“With well-designed pedagogy, we can empower kids with critical skills and help them turn passions into decisive life advantages. The role of education is no longer to teach content, but to help our children learn—in a world that rewards the innovative and punishes the formulaic.” Most Likely to Succeed: Preparing Our Kids for the Innovation Era by Tony Wagner
Today's Workshop
Throughout this school year we’ve made some exciting progress with the Portrait of a Learner. For instance, in recent months our students in the Mastery Transcript pilot program have published their Mastery Learning Records and received acceptances from colleges and universities. We’ve updated the skillsets specific to each competency. Every teacher has practiced a reflection protocol that can be used with students as an embedded part of the curriculum. Beyond that, we’ve provided each classroom with laminated PoL sheets that help to make the PoL accessible to all students on a daily basis. In addition, we expanded school-wide knowledge of the PoL through advisories lessons and a district-wide Inspired Learning Day Design Challenge.
This work has been met with various degrees of excitement, curiosity, and skepticism. There is no roadmap to guide our work in this area. We’re learning from our successes and failures while continually keeping an eye on the future. In today’s workshop, we’ll work together to explore our next steps by responding to feedback, and refining the messaging and opportunities connected to the PoL.
This work has been met with various degrees of excitement, curiosity, and skepticism. There is no roadmap to guide our work in this area. We’re learning from our successes and failures while continually keeping an eye on the future. In today’s workshop, we’ll work together to explore our next steps by responding to feedback, and refining the messaging and opportunities connected to the PoL.
What's the (6-word) story?
Find a partner from another location in the room. Working together, review the quote by Tony Wagner that is posted above. Then, write a six-word story that either summarizes or responds to the quotation.
Looking for some inspiration? Check out the examples to the right. |
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Check out the 6-word stories written by our Lead Learners below!
Portrait of a Learner Stations
Station 1: Classroom, School, and District
Over the course of the past two months, each department has brainstormed next steps that we could take with the Portrait of a Learner at the classroom, school, and district levels. Take a moment to review their work. What action steps are missing? What suggestions do you have for additional next steps? |
Station 2: Importance of PoL
Consider how we can help students and staff to see the direct connection of the Portrait of a Learner to their future in college, careers, and beyond. Some of the feedback from the Inspired Learning Day suggested that Nipmuc’s approach to introducing the Portrait of a Learner does not resonate with students. Regardless, we know that research, employers, accrediting agencies, and colleges/universities are asking public schools to focus intentionally on skills like those found in the Portrait of a Learner in addition to important content in order to prepare students for their future. List ideas and suggestions about how to highlight the importance, relevance, and impact of the PoL skills for future readiness with students, staff, and the community. |
Station 3: Data Collection
Schools often rely on data like MCAS scores, AP achievement, and college matriculation rates as ways to tell the story of their success. MURSD’s strategic plan asks us to move beyond the limitations of these data sets to develop “new metrics of success.” Ask yourself, how would we know if someone has succeeded with the Portrait of a Learner? Consider the types of data we can collect about the Portrait of a Learner that would help us determine if students have developed the skills outlined in the PoL. What might these new success metrics look like? (Keep in mind that as a school we are committed to refraining from implementing a traditional, teacher-focused system of measuring student achievement of the Portrait of a Learner.) Write your suggestions on what types of data you would collect about the accomplishment of the Portrait of a Learner on the chart paper provided. |
Station 4: Curricular Connections Think about day-to-day lesson plans, powerful learning experiences, highlights of learning focused on engagement and authenticity, performance assessments, and other curricular connections. What connections can be made to the Portrait of a Learner? List some opportunities that already exist in the school’s curriculum to practice and reflect on the Portrait of a Learner. |
Station 5: Inspired Learning Days Some of the feedback from the Inspired Learning Day suggested that Nipmuc’s approach to introducing the Portrait of a Learner does not resonate with students. Inspired Learning Days were specifically created to help students practice and reflect on the PoL skills. What changes we can make to Inspired Learning Days to help students understand the importance of, practice, and reflect on the PoL skills? |