Teacher As Maestro

I have been getting some push back lately, as I converse with colleagues about the focus on personalized learning and/or competency-based education. While many acknowledge that learners benefit from choices and flexible timelines, they argue that our traditional educational structures are just too rigid to allow for these modifications.

In order for teachers to maintain their sanity and keep "control" of classes, some of my friends in academia support a streamlined curriculum and more standardized activities and assessments. In some ways, our accreditors also prefer this type of approach. While this viewpoint may provide a "clean" path to an identified educational credential, the authenticity of learning for students may be lost during the journey.

With the tools currently available, I believe it is possible to support individualized, relevant learning opportunities, without succumbing to chaos. What might this look like in a college course? Let's start with Learning Outcomes. If learners know what the end game is, then they can work to accomplish what is expected. As teachers provide appropriate resources (curating content), suggested activities, and options for assessment related to the learning outcomes, learners can identify how to achieve and demonstrate their learning. Expecting students to communicate their learning paths and choices, and providing various avenues for communication and collaboration, facilitates this work. Using the digital resources in our Canvas LMS, resources, activities, communication networks and assessments can be organized for students to evaluate and implement.

While each student may be participating a bit differently, all have the focus on the identified learning outcomes and ultimately providing evidence of the accomplishment of these. My current simile is : Teacher as Maestro. Each student is an orchestra member, playing their own instrument, and perfecting their unique part, as the instructor coordinates the efforts into one grand, beautiful sonata. What ensues is lovely music, not chaos. Anyone with me?