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 that are
Any meaningful change in the classroom starts with a why and has a plan for implementation. I recently began a process constructed by the Institute for Personalized Learning called Constellation Creation for intentional innovation in the classroom. It is a process designed to not simply craft a vision, but to craft a vision with steps for immediate implementation. I plan on writing a series of posts about the process I am being guided through with my friend and specialist at the institute Kate Sommerville.
The Constellation is a multi-step process where you go from a sea of stars
To a series of manageable elements that include learning, relationships, and structures.
It is filled with a series of guided steps that I'm currently working through with Kate.
It begins with finding your North Star. That vision that will guide you. It is the constant. What you look up to set your course by and correct your course to. Here’s my vision.
When I think about my vision, I think Learner Agency sums it up. But it’s not as simple as just saying agency. I see agency in two major components in the classroom: Learning and Assessing. As I build my constellation, agency will be a guide. Moving towards a system in which learners are able to help co-design aspects of learning and assessment.
In the next stages of planning we will look at the what. What are we looking for in the classroom and what elements of the personalized learning model are the best fit for making a part of our constellation.
Kate brought a great revelation to me that is totally in line with the Mantra of the Innovators mindset. That is the importance of relationships. That is why when crafting a constellation, it's helpful to look at the elements that align with relationships and roles in the classroom. Take a look at these. Which one or ones they line up with your vision for your classroom. How will you shape a vision around them?
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