#when I was 10 we were asked to pick a Country for a geography presentation

[jokertrap-ran]

(未定事件簿) EVENT!「异乡行歌·上篇」 [Tears of Themis] EVENT: Romantic Rail Getaway- First Half Translations (Lu Jinghe’s Route)

Day 1: Xiangya City― Rainforest Invitation (象雅城: 雨林的邀约)

*Tears of Themis Masterlist / Mobile Masterlist *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *The tracking tag for ALL Event Stories will go under: #Tears of an Event

Location: Railway Tour's Starting Station

I'd once heard of the saying, that Tanbuyani's Railway Tour was equivalent to a silken string of pearls.

Guided by this silken thread, one will be able to experience and relish in the charm of the very country itself.

Lu Jinghe: I've looked at the train route, and it looks like the first stop's at Xiangya City.

Lu Jinghe: How about we head on down to their resort and have a look around later? Let's not wear ourselves out too much on our first day here, save some energy, and take our time to slowly enjoy everything after!

MC: Okay! I saw on the guide that there was a very big folk custom workshop down at the resort; do you want to try your hand at wood carving?

Lu Jinghe: I'll accompany you if you want to.

We happily carried on, discussing our trip arrangements.

The rest of the guests, in front of the train platform, were also anticipating what was to come in the wonderful journey up ahead, just like us.

Speaking of this trip, Lu Jinghe was actually the one who brought it up first.

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Location: Home

Lu Jinghe: Heya, sis. You're on a long vacation as of late, yes? Have you got any travel plans?

MC: Hm… I haven't really thought of it. Come hit me up again after I get a couple of snoozes!

Lu Jinghe: How about considering going on Tanbuyani's Railway Tour with me after you've caught enough z's?

Lu Jinghe: It's a boutique, luxurious, high-end, independent tour; with a travel itinerary planned and presented to you by PAX's Chairman himself!

MC: Tanbuyani? Why do you suddenly want to go there out of the blue?

This name, one that I'd only seen in geography books, filled me with utter confusion.

Tanbuyani was a small country located near the equator, but although it boasted stunningly breath-taking sceneries, it's economy was well underdeveloped.

No matter how I thought about it, going to this sort of remote location wouldn't be his first choice at all.

Lu Jinghe: For work, of course. PAX has invested in a rainforest development project over there, so I'm preparing to head down and have a look at it for myself.

Lu Jinghe: And while I'm at it… I can bring you along for you to have fun, kick back and relax for a few days.

MC: I see. Maybe I'll think about it...

Lu Jinghe: Nope, stop thinking about it and just go pack your luggage. I'll come pick you up to the airport tomorrow, bye!

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Lu Jinghe's actions were swift, and we were already aboard a private plane bound for Tanbuyani on the second day.

Upon landing, we were immediately transferred to the starting station of the Railway Tour; he'd arranged everything to perfection.

It was just as he said. This was a relaxing, yet intriguing trip, where anticipation ran high.

MC: Right, didn't you say back in the phone call we had before that you're here because of a… Rainforest project?

Lu Jinghe: Yup. PAX plans on establishing a nature reserve in the Imana Rainforest and study the "Parrot Tail Flower”.

MC: Parrot Tail Flower?

Lu Jinghe: A rare flower of medicinal value that one of our people coincidentally discovered back when they came down here to talk about the conservation project.

MC: ...That sounds like the sort of miraculous life-saving celestial grass you hear about in myths and legends.

Lu Jinghe: Perhaps; but I'm not too sure about the specifics either.

Lu Jinghe: The person in charge of the project will be picking us up when we reach Xiangya City, so you can ask him more about it then.

MC: ...There's PAX personnel in Xiangya City?

Lu Jinghe: He's there on business today, so I called him up for a chat, and so that I can have a grasp on how the project's progressing while I'm at it. It's called being prepared for anything and everything.

The sides of his lips curled upwards, a clear smile flashing across his eyes.

Lu Jinghe: Okay, enough about this. Let's think about how we're going to have a happy and delightful lunch aboard the train first.

Lu Jinghe: The train's restaurant serves Tanbuyani's local delicacies, as well as  a delicious, mouth-watering buffet of western food; what do you want to eat?

