Student centered learning engages every student regardless of skill level and prepares every student for college readiness, career readiness, and civic engagement.
Principles of student centered learning include:
- Learning is personalized
- Together students and teachers create customized learning experiences based on development needs, skills, and interests
- Learning is competency based
- Students progress as they become proficient
- Students given clear criteria for success and examples of exemplar work
- Learning takes place anywhere/anytime
- Credit for learning outside "typical" educational settings
- Student exert ownership over their learning
- Data is meaningful to them
- Students reflect and provide feedback
- Students practice self-efficacy and work on growth mindset
If we are truly going to engage in student centered learning then we must evaluate what data is collected and how it is used in education. The reality of our current system is that data is used to rank and sort students. How much of the data that is generated and used is actually meaningful to the individual student? Does it actually guide/inform their learning? We spend more time trying to make meaning of the data we have than actually supporting students in finding meaningful data to them.
