Differentiate instruction. Teach 21st century skills. Make your classroom more inclusive.
There’s no shortage of advice about what educators should do to improve their teaching.
There is, however, a shortage of clear guidance about how to actually do it, especially given all the constraints on teachers’ time.
Personalize Learning, But How?
There’s growing consensus that we should cast aside a one-size-fits-all instructional model in favor of a more student-centric one that takes into account the individual needs of students.
It comes as no surprise that people learn best when they have access to learning materials at their level. No one learns advanced calculus without first learning basic math facts.
But agreeing that personalized instruction is more effective than pitching straight down the middle doesn’t necessarily translate to an ability to implement personalized learning. It is, of course, a skill that teachers have to learn and develop.
One-Size-Fits-All PD Doesn't Cut It
Unfortunately, most professional learning is delivered in the exact same one-size-fits-all model of instruction that PD facilitators push against.
Not only does the vast majority of PD lack personalization, most teachers have little to no sense of their current skill level, their next steps, nor even what they should be striving to achieve.
In other words, more advice about what teachers should do – personalize instruction – without providing anything close to personalized instruction for the educators who are supposed to implement it.
It’s for this reason that we created the 7 Core 21st Century Teacher Competencies framework, a model intended to provide teachers with a roadmap for developing the skills and knowledge needed to implement personalized instruction, amongst other high-leverage instructional strategies.
A static skills roadmap alone, however, won’t necessarily lead to action.
That’s why we created the 21st Century Teacher Scorecard to provide teachers with a specific breakdown of their strengths and areas of growth in the 7 Core Competencies.
A Learning Plan Tailored to Your Strengths and Areas of Growth
While it’s helpful to get a broader understanding of your current skill level in each of the core competencies, numbers alone don’t translate to action.
We already know that students learn best when they receive targeted feedback with a clear suggestion about what do next.
The same, of course, is true for teachers. Yet most lack access to custom, personalized feedback with suggested next steps, particularly in regards to effective technology integration.
That’s why in addition to generating numerical scores, our 21st Century Teacher Scorecard also generates a personalized action plan based on an individual’s strengths and areas of growth.
For example, if you were to score Beginner in the category Curate Curriculum you’ll get a personalized report with an action plan tailored to your current skill level.
Even if you score Advanced in a particular category, the Scorecard report will still include a suggested plan of action to help you build upon your strengths.
It’s important to note that the idea isn’t for the Scorecard to be used as an evaluative tool. Its sole purpose is to help increase your self-awareness and sense of ownership over your own development as a 21st Century Teacher.
The key to helping educators leverage the power of technology to meet the needs of today’s students is effective teacher training. Helping educators understand their own strengths and areas of growth, as well as what to do next, is a foundational piece of any effective personalized learning plan for teachers.
To get your own free personalized report and action plan, click the button below to take the 21st Century Teacher Scorecard.
