Episode 704: Personalized Learning 101: A District Leader's Perspective

 

Ashley Mengwasser:

You may have heard of an instructional strategy taking a foothold across Georgia, a strategy built less on generalization and more on customization. It's a proven means to enhance student learning, helping students succeed, and the Georgia DOE says it's not a fad technology initiative or a passing trend, it is the future of learning. What am I getting at? We're giving you the 101 today on Classroom Conversations.

Georgia educators, thanks for returning for another shining season of Classroom Conversations. Welcome to the premiere episode of season seven, if you can believe your ears. I'm Ashley Mengwasser, your host. In case you're new here, this series is presented by the Georgia Department of Education and Georgia Public Broadcasting. Season seven is unique in that we are doing our first ever deep dive into one sensational subject, the student-centered practices for heightened engagement, known as personalized learning. Georgia defines personalized learning as an instructional approach that uses student voice to enact an individual path and pace through a collection of competencies. Georgia's personalized learning strategies and standards lay the groundwork for the expansion of these practices statewide.

This episode is your starting line, and all-season long, marathon style, we'll align you with assorted aspects of personalized learning instruction. We start with a big picture vision from the leadership deck. Today's guest brings us a personalized learning overview from a district leader's perspective. Welcome to the podcast, Computer Science teacher and Personalized Learning Director for Twiggs County School District, Dr. Shiona Drummer. Hi, Dr. Drummer.

Shiona Drummer:

How are you doing?

Ashley Mengwasser:

Good. How's your day so far?

Shiona Drummer:

It has been a fantastic day so far.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Made even better by a podcast appearance.

Shiona Drummer:

Absolutely.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Have you ever been a podcast guest?

Shiona Drummer:

Never.

Ashley Mengwasser:

We're glad that you're our guest today.

Shiona Drummer:

Thank you.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Dr. Drummer, what is that surname? What's the origin of that?

Shiona Drummer:

Now, that's a great question.

Ashley Mengwasser:

You don't know either?

Shiona Drummer:

I don't know.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Do you, by happenstance, have any musical abilities that we should know about?

Shiona Drummer:

I used to play snare, I was first chair.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Are you serious?

Shiona Drummer:

Absolutely.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Oh, percussionist. It was in your path and your destiny.

Shiona Drummer:

It was.

Ashley Mengwasser:

All right. Well, you're joining us from Twiggs County. I did a little research and I found out that it is the actual geographic center of the state of Georgia.

Shiona Drummer:

That's right.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Who knew? Tell us about Twiggs and also the makeup of your school district.

Shiona Drummer:

Sure. So Twiggs County is, as you said, the geographical center of the state. It is made up of some of the best people you will ever encounter. Definitely, they are some of the kindest, most open-hearted, genuine people. And our school district is made up of roughly 760 students.

Ashley Mengwasser:

That's small.

Shiona Drummer:

That's small. Yep. So that's elementary, middle, high. We have three schools. We have an elementary school, which is Jeffersonville Elementary School, we have Twiggs County Middle School, and Twiggs County High School, and the middle and high school are a comprehensive school, so they're on the same campus.

Ashley Mengwasser:

I see. Okay. Wonderful. Open-hearted people in the heart of Georgia, that makes perfect sense to me.

Shiona Drummer:

It makes perfect sense.

Ashley Mengwasser:

And you've been Personalized Learning Director for four years now?

Shiona Drummer:

That's correct.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Could you elaborate on what it means to be a personalized learning district leader and maybe how your duties changed in that position?

Shiona Drummer:

Okay. So, being the Personalized Learning Director for Twiggs County Public Schools has just basically meant being a champion for all things personalized learning, so working with the teachers and students, making sure that even their families are aware of some of the personalized learning things that are going on in the classrooms and why. So it's basically becoming a strategic partner for the teachers, making sure that they feel comfortable implementing different personalized learning strategies in their classrooms, communicating things with their students so that it makes sense to the students. And also, again, being able to speak to it when it comes to the family members. As far as how things have changed with my role, being that this is our fourth year doing it, it's more so moved for me being a person who delivers more professional learning on personalized learning, PL on PL.

Ashley Mengwasser:

I love that, so meta.

Shiona Drummer:

Yes. To being more of a support agent and making sure that they know that they have an advocate for them as they continue to traverse the world of personalized learning.

