The Wooster Teacher Learner Blog

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Personalizing Learning in the Lower School

Lower School students were recently asked why they think Wooster School is so special and such a wonderful place in which to learn. They mentioned things like the beautiful campus and the great food. One observation was especially notable. A student said, “we have great teachers here at Wooster; teachers who make learning fun, teachers who love to learn.” Wooster School is the kind of learning community where everyone, from our youngest students to our most senior administrator, is learning and reflecting all the time and we make that learning public. The students know that their teachers are learners and they know that this is what makes Wooster School special.

As teachers, our collective line of inquiry in the Lower School this year has been on refining the use of our assessment data to develop individual goals for every learner. To that end, we have read shared texts, watched videos, analyzed student work, observed demonstration lessons and worked with consultants who have helped us refine our best work. The PK-5 teachers regularly meet with the 6-8 English team to learn about a common writing assessment that is now used across divisions. Together, we analyzed Wooster student writing in order to clarify shared goals for writers and to norm expectations across grade levels. We aim to ultimately become more expert at providing students with the individualized feedback they need for success in working toward concrete, obtainable goals.

As a team, the Lower School teachers have spent time working with outside consultants who have helped support our focus on personalized learning. Developing literacy goals for our students that are grounded in meaningful data and strong literacy instructional practices is key to growing the strongest possible readers and writers in our classrooms.

Teachers were asked to reflect on their learning following a recent session with one of our consultants. Some highlights from these reflections show how much our teachers love to learn:

• I needed this professional development right now, today, in this moment! Why? We just finished recent assessments and I’m eager to start small group reading instruction.
• I’m excited about the focus on the importance of organizing small group instruction based on different skills and teaching points. Kids won't always be in the same groups for instruction, it depends on the skill-Katie described it as "changing teams." This also allows a mix of level-based and skill specific grouping. Kids aren't stuck in one group. Small group instruction is about growing independence!
• Analyzing the results of an assessment (student work) brought me a new and better understanding of how to use the information to inform instruction in a more personalized manner. It’s always insightful to look at student work together with colleagues.
• How do I work with groups of children who need to work on the same strategies but are at different reading levels/abilities? Do I need multiple copies of books and/or more appropriate books in our "leveled library"?
• Goals/Areas of focus for literacy instruction:
  • How can we know our children better and how can we support them and their reading throughout the year?
  • Ask the child how they feel in the moment - is this a good time for me to just listen or are you ready for some reading advice today?
  • How can we use what we have observed about a student's (logical and strategy based) reading behaviors to set reading goals for children?
  • Form small groups of readers with purpose - when the purpose changes the players change too (strategy based groups)
  • We are building a COMMUNITY of readers!

By focusing on personalizing learning, teachers address the distinct learning needs, interests, aspirations, or cultural backgrounds of individual students. Reflective, thoughtful, caring teachers who love to learn on a beautiful campus and students who know their teachers as learners; a special, wonderful place in which to learn, indeed.