- Story
Sycamore Community School District 427 has recently launched the PLAY (Professional Learning and You) Academy, an initiative aimed at exploring learner-centered education. The purpose of the Academy is to give staff a platform to experiment with learner-centered education, grow in their understanding, and share insights with like-minded colleagues. The ultimate goal is to learn more about what learner-centered education looks like and scale it up for the entire district over time. The Academy started this year and is already generating a lot of excitement among staff members.
“I have seen many students struggle with the traditional structure of school and the expectations of learning within the classroom. When PLAY Academy was presented, I thought of all of my students who succeed in non-traditional formats, and what a great change we can make to our classrooms to help everyone succeed,” said Mrs. Victoria Maas, 4th Grade Teacher at Southeast Elementary School.
Learner-centered education is all about placing the student at the center of the learning process. This means that learning takes precedence over teaching, and students have some say in what they learn, how they learn, or how they show what they have learned.
“I am so grateful for the folks who took the leap to be the lead learners in this process and help us plan what this will look like as it starts to take shape in Sycamore 427,” said Mr. Mike Rice, Director of Learning and Teaching. “We have so many great things happening because of so many wonderful teachers. We knew that working alongside our staff would be the best place to start rolling out some of these ideas and to develop a strategy to scale them up for our entire district.”
Mr. Rice also emphasized that the Academy is not meant to overshadow the amazing work already happening in the district, but rather to enhance it and make it more interactive and respectful of teachers' expertise and students' agency. The focus is on shifting the emphasis from teaching to learning, empowering students to take control of their education, and creating a growth mindset. The Academy is a platform for teachers to explore these concepts and reflect on how they can create a more interactive and choice-driven learning environment for their students.
As a district, we are excited for our learners. With the hard work and dedication of our staff and the support of our community, we will soon start to see some unique and meaningful ways in which this philosophy will begin to take root in our schools.
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