MC: Mm…

Since I'm already here and all, it's only logical to try out their local delicacies…

But then, I remembered just what those "local delicacies" are, from back when I was checking out the guide.

Things like grilled rainforest ants, stuffed cicada pupae, roasted scorpions… If it just so happens that those atop the plate that the waiter brings up later were...

Do I really want to challenge myself with them?

▷Choice: Western food buffet

MC: I’m getting the western food buffet.

Lu Jinghe: Sure thing. I'll go book us a luxurious buffet then; we'll be able to partake in it once we board the train later.

Lu Jinghe: But… Are you sure you don’t want to try Tanbuyani’s local delicacies?

Lu Jinghe: I heard that there's a type of Black bean-orange Fried Rice that's really delicious; one of the 10 special delicacies that's an absolute must have for tourists!

MC: I do want to, actually… But it'd be a tragedy if something… weird's in the food...

Lu Jinghe: You do have a point. We're not in a hurry, so we can take it slow and observe the tables of the other guests who've ordered it.

Lu Jinghe: And then, we can still make it in time for the order if you want to eat them afterwards.

MC: Okay, let's just happily leave it as that for now!

▷Choice: Local delicacies

MC: Oh, I've decided! I want to try Tanbuyani's local delicacies!

MC: The guide on the internet said that the Black bean-orange Fried Rice available on the train's menu is an absolute must have! And everyone who ate it all said that it's good!

MC: Want to order one together with me?

Lu Jinghe: Let me tell you a secret. Actually… I was about to recommend you the same, but I never thought you'd be the one to take the words out of my mouth.

Lu Jinghe: I guess our hearts really are connected!

His brows were quirked in a smile, and he appeared "quite proud" of himself.

I couldn't resist teasing him a little.

MC: Are you absolutely sure about your decision? There'll be no going back if it doesn't taste all that nice.

Lu Jinghe: Come on, have more confidence in yourself! We have to believe that our choice is the right one!

His eyebrows crooked along with a smile, and I could almost smell the fragrance of the sweet and aromatic orange rice just by looking into his eyes.

MC: I can't wait to try it out for myself already!

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"Chooo…", went the long whistle of the train's horn as it slowly drew up to the platform.

Lu Jinghe stood up, dragging both of our big luggage in tow with a wink.

Lu Jinghe: Come on then. Our rainforest adventure is going to begin!

MC: Yeah! Here we go!!

☆⋅⋆…⋅───── ⋆⋅ Romantic Rail Getaway⋅⋆ ────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Next Part: (Day 1: Xiangya City― Resort Entertainment Area)

[josselinkohl]

10 Year Angsty Reunion - DRAFT WIP Chapter 1

Warning: Only a tiny fraction of this fic is written, so it might not be finished for a very long time or ever. However, I welcome encouraging comments that might help me regain enthusiasm for writing more of it.

Chapter 1

Damen found her sitting at her dressing table with Kyrina styling her hair. Jokaste nodded at Kyrina, who curtsied and left murmuring Damen’s title. “Good morning,” Jokaste said. She picked up an earring from the dressing table.

“Good morning.” Damen took the earring from her and she tilted her head obligingly as he put it on her. “I would like to visit you this evening,” Damen said. It was a habit he’d adopted years ago when they had first negotiated this arrangement. They didn’t spontaneously fall into bed the way they had when he had first been courting Jokaste and she would tease him at an entertainment and then permit him to follow her to her chambers afterward. Their arrangement now permitted each of them a greater degree of privacy in their affairs. Damen did not take advantage of this freedom for himself. He suspected Jokaste did, but she did so discreetly, and he didn’t care.

He knew her well, now, so he could see her thinking as he made his request. It was still a mystery to him what she was thinking, though. She could be mentally rearranging another visitor, perhaps, or simply thinking about what to wear. “Of course,” she said. She handed him the other earring from the dressing table and turned her head the other way.

Damen placed the second one, careful not to disrupt Kyrina’s work with Jokaste’s hair. He fingered the earring for a moment. “Would you like anything from the festival?” he asked, remembering that the earrings she was wearing now had been a gift he had brought back from a trip to Patras.

Jokaste had turned back to her dressing table, and she made a face at Damen in the mirror. “It will be mostly Veretian merchants, will it not? Gaudy trinkets?”

