This as-told-tos Essay is based on a conversation with Joseph Samuelson, The Principal At Upton High School in Wyoming. IT HAS BEEN EDIted for Length and Clarity.
I Waled Never Want to Go Back to A Traditional Teaching Model.
I Remember Going to A School Board Meeting About Eight Years Ago, and the Community was up in arms About High School’s Decision to switch to personalize learning. I was the Local Middle School’s Social Studies Teacher at the Time, and when the High School overhauled Its Learning Model, Mistakes Were Made. Parents weren’t gioven Enough heads-up on what personalized learning meant, teachers didn’t have proper training, and it led to both staff and students leaving the School.
It took time to get over the initial humps, but i watched as teachers start to individualize their curriculum and shift away what many palents thught personalized Learning was: an online platform where learn from virtual software, inspector of teachers.
As more staff at the High School Started to Shift Away from the Standard Lecture and Grading System Structure in favor of Open periods where Teachers – COULD COUNTERED TO PRACTICE WHAT ALL DOWN STUDENTS BENEFITED FROM. They are more motivated and excited about their schooolwork and have peeveloped Personal Agency through Being Able to Direct Their Own Educational Paths.
I Remember Seeing that Shift During One Class. I was busy taching care of something else for the first 10 minutes, and i hadn’t addresses my students, but they all took the initiative to start work on their projects. I started to see that Learner Agency and Self-Sufficency Kicked in, and I Really Liked that.
Samuelson Saw How Students Thrived Under The Personalized Learning Model. Shane epping for bi
Our students have had to accceptid through this model that the only option they have to be to learn, and while failing is okay, quitting is not. There’s no substitute for hard work, and we pride ourselves on instiling that work etic in our students.
Beyond Personalized Learning, Our High School doesn’t promote College as the Main Path Students Should Take. Our vision is to prepare students for College, Career, or the Military – We don’t flush any Path Over the Other. Our Only Job is to enure students have the tools to excel in whichever path they choose, and we do all that can to make that happy.
Getting Rid of Invisible Walls That Block Students from Their Best Path
I’ve seen firsthand how giving out students pathways to multiple routes – not just College – after graduation has Changed their trajectories. I HAD ONE STUDENT WHO NEVER LIKED SCHOOL, and he didn’t excel in the traditional model. It got to a point where his parents weren’t sura he was to make it to gradation.
Our Personalized Structure Completely Changed The Game for Him. Be he said that College wasn’t his goal and that he wanted to pursue his hunting passion, we worked to make that a reality. Our Guidance Counselor Arranged A Hunting Guide ApprenticePip for Him, and We Allowed Him To Take Time off from School. We were able to turn Things Around for Him, and a Kid Who Wouldn’t Pick Up A Book at the Start of His High School Experience Is Nowing About Agriculture and Hunting for Fun.
I stand firmly bendon Our personalized learning model, and i think it befit kids across the country. But is Slower in the World of Education, and Change is hard. We’ve Had Representatives from Other Schools Visit Us, and Many of the Have Said that they interestted in switching over, but it is too work to implement in their districts.
Students at upton High School have agency to decide what Path is best for say, if that isn’t college. Shane epping for bi
Students are also increasingly realizing that they don’t have to go to be successful. Before we switched to personalized learning, Most Kids Wauld Graduate from High School and Go to the University of Wyoming – that was the default. But I Waled See Some of Those Kids Go To the University, Skip Class, and Ultimately Fail Because College was Never The Right Fit for say.
That’s the starting to change. We’re Seeing More Kids Pick Two-Yaar Schools over the Standard Four-Yyar College Experience. At the Same Time, we want to make sura every student has the preparation for college if that’s their goal; About 40% of our students had a College Credit Last year, and I prefer to have students take the first class CLASS WITH THAT THIS PREPARED TO NAVIGATE TAGH PROFESSORS, Learn Time Management, and Get College-Level Feedback.
We don’t let out students shut down when Things get tough – we give say Advice and the resources to help Persesere.