Ashley Mengwasser:

A champion and an advocate. I think that exactly describes what you do, but another piece of what you do is you're still a seventh through 12th grade computer science teacher. How's that workload for you?

Shiona Drummer:

It's a workload. It is a workload.

Ashley Mengwasser:

It is a workload.

Shiona Drummer:

The good thing about it is I have wonderful students. My kids are great and I enjoy everything that they bring to the table. And you better believe that seventh to 12th graders bring some things to the table.

Ashley Mengwasser:

I'll bet they do. Well, it sure makes your commute convenient because they're on basically the same campus, you mentioned.

Shiona Drummer:

Correct.

Ashley Mengwasser:

So, that's nice.

Shiona Drummer:

That is nice. I stay stagnant and they come to me.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Oh, there you go.

Shiona Drummer:

That's how it goes. So, we have a great setup because we're on a small campus. When the bell rings, one point of the day I have middle schoolers, then I have high schoolers, so it works out very well.

Ashley Mengwasser:

That's how you're able to see so many different grades there. I have to applaud your email sign-off, Dr. Drummer, in closing, just before your name, you say something that gave me a frisson, I got chills. It said, "Students are my priority, Dr. Shiona Drummer." I was like, what a wonderful email close. How did you come up with that?

Shiona Drummer:

It just came from my heart. It's what I feel. It's how I choose to go about my day. I make sure that what I do is student-centered, it's focused on bettering my kids, my students, and it's what I continue to strive toward daily.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Yes. What a creative and original sign-off, and I can feel this from you, the more I get to know you. Where are you originally from? Not born in the USA?

Shiona Drummer:

No.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Tell us why.

Shiona Drummer:

Well, I was not born in the USA because my parents were both in the US Army and that's actually how they met.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Oh, wow.

Shiona Drummer:

Yeah, back in the '70s. And so because of that, we moved around a lot and I was not actually born in the US. I was born in Germany and have had wonderful opportunities because my parents serve our country.

Ashley Mengwasser:

So how did you get involved in education? How did that come about?

Shiona Drummer:

Well, it was a conversation. Traditionally, I was not an education major in college. I was a biology major and got a degree in public health and was looking to enter the field of public health. And I had a conversation with a college friend of mine named Ron Wells, and Ron was a teacher in Sandersville and he said, "I really think you'd be a great teacher. Just your personality, you connect well with people, I think the kids would love you. I think you'd do a great job." From that, I decided to look into what... He said it a couple times, but I looked into it and went and visited the first school I actually taught at, which I was there for 11 years, and just sat in on a couple of classes and I said, "I think I could do this. This would be great." And took it from there.

Ashley Mengwasser:

That's what a true friend does; they get you into the field of education.

Shiona Drummer:

That's right.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Have you thanked him since?

Shiona Drummer:

I have.

Ashley Mengwasser:

And now look at you, students are your priority.

Shiona Drummer:

That's right. That's right.

Ashley Mengwasser:

I love to note this about people. When you're at home and you're in your domicile, what is your favorite room in the house, Dr. Drummer?

Shiona Drummer:

Oh my goodness. My favorite room is my kitchen.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Why your kitchen?

Shiona Drummer:

That's where the love is. I get to cook, provide for my children and family, and I love food. I've been a foodie before that was the in thing to say. I-

Ashley Mengwasser:

Who discovered that?

Shiona Drummer:

My grandfather.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Oh, really?

Shiona Drummer:

He called it early and he was spot on.

Ashley Mengwasser:

How early?

Shiona Drummer:

I was probably four.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Really?

Shiona Drummer:

Yeah. I can remember the phone calls. He'd ask me what I was doing, was I eating? That was every phone call. So the kitchen is my favorite room in my home because I love everything that goes into it, the preparation, the execution, and then getting to enjoy it afterwards. And I love doing that with family and friends.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Yeah. Food is definitely the great uniter, I would say. For me, it's probably my living room. I love to have a nice, well-appointed living room and I love to gamify everything, Dr. Drummer. I have contrived quests and thought experiments for everything. In fact, would you humor me with a little bit of a game challenge?

Shiona Drummer:

Let's do it.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Okay. I think it would be fun. A fun introduction to personalized learning, too. Let our audience hear your observations about this by the numbers. That'll give us a little bit of entrée into personalized learning. So let's play a game, One Through Five. I'm going to ask you to list first one, then two, three, four, and five things for me, based on each prompt. And the first prompt is, could you tell us the single best thing about your role as a PL Director?

