Suzanne Rogers, a teacher at Oconee Academy, teaches ELA to middle and high school students. Read on to find out more about Suzanne’s approach to student-centered learning in her classroom, even in these times of virtual and hybrid learning.
Oconee Academy, which is an alternative educational setting for middle and high school students in the School District of Oconee County, is clear on its mission:
Oconee Academy strives to meet the unique needs of diverse students in a safe and nurturing environment that fosters mutual respect.
As you listen to Suzanne Rogers describe her beliefs about personalized learning and her students, it is clear her classroom is a microcosm of this larger school vision and culture.
When asked to explain how she began her journey to personalizing learning with her students, Suzanne replies:
“Necessity is the mother of invention. Having a rolling enrollment was part of that necessity. Usually within a 45-day transition period, I have kids coming in and out in all different levels and I had all of the middle school grades all in one space. I saw the benefits of tailoring a program so that I could meet as many students’ needs as possible.”
While Suzanne’s vision for what was possible for her students was crucial, the support of her principal and colleagues further encouraged her to take chances along the way:
“I have a faculty and staff that value a growth mindset and failing forward. My principal lets me take tries and there’s no risk for me and she appreciates that I try things. With that kind of mindset, I’ve been able to experiment a lot with personalized learning.”
Suzanne’s entry point in personalized learning is an example of one of the foundational ideas our office uses when we discuss the implementation of personalized learning: “Think big. Start small. Act fast.”
Her colleague, Andrea Moss, is the math teacher at Oconee Academy and the two teachers worked together to support each other in implementing personalized learning in their classrooms. Their "big thinking" translated into a "small start" as Andrea first gave the students an index card that detailed what each student was going to work on for that day, which is an idea that Suzanne decided to try as well. Eventually, the ownership of those cards began to shift to the students, as the index cards were placed in journals so the students could keep track of them. The next step was the creation of goals for students that were tied to their daily work expectations.
Suzanne makes sure to reiterate the importance of having partners in the work:
“I’m not sure I would be where I am right now if I didn’t have the colleagues I have to go to and say, ‘This is my idea. How can I break this down?’ Being able to work with someone takes a lot of pressure off and makes it more exciting. That’s why I think I’ve been able to make it as far as I have.”
One question we hear teachers consistently ask is, “But how does this work in the virtual and hybrid environments that we now manage?” Suzanne’s description of her transition in this area further exemplifies the idea of necessity being the mother of invention. In March 2020, when the students and staff were first in virtual learning environments, Suzanne decided to learn more about Google Classroom: “I watched YouTube video tutorials for Google Classroom to learn what I can do within that platform to make it as accessible as possible for my students. I wanted to find out how to get 7th and 8th grade students all in the same class working on different standards.”
And what happens when those students are working on different standards and don’t reach a goal or score they need to? Suzanne describes a formative feedback loop that involves students in an equal conversation around their goals and how to reach them:
"A student knows they have to make a score of 80 on IXL, but they only make a 70. So their next action step may be coming to me and asking, ‘What else can I try to show what I know about this topic or standard?’ They get to look at choices and fill the need that way. I know my students’ quirks and it’s about negotiation. They’re not saying, ‘I don’t want to do it’ or ‘I give up.’ They know if they come to me, they will have choices.”
An example of this can be found in this student’s journal, where he communicated about his struggle with prepositions.
He took the extra step and did what I want all students to do: Ask, "What can be done next? How do we move forward?"
Suzanne fosters this sense of agency in her classroom and wants her students to advocate for themselves, their needs, and their learning. That ownership is apparent when a student like the one above takes what Suzanne calls “the extra step:”
“He didn’t just write, ‘I hate prepositions,’ and closed his notebook. He took the extra step and did what I want all students to do: Ask, ‘What can be done next? How do we move forward?’”
Suzanne’s provision of goals for her students not only increases their ownership of their learning, but also strengthens the relationships and trust needed to truly make personalized learning work at its highest level.
However, it’s important to note the formative feedback loop started with Suzanne asking her students for their ideas when proposing the idea of a personalized learning classroom. Her students genuinely enjoyed being part of the process and feedback, which Suzanne says is fundamental to the success of this framework within her classroom:
“I told them I needed their help in putting this together. I want them to tell me what the problems would be for 'those kids.' And they give me feedback on that. They enjoy being part of the process and the feedback. What works for me is not going to work for all of my students so I do need all of their feedback. You have to make them involved in the very beginning with the process. This is our classroom. This is what I’m thinking and so what are you thinking?”
Suzanne has these encouraging words to share with anyone who is starting to implement personalized learning or is currently in the middle of that journey:
“Personalized learning feels like a mess in the beginning because you feel like you’re having to explain things over and over again. But, if the fidelity to the model is consistent, then they get it. It probably took about 3-4 weeks before we started humming like a beehive. You just have to stick with it!
I want all my kids to get what they need. I know that’s not always going to happen but with personalized learning, I’m going to get as close as I ever have.”
Want to listen to Suzanne discuss her journey? Check out our podcast episode with her here.
About The Contributor:
Suzanne Rogers is the ELA teacher at Oconee Academy in the School District of Oconee County. Reach Suzanne at srogers@sdoc.org.