Personalized Learning
Personalized Learning is changing the landscape of education in exciting ways! Traditional school is all about memorized facts and getting a grade. But personalized learning is about competence, creativity, and a rekindled passion to experience the thrill of learning we all knew as young children. Standardized curriculum and testing no longer fit the educational environment needed to prepare students for the future. Personalized Learning does. It is a comprehensive process created around the individual needs and interests of each child. It's what sets Paradigm Learning apart from all other schools.
The 5 Elements Personalized Learning
1. Learning Profile. Each student is assessed for current education levels in the areas of language arts, math, social studies and science, and for gaps in past learning. Through discussions with the student we determine interests, learning preferences, and other relevant information to create a learning profile that optimizes the student's learning experience.
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2. Individual Learning Path. Whether a student is at level 3.2 in Math and 5.1 in English, that is where the learning path begins. From there each student is able to learn and advance at their own pace in a manner designed just for them.
3. Flexible Learning Environment. We learn in various ways. We use technology, hands-on, perhaps background music, collaboration, isolation, or a combination, the Paradigm process seeks to cooperate with our students' preferences.
4. Student Voice and Choice. Students need to be involved in their learning process. This is how they become engaged and gain ownership over their education. Students will begin to connect what they are learning with their interests, passions, and the world around them.
5. Competency-Based Grading. This is where everything comes together and makes sense to the students and students become competent to use what they have learned. They experience the "why" of learning by using the Maker Space to create their own Passion Projects. They apply what they have learned to what interests them. It connects the theoretical world of data and facts to real life and allows the students to show us what they have mastered. This incorporates concepts like project-based learning, genius hour, multiple dimensions of technology, and community service, among others.
5 Learning Zones
Learning Zones are designed to teach students how to study. They help achieve agency by developing skills such as critical thinking, public speaking and collaboration
Learning Zones are areas set apart for students to engage in various stages of the process of study. Our goal is to make the process of learning second nature so they not only become life-long learners, but learn to exercise agency in responsible ways throughout life.
A student moves from zone to zone as they experience learning through various stages of thinking, learning, and applying.
The 5 Learning Zones:
1. Thinking
2. Collaboration
3. Research
4. Creating
5. Writing