Shiona Drummer:

The single best thing about my role as the Personalized Learning Director would be the opportunity to support. I really appreciate the opportunities that I have in front of me to work with teachers, to help them feel more comfortable with implementing personalized learning in their classrooms and the many ways that that might look. And also supporting the students, because ultimately that's why I'm here, that's why we do what we do, to make sure that we are producing the best students and lifelong learners that we can.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Hear, hear. And the ways that might look. Let's go to that for a second prompt. How about two simple ways that systems can begin to implement personalized learning? Maybe they're small ways.

Shiona Drummer:

And there are, one way would be just to start using learner profiles. And that's so that the classroom teachers can see what students already know, what they would like to learn, find out their interests and their areas of growth, things that they might need additional support in, and they can do that.

Another way would be to have data-tracking and goal-setting sheets. I think that that would be a very easy way to implement, it could be digital or it could be hard copy, but I think that that would be a very good way as well for them to go ahead and start personalized learning. And they can have tangible things that they can look at-

Ashley Mengwasser:

To reference.

Shiona Drummer:

That's right.

Ashley Mengwasser:

What is a learner profile? Is that something that the student self-reports, or the teacher gathers information? How does that work?

Shiona Drummer:

It could be a combination.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Okay.

Shiona Drummer:

So if I were your teacher, I might give you a learner profile that just asks, of course, your name and all of that, and how do you learn best? What are you interested in learning more about? What's something that you feel you struggle with? What's something that you could teach? What's something that you could just knock right out the park if I asked you to? That would be an example. Those would be examples.

Ashley Mengwasser:

What great fodder you would get from that. And for three, how about some observations or reactions that you've heard from students in reaction to personalized learning? What do students say to this?

Shiona Drummer:

They say different things. So initially you have the, "Okay, why are we doing this?" All right, but that's-

Ashley Mengwasser:

So, that’s one.

Shiona Drummer:

Right, that's with most things.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Because it's new.

Shiona Drummer:

It's new, but then you have the, "Oh, okay, I like this. I get to set a goal and then this is how I did on my goal. I made it or I almost made it."

But then the other part to that, too, is the reflection piece. I've had a chance to hear students say, "I almost made it. If I would've just studied a little bit more or if I would've taken more time, I could have passed that. I rushed through. I didn't think it was that important." Also, I've heard students say, "I really like that my teacher knows more about me."

Ashley Mengwasser:

Aw, that gave me chill. You keep giving me chills. We haven't even been here for half the episode yet. Okay. For four, how about four ways that personalized learning benefits students?

Shiona Drummer:

It tends to be more engaging. It allows the students to advocate for themselves and have more agency when it comes to their educational careers.

It builds the bond between teacher and student. And we know that that's just flat-out good teaching practice anyway.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Integral relationship.

Shiona Drummer:

Very good. That's right. Rita Pearson said that kids don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. That just falls right in line with that.

And then the fourth thing would be personalized learning shows students that basically we're all a work in progress. It definitely looks at goal-setting. So as you accomplish one goal, you don't just rest on your laurels there, you set another and you continue to work towards achieving goal after goal.

Ashley Mengwasser:

It's iterative. You keep going.

Shiona Drummer:

Right. Right.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Yeah. It's got momentum.

Shiona Drummer:

That's right.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Okay. Well close us out with five. How about five key features of personalized learning? What should personalized learning be doing?

Shiona Drummer:

Well, when it comes to personalized learning, again, you want it to be something that is tailored to the student. So that way, it's more engaging. It should not be teacher-focused, it should definitely be student-focused. So a lot of times teachers are looked at as the keepers of all knowledge. We know everything and can do all. And that's just unrealistic and not true at all. But personalized learning should also help to pull out what the students have within them. Students are not empty vessels that come to us and we need to fill them. They bring things from their past, from their past experiences I should say, from their cultures, from their interests that can be incorporated into the classroom, if we have that bond.

