Focusing on Student-Centered Learning Experiences

Earlier in the week, I wrote a blog about the kick-off of Digital Learning Day.  I hope you were able to participate and I’m glad there’s a day to recognize the efforts of students, teachers, and school leaders who are spearheading innovation.  Now that the official “Day” is over, it’s important to reflect on the work in this area that’s happening every day of the school year, across the state of Delaware.

Teachers like Tara Amsterdam and Beth Greenstein in the Colonial School District, and Jill Szymanski in the Red Clay School District are flipping instruction, providing highly individualized student feedback, and are maximizing their instructional time in the classroom.  Teachers like Melissa Tracy in the Red Clay School District are spearheading the effort to make courses accessable by offering them through an online distance-learning lab.  And the Rodel Teacher Council is creating a policy blueprint for personalized learning.  At the end of March, the Council will be going on a two day site visit of schools in New York City’s iZone, a cluster of schools throughout the city that are embracing blended learning models, flipped classrooms, digital learning, and other means of student-centered learning.

By providing access to high quality, student specific educational content; facilitating collaboration; and giving teachers more flexibility, technology an essential component in personalized student instruction.  Students in Delaware are reaping the benefits of instructors who are embracing this throughout their classrooms, schools, and districts.