Bright Spots: Design for Learning

Dear Educator,

What I know is that when we begin with what we want for learners and design from there, we can create new and better learner-centered models. It can feel daunting, but you don’t have to transform the system to make an impact, you can start with your class, your assignments, schedule, or your beliefs. I am so inspired by educators who continue to grow and keep evolving to meet the needs of their learners.??

This week, I want to share the design process for a new learner-centered high school, Synergy, that my colleague?Brianna Hodges?and I had the opportunity to facilitate.

With Gratitude,

Katie

BRIGHT SPOT OF THE WEEK

Bringing the Synergy Vision to Life

Through deep partnership with the?Mineola Union Free School District?team, we designed a series of experiences to bring the vision of Synergy to life. We started by understanding the strengths and culture of Mineola Free Union School District by meeting with the Superintendent,?Dr. Mike Nagler, the board president, instructional leaders, school administrators, teachers, and learners.

Based on the vision, our design sessions were structured to align norms, structures, routines, and roles to create the desired experiences for learners. Over two days, the team redefined the role of the Synergy learner, the role of the Synergy teacher and the role of Synergy mentors. Finally,?we designed flexible structures and routines to support their vision and ensure choice and agency of learners were central in the process.

With a shared vision of high academic, social and emotional well-being outcomes,?shifting our practices often requires questioning the status quo and re-designing systems and policies for learners to achieve their goals. Start small and make tweaks and assess the impact.?

Interested in discussing how you might design for better learning experiences in your school or district? Let's connect!

RESOURCE ROUNDUP

Below are some resources to help educators envision learning experiences that ensure choice and agency in learners.

1.?Synergy Experiential Lab.?Interested in learning more about?Synergy? Check out this video by the team at Mineola as they reimagine what school could be. Watch the teaser?now.?

2. Connect with us on social media.?Did you know we're on Instagram?!?Explore more pictures and reels from our work with Synergy and other partners on our?official page.

3.?Explore another learner-centered model. Uncover how our partner school Embark Education is rethinking what's possible in education through embedded, integrated, and learner-centered models of education. View the?full case study.

LET'S SHARE OUR BRIGHT SPOTS!

How do you keep learners central to your design process? Share your back-to-school?#LCBrightSpots?on social media!