Amanda Gorman reminds us, “For there is always light if we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.” I love this provocation and am so grateful for many educators who are showing up and being brave, meeting learners where they are, and paving the way forward.  In my new book, Evolving Education: Shifting to a Learner-Centered Paradigm, I share examples, strategies, and research about what is not only possible but actually happening for learners today. I wanted to share a few of the bright spots with you.

1. The Impact of an Educator

I’ll never forget when my son told me he was miserable in school and asked how much longer he had to be in school? Since he was only in 2nd grade, I told him, a lot longer! Thankfully between 2nd and 3rd grade, he made incredible progress, and I am forever grateful for his teacher, Miss Hassey. He went from a frustrated learner to loving school. One simple strategy made a huge impact on his confidence and competence and how he saw himself as a learner. He explained, “Ms.Hassey gave us a really hard math problem and we all used our own strategies to figure it out. She picked mine to share with the class!” If you want to know more, you can read chapter 1 of the book here. 

2. Expanding the Definition of Success

When students have ownership and purpose in their learning we see they are more invested in the process. Learner Profiles are a great way to make the knowledge, skills, and mindsets explicit and accessible for students and empower them to drive their learning. Embark, a microschool in Denver, designed this learner profile to articulate the competencies that they strive for their students to learn, practice, and grow.

3. Demonstrations of Learning

I had the honor of joining the 8th-grade portfolio defenses at one of our partner schools, SEEQS, a charter school in Hawai’i. Each 8th-grade student had 30 minutes to share with family, friends, teachers, and community members what they have accomplished and demonstrate their understanding of the SEEQS skills. The portfolio is a moment in time and an opportunity to showcase students but it wouldn’t have been possible without the high expectations, guidance, coaching, and relentless work of their teachers.

One of the students summed it up beautifully: 

At SEEQS, I have heard a consistent message: we use our gifts, our skills, and our talents to be stewards of the planet and to benefit our community. 

4. Starting with Strengths

Odyssey STEM Academy in Paramount Unified School District helps identify and builds on students’ strengths, interests, and values and helps them to explore potential careers.  Against one wall in one of the classrooms, each student has listed personal strengths, passions, and careers he or she is interested in. These student-produced profiles embody several of Odyssey’s key values: knowing learners well; teaching learners to use their minds, hearts, and hands; and learning beyond school walls. Through authentic projects and internships, students deepen their understanding of how their skills translate to the world of work, what interests them and what doesn’t.  

5. Creating Authentic Learning Experiences

We know that students are all at different places and have varying strengths and challenges which is why there is a need now more than ever to create more personalized, learner-centered experiences where each child gets what they need to move forward, not just more pressure to do more work and to catch up.

In January of 2020, I was invited to the Encinitas Union School District DREAMS (Design, Research, Engineering, Math, Science) Farm Lab to be one of the visiting judges for the culminating event of Salad Wars—an competition in which sixth graders create, bottle, and market their own salad dressing. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched each team’s unique presentation—from “Dressing Impossible,” whose team wore Mission Impossible-inspired matching uniforms, to Kaleifornia, whose brand focused on a California theme. These kids blew me away with their marketing pitches, logos, collaboration, innovation, and amazing salad dressing.

6. Sparking Curiosity

One of my favorite ideas to spark curiosity and honor the questions that students have is an “I Wonder” board from Flora Vista Elementary School where students can post questions they are interested in exploring. You could also host a virtual “I Wonder” board and use Flipgrid or a discussion board to share questions? Students could share what they know, or conduct research and comment on what they have learned. If you create a space where kids can both engage in topics that interest them and share what they know, they will be much more invested in researching and sharing what they find with others. What problems or challenges do your students see? What are they interested in learning more about?

7. Empowering Educators

Agency isn’t only for students! I had the opportunity to support the planning of a 3 day conference with Casey Rimmer in Union County Public Schools. Based on the vision set out by Superintendent, Dr. Andrew Houlihan, the whole district had an opportunity to be inspired by what is possible with keynotes and student panels. To dig deeper, each team engaged in protocols to debrief and make meaning. They identified goals, and selected choice sessions to learn new strategies and resources based on their needs.

After a challenging year and then some, it was great to see teams inspired as they identified an aspiration or a problem of practice that they wanted to work on and create plans to bring their ideas to life at their school. 

Research shows that adult learners thrive in the same environments that best support our younger learners: environments that promote agency, position learning in ways that feel personal and relevant, and equip learners with the transferable skills and competencies they need to engage in authentic learning. ​Transformational professional learning is a process, not a singular event.

These examples of what’s working and more are shared in Evolving Education. Check out the self-assessment and conversation guide to go deeper into each chapter’s key shift.

I would love to hear what’s working in your context! Please share them in the comments or tag me on social @katiemartinedu #EvovlingEducation