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Less Physics Mo Problems

Why am I writing this personal entry? Well, it is not an attempt to gain any sympathy. It attempts to show what is possible if a clear intention and goal serve the learner's needs.  In May of 2022 just near the end of another fantastic school year, I do not remember what happened. But, I was unable to finish the school year and was unable to teach the following year.  Why? On May 21st, 2022, I fell down a flight of 16 stairs (luckily carpeted) from the 2nd to 1st story of our home.  I was found at the bottom of the stairs. I was found foaming at the mouth. This would lead to a 2-month hospital stay which included an induced coma because my seizures would not stop, several rounds of lumbar punctures, and relearning basic physical movements like something as simple as being able to roll in the hospital bed. Simply put, when I was admitted to the hospital, I was diagnosed as being “critically ill.” Please take a moment and read those words: critically ill. They are not terms...

Q & A with Dr. James Rickabaugh





We had our last book club PLC meeting of the school year.  Now, we only made it through chapter 2 of the book.  But, we had some very good discussions and I think everyone in the group has a better grasp on what it means to personalize learning.

Today, we were lucky enough to have the author of the book Dr. James Rickabaugh in for a Q & A session.  I used Periscope for the session.  Because of using Periscope, the quality of the videos I have added below is less that great.  But the message is not.  Regardless of where you are on the continuum of understanding the "why", "what", and "how" of personalized learning, these are must see! (or listen - I posted a SoundCloud link at the bottom of the post)

Question:  What is the history of personalized learning and the honeycomb model?



Question:  How do we know personalized learning strategies work?  What research guides it?





Question:  How can teachers is traditional models with large class sizes hope to manage and scale personalized learning?



Question: How can we make sense of the personalized learning model as it relates to the Danielson Framework and Common Core Standards?






Here is an audio version of the chat you can listen to instead of watching.  Great for those of us who like the idea of listening while our eyes and hands are occupied with other things.




I look forward to continuing with this book club trend over the summer with our district digital corps and maybe another book club PLC next year.  Maybe one that could last longer than one term.  A deep thank you to Dr. Rickabaugh for coming in and for the administration for their support in building this PLC.

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