentic and has greater value when the curriculum reflects real life. Engaging learners and helping them to develop their knowledge, insights, problem-solving skills, self-confidence, self-efficacy and a passion for learning are common goals that effective educators incorporate in the classroom. Infusing instruction with classroom practices that promote exploration and interdisciplinary activities, however, remains a challenge for many educators. Thus, supports are needed to facilitate the development and design of instructional experiences that foster authentic, real-world applications.   

Recommendation 3: Support personalized learning initiatives District-wide. When educators teach to an “imaginary average student” or with a “one size fits all approach,” learners miss out on receiving personalized instruction that helps them develop learner agency. Research such as that referenced in the Universal  Design for Learning (UDL) Framework clearly indicates that a personalized learning approach identifies and monitors the learner’s modalities and preferences to ensure their learning needs are being met. Providing access to appropriate digital tools and resources in addition to their purposeful use enable educators to create a learning environment that is both flexible and personalized for each learner

Recommendation 4: Integrate a learning management system (LMS) in support of a learner-centered learning environment. Personalized learning cannot occur without leveraging the utility of an LMS, which brings forth opportunities that were previously not feasible in a traditional classroom. An LMS serves as a platform for housing class materials, assessments, and online communication and where students, teachers, and parents can sign on to access these materials anytime, anywhere.

Recommendation 5: Design and deliver learner-driven professional learning opportunities for school leaders, teachers, students, parents, board members and community and business leaders. Professional learning opportunities must reflect and model the type of interactions and tasks that are needed to prepare students for today’s digital world. For many of today’s educators, the type of instructional paradigm shift promoted in these recommendations will require a steep learning curve in understanding why it is important and how to implement it.  Professional learning must focus on creating safe and productive spaces for teachers to begin planning and experimenting with the concepts that have been shared. Too often, professional development experiences center on giving strategies to teachers rather than coaching them on how to deliver the strategies to students. As a result, teachers leave the session with a toolbox of ideas that are rarely implemented. Instead, more personalized professional learning time should be spent on helping teachers plan, develop materials, and practice delivering the strategies with support. Through modeling such instructional practices in professional learning opportunities, it is one important method of building capacity District-wide.

Recommendation 6: Develop and adopt District-wide tools to measure lesson effectiveness. The District is in need of identifying lesson effectiveness tools to ensure that each educator's approach to academic rigor is providing consistent learning gains across the District.

 

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