Her earrings were simple gold and a single pearl. Jokaste set fashions for the ladies in Ios that harkened back to the traditional styles that resembled Damen’s mother’s dress in her statue at the summer palace. Damen made a noise of agreement. “Only if there is something tasteful, then?”

Jokaste turned in her chair to look up at him. “I would never turn away a tasteful gift,” she said. Damen had rested his hands on the back of her chair, and she placed her own smaller hands on top of his delicately. “Do you wish—now?” she suggested quietly.

Damen shook his head. “This evening,” he said, and then he pressed his lips gently to the top of her head and left her in her rooms for the morning’s business.

Nikandros presented the route selected to the festival mapped out on the table of geographical features that Damen’s father had used with his kyroi to plan for war. Instead of chariots and legions, the map now simply had a series of wagons and horses representing their course from Ios to the festival in Delpha.

“It would be more appropriate to call it Delfeur,” said Leon to Nikandros, “given that it is currently a Veretian holding.”

Nikandros’s expression indicated that he would never personally be calling Delpha ‘Delfeur’ in the Veretian style, but he didn’t contradict the prince. Damen had been trying to involve his son increasingly in the business of the kingdom as he became older. His father had done the same with him. It seemed the best way to teach Leon what he would need to know when he became king some day.

Nikandros nodded a greeting to Damen. Leon was still looking at the map laid out on the table. “The route seems circuitous,” he said. “The territory here,” he was pointing at a portion of the map near Marlas, “would permit us to proceed directly, and yet you have us crossing the stream to go at least a day to the east—that will add at least two days to the journey, which is another wagon of—”

“It’s better that way,” said Nikandros, glancing at Damen.

He had done it, Damen could tell, to avoid the half-constructed new palace they had left when Leon was a child. And he was being oblique about it because everyone in Ios was oblique in Damen’s presence about Laurent, as though mentioning the king of Vere might cause him to break down or enter a fit of rage or some such nonsense. Damen met Nikandros’s eyes and said nothing.

“But why?” said Leon. “It’s wasteful and it isn’t necessary—Father,” Leon turned toward Damen, “wouldn’t it be better to take the shorter route? Especially for Euandros—” that was Damen’s youngest son, who was thrilled to be taken along with them “—he’s not accustomed to riding at this distance,” Leon continued.

“We can take the shorter route,” said Damen.

Nikandros was still eyeing him warily. “Are you certain that’s wise?”

“As Leon said, it’s a fine area of the country for riding.”

Leon looked back and forth between the two of them, clearly sensing an undercurrent to this debate but uncertain what it was.

Nikandros reluctantly adjusted the procession of riders on the map. Leon asked a question about the length of time they would need to spend on the ship at the start, and the tension in the room faded.

Leon left to go and meet with one of his tutors.

“Would you like to spar this afternoon?” Damen asked Nikandros.

Nikandros shook his head. “I’m spending the afternoon with Xanthippe.”

Damen nodded. “Is she sure she doesn’t wish to join us? We could adjust for a carriage, and no one would mind—“

Nikandros shook his head. “She doesn’t like the fuss that accompanies travel of that distance, and she said sporting tournaments she can’t compete in aren’t worth the bother.” He said it with a smile, and Damen could picture the tone Xanthippe would have used for that announcement. Xanthippe was a warrior from Isthima, and she and Nikandros had met when she’d been recovering from an injury in Ios, and Nikandros had been obviously infatuated with her since their first meeting. Xanthippe’s injury meant that she couldn’t walk unassisted, and she made her way around the palace at Ios with crutches and specially designed chairs with wheels.

Damen was about to offer again that they would be happy to have her on the journey, but Nikandros was blushing very slightly. “Also,” he said, “we’re expecting.”

Damen’s eyes widened. “Old friend! That’s wonderful!”

Nikandros was definitely blushing now. “In the winter,” he said.

Damen clapped his friend into a hug and squeezed him. “I’m so happy for you. Fatherhood will suit you,” he said, squeezing Nikandros again, “I know from how patiently you have dealt with my children.”

Nikandros was smiling. “As long as mine isn’t like Eradne when she was—”

Damen groaned. “I’m sure not.”

They laughed together remembering how much of a terror Eradne had been. “I can’t believe you had another after that,” said Nikandros.

“