Two more. So, personalized learning allows for more ownership of the learning and making sure that students are able to grow and monitor their own growth. So, it's one thing, extrinsic, to have your teacher stand over you and say, "Hey, you set a goal of earning an 80% or higher on this final. How are you doing towards that?" But personalized learning says, "Yeah, we set the goal, we discuss it together, but at the end of the day, it is up to me to make it happen," as it is typically. But you have this extra layer of support from your teacher or other adults in the building who are rooting for you.

The final thing would be personalized learning equips teachers with strategies to use to help students master that ownership or take pride on another level with their learning.

Ashley Mengwasser:

And we're going to talk about some of those strategies during this episode. One other thing I read, Dr. Drummer, tell me about this, I read that personalized learning, one key feature is that it can help students connect with a career path of interest. How is that, actually? That really piqued my interest because if we have kids from a much younger age following pursuits in the career fields that they might be interested in or getting to do projects in their career fields that they might be interested in, I imagine that has a lot to do with the student engagement piece that we're seeing improvement in.

Shiona Drummer:

It does. And for students who may be interested in a certain career path, them having the opportunity to present, to show what they know in certain ways might lead to that-

Ashley Mengwasser:

Show what you know, nice.

Shiona Drummer:

Yeah, show what you know. So, if they want to be in media or something along those lines, maybe their projects will be more based on presenting information to their peers or collaborating with their peers to get things done, versus someone like me who might not have been interested in that particular career.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Are you kidding? You're such a natural in this environment.

Shiona Drummer:

Well, thank you. I might've elected to do something more of maybe a pamphlet or something along those lines.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Yes, something communicative in your own way.

Shiona Drummer:

In my own way.

Ashley Mengwasser:

I like that. I think we have teased this subject awfully well. Now, I think we should actually define it for our audience. How does the district that you work in define and support personalized learning to promote student agency?

Shiona Drummer:

Well, my school district defines personalized learning the same as the Georgia Professional Standards Commission does. And it's an instructional approach, which allows students to show understanding of what they've learned basically through a set of competencies. But we let students have a voice and choice in what they do, but also look at the path and pace as they're learning. So, every student doesn't learn in the same way. And so, giving students the option of how they go about showing what they know and the amount of time, within reason, that it takes for them to display these things is what personalized learning is about. So, our district defines it the same as the Professional Standards Commission does.

Ashley Mengwasser:

And you said student choice is a key feature of this as well. And one of the things we were talking about, personalized learning, it's not really brand new. You told me that it's been gaining some traction over time. What have you seen? Where is the value in this? Is it really the student engagement piece and the learning outcomes? Why is it a preferred mechanism set apart from traditional instructional practices?

Shiona Drummer:

Well, traditional instructional practices, again, typically highlight the teacher and what she or he knows or is able to do. With personalized learning, it's more so, "Okay, what are you able to do, Ashley? What do you bring to the table? What are your likes, dislikes, your interests, your strengths? How can I help you be a better student? And how can we use what you have or that we develop together to help you in your future?"

Ashley Mengwasser:

Yes.

Shiona Drummer:

Yes.

Ashley Mengwasser:

And you know what, when you said, “How about you, Ashley, what interests you?” I was like, oh, oh, I'm on. It's go time. There's something that happens, I'm sure, with a student when that question is directed back at them.

Shiona Drummer:

Absolutely.

Ashley Mengwasser:

How do you wish to learn? What do you want to learn? Where it goes back to that piece, you said it, Dr. Drummer, ownership.

Shiona Drummer:

Ownership.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Beautiful. What strategies does Twiggs County use to encourage and support teachers in fostering an environment like this?

Shiona Drummer:

The professional learning piece, just making sure that the teachers have access to resources, such as the strategies that we'll talk about in a little bit, to use with their students and making sure that they know that there's an extra layer of support. For example, we've had wonderful, wonderful support from the GRE4T Initiative through the Department of Education, and with the GRE4T Initiative, they supported teachers by helping us with our walkthroughs. And the walkthroughs are just basically when you visit a classroom to see personalized learning in action.

And so, always very supportive in that the feedback remained positive, even if there was an area for growth, the GRE4T Initiative employees would pose feedback in such a way that was very constructive and helpful and gave teachers a way forward. So based off of that, we have a wonderful foundation that we've continued to build on.

Ashley Mengwasser:

So the GRE4T initiative, which is G-R-E, the number four, T-

Shiona Drummer:

4-T, right.

Ashley Mengwasser:

... is responsible for this big push, it sounds like, and supporting it across systems?

Shiona Drummer:

That's right.

Ashley Mengwasser:

But you don't necessarily have to be a member of this program or participant in your school system to benefit from personalized learning instruction in the classroom.

Shiona Drummer:

That is correct.

Ashley Mengwasser:

And that's what you're going to help us understand today. How is the practice of personalized learning integrated into instructional time? I know that's always tricky for teachers who feel like their time is so limited.

Shiona Drummer:

It is, and it is limited and there are always competing priorities and things of that nature. But I think at the root of it, personalized learning practices are just excellent teaching practices.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Yes.

Shiona Drummer:

That's all it is. And so as a classroom teacher myself, I must say, sometimes you do have things that are given to you that feel like just one more thing you have to be responsible for and carry out, something else to do. But personalized learning, when done correctly, helps pretty much everything.

Again, building that foundation with your students, building that bond with them. We know that interpersonal connection is what allows the learning to really, really take place. And then beyond that, just making sure that teachers understand that the investment of time and getting to know and understand some of the personalized learning strategies, it pays dividends over time.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Yes. And I think that's actually taking some pressure off the educator, isn't it? It's giving more power and agency to the student-

Shiona Drummer:

To the students, that's right.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Yes. And I like what you said, just one more thing, with personalized learning it sounds like, the DOE said, this is not some passing fad. This is the future of teaching. So it's not just one more thing, it's just the thing.

Shiona Drummer:

The thing.

Ashley Mengwasser:

It is the thing you could be doing with students.

Shiona Drummer:

That's right.

Ashley Mengwasser:

This shift, it is afoot and as you mentioned, we do have some standards to guide us. We're going to move to that next. I would love your help, Dr. Drummer, unpacking PLE Standard One, which prioritizes teaching students the skills of executive function.

Okay. Describe what skills are encompassed here, when we say executive function?

Shiona Drummer:

When you look at executive function skills, you're looking at maybe time management, organization, emotional control.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Oh, really? Self-regulation is on there?

Shiona Drummer:

Self-regulation is right in there.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Oh, wow.

Shiona Drummer:

Interactions with others. So, your ability to collaborate, express yourself clearly, things like that.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Be flexible, adapt. Okay. I love that. And could you actually share some strategies for approaching the executive function piece of this?

Shiona Drummer:

Sure.

Ashley Mengwasser:

How can we prioritize that in the learning?

Shiona Drummer:

Sometimes with schools that have not officially rolled out personalized learning, they find that when they look at these strategies, these are things that they're already doing that they weren't necessarily associated-

Ashley Mengwasser:

Formally associating.

Shiona Drummer:

Right, with personalized learning. One thing that schools can do is have students take more control of their day. So they could do that by issuing planners for students so that that way they are able to jot down their homework in a certain place, they have a schedule, a outline of their day if they want to set an agenda. Those would be examples of personalized learnings and prioritized executive functioning skills. So, you can manage your time well and it's evidenced by this planner where you have set your day, you maybe have a checklist-

Ashley Mengwasser:

You're tracking your task completion.

Shiona Drummer:

Right. That's right. So all of that goes back to executive function.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Executive function, yes. And so I have the actual executive function skills that we're touching on with the standard list in front of me. If you think of any other strategies that pertains to any of these, just shoutthem out, Dr. Drummer. So self-regulation and emotional responsibility, you mentioned. Task completion, that planner exercise sounds great. Working memory, time management, reflection. What's a strategy we might use for reflection?

Shiona Drummer:

So, it could be even going back to the goal-setting and data-tracking I was talking about previously. So, if we have a goal of making 80% or more on this unit assessment maybe, the reflection piece might come after you get your score and you see you made an 89, almost made-

Ashley Mengwasser:

Almost, dang.

Shiona Drummer:

So the reflection might come in and say, "Okay, well I studied, I did my best. I'm very proud of myself for earning this 89. Moving forward, maybe I will allot 20 more minutes of study time, or maybe I'll have Ashley as my study partner," so then there's that collaboration piece too. But the reflection would be something that would allow to go back and look at what they've done and how they might improve, and to record that, to capture that.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Yes. So, the skill of self-reflection is built into this and their own problem-solving because they're the ones setting these goals and trying to reach them.

Shiona Drummer:

Right. And they have support, but these are their goals.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Right, exactly. It comes from them. How might we implement a strategy for emotional responsibility? I'm thinking of very young kids, I mean self-regulation is tricky at all ages.

Shiona Drummer:

It is.

Ashley Mengwasser:

So what is a strategy for this?

Shiona Drummer:

A strategy for emotional regulation may look like, like you said in the elementary setting, it may look something like, "I'm upset that Shiona did not share her muffin with me. So, I will talk with Shiona about why she should share that muffin with me and I won't knock the muffin on the floor."

Ashley Mengwasser:

There we go. There we go. So we're giving them some nice word tracks there. But then if they only understood that Shiona is a foodie and she really can't help that she doesn't want to share-

Shiona Drummer:

By definition, I don't want to share it with you. I will if you have something to share with me that is of interest to me.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Right, I'll bring you a muffin next time, you can have your own muffin.

Shiona Drummer:

Thank you.

Ashley Mengwasser:

I like that. That's fantastic. How does the district assess the impact of personalized learning practices? So if we're talking about assessment and we're trying to see results in student learning and student engagement, this is the outcomes piece, Dr. Drummer. How does the district assess impact here?

Shiona Drummer:

So, the district looks at student data, and it could be assessment data such as benchmark assessment grades, but also you can look at attendance, behavior reports. And those are very telltale signs of how student engagement is, just to be honest with you. So if students are engaging with the work, they tend to understand it better and they tend to perform better on assessments, that's typically how it goes. You're always going to have an outlier, but that's typically how things go.

Ashley Mengwasser:

And I was looking at the data for this actually, and when you implement personalized learning strategies, it seems the overall trend is serious amounts of percentage point increases by student, up to 10 percentage points increase just by having that hook of something personal, some personal connection to the material. Is that what you're seeing in your testing as well?

Shiona Drummer:

Well, we have seen growth. So our benchmark assessments, yes. Our milestones, we're getting there.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Right.

Shiona Drummer:

We're getting there.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Working on it.

Shiona Drummer:

But, right, we are also a work in progress. So the behavior data that I spoke of though-

Ashley Mengwasser:

Oh, yeah.

Shiona Drummer:

... that is, when students are engaged and they feel a part of the learning, you tend not to have certain behaviors.

Ashley Mengwasser:

It almost eradicates that problem.

Shiona Drummer:

Right. It definitely decreases potential issues, but that's some of the ways that the district looks at data to see how personalized learning is affecting-

Ashley Mengwasser:

It's academic and behavioral.

Shiona Drummer:

That's right.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Let's talk about resources, Dr. Drummer. Are there physical or digital resources that your district provides to schools and classrooms to facilitate the creation of these strategies?

Shiona Drummer:

Right. So, as I said before, I do personalized learning, professional learning. And so during that time, I provide our teachers with strategies that they can use. So beyond what I present, I follow up with, "Here's a list of things that you might want to do," or, "Here's the list of examples of how you might incorporate said strategies into your teaching practices."

Ashley Mengwasser:

There you go. Like a guide or a toolkit of sorts.

Shiona Drummer:

A little toolkit.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Yeah.

Shiona Drummer:

Yep.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Okay. But not something so formal as they need to go-

Shiona Drummer:

To this dashboard and log in and log the ways that you carried out these strategies, no.

Ashley Mengwasser:

It feels like a good first exercise for systems who are not supported by the GRE4T grants would be to look at their instructional strategies and, as you were saying, see where they're already practicing personalized learning and call it out and bring it to the forefront and then build on it with some of the tools that you mentioned.

Shiona Drummer:

That's right.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Is that an easier way to do it?

Shiona Drummer:

I think that'll be a phenomenal way to do it. You probably get a lot more early adopters, people who feel more comfortable because they say, "Oh, well, I'm already using agendas with my students," or we, as a school district, we purchase agendas for our middle and high school students anyway, so this is something we're already doing. Let's just-

Ashley Mengwasser:

Apply that tool differently.

Shiona Drummer:

That's right.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Yes. It's very creative. How does Twiggs County implement personalized learning to meet the needs of all students across schools, classrooms, grade levels? This is that scaffolding piece.

Shiona Drummer:

So again, the learner profiles, just making sure that we're meeting students at their need, that the teachers know what those needs are, and how to best address them with the help, again, of the students. So those are conversations that are being had. Looking at students' individual performance on assessments, seeing how they're doing and what their areas of strength and growth are. And again, having those conversations with the students.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Yeah. Have a vision for your school and your system with personalized learning. And because it's sticking around and you're so good at thinking on your feet, Dr. Drummer, can you help me project into the future? 10 years from now, if we have schools across Georgia championing, like you are, personalized learning instruction, what do you think students will be like and what do you think classrooms will be like?

Shiona Drummer:

Oh my goodness. I think students will be more motivated to come to school.

Ashley Mengwasser:

I love that.

Shiona Drummer:

Yeah. I think the attendance issues that a lot of school districts are seeing will maybe not be totally eradicated, but definitely declining. I think that students will be more out front and open about what they hope to get from their learning. I think when students are able to take full ownership of their learning, they're more vocal about what they need and how they want to show what they know.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Yes.

Shiona Drummer:

I think that in 10 years, if we have more schools and districts that take on personalized learning, I do believe that we will see an uptick in teachers remaining in the classroom.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Really?

Shiona Drummer:

I do. Because-

Ashley Mengwasser:

A retention effect.

Shiona Drummer:

I think it will definitely help our retention rate because there's a lot of pressure as a classroom teacher and as the Personalized Learning Director, I get to manage the district's expectations with the realities of the classroom. If done correctly, I do believe that personalized learning will help take some of the heavy load off of the teacher and allow it to be shared with the student. Because again, this is their educational career and they should take responsibility too, ownership for how they learn and what they're learning.

And I think that that will translate into teachers being able to help more students in a deeper way. And I think that that will translate into more meaningful work for the educators as well. It'll feel deeper, it'll feel better, it'll feel more real and necessary. And I think that more people will stay.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Well said. This is very promising. I'm excited for students, I'm excited for teachers, and it's kind of low-hanging fruit. You really just need some tools to get started and you're going to see that engagement increase, you're going to see those student outcomes improve, and that's what we're all here for, right?

Shiona Drummer:

That's right.

Ashley Mengwasser:

That's why we teach. And I know for you it's a lot about the relationships piece of it.

Shiona Drummer:

It is

Ashley Mengwasser:

With the students.

Shiona Drummer:

It is. There's nothing like seeing a child who maybe has some hesitation when it comes to whatever, it doesn't even have to be computer science, whatever topic. And then, as they say, that light bulb comes on, that a-ha moment, that's a beautiful thing to be able to witness. It really is. Especially, even if you aren't directly involved in them having that moment, just knowing that because they're here in your building, they're in this setting, they're able to experience that in their life, that sense of accomplishment or that moment when they have the opportunity to make a mental connection, it's a beautiful thing.

Ashley Mengwasser:

I think this is going to have legs and it's going to run, just like DOE said, it's going to be the future. It's very exciting. Like I said, it's very promising for students and teachers and school systems. And you've really given us, Dr. Drummer, a beautiful overview of this, so thank you for that.

Shiona Drummer:

Thank you.

Ashley Mengwasser:

You are a paragon of personalized learning leadership, Dr. Drummer.

Shiona Drummer:

Oh, I need to change my name.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Yeah, look at all those Ps in there.

Shiona Drummer:

I love that alliteration.

Ashley Mengwasser:

And Dr. Drummer, you are decidedly up-tempo. You are such an upbeat guest. Your school system is so lucky to have you.

Shiona Drummer:

Thank you.

Ashley Mengwasser:

And so are your students. I know that they're your priority.

Shiona Drummer:

They are.

Ashley Mengwasser:

Thanks for teaching us about personalized learning. It was a great overview and I also appreciate the foray into the first standard, which was executive function. You have grounded us in this topic and given that tangible insight we need for our first personalized learning standard, you rock.

Audience, hey, guess what? There are nine more PLE standards and also nine more episodes in season seven of this series. Coincidence? I think not. Tune in next week as we dwell into PL, where else would you go? You're a great teacher and this is the platform for Georgia's teachers. Don't forget it. Meet you here next week. Until then, goodbye for now.

The personalized learning series of Classroom Conversations is funded by the GRE4T Initiative. In the fall of 2020, the Georgia Department of Education made a commitment to student-centered approaches through Georgia's ReStart: Embrace, Engage, Expand, and Enhance Learning with Technology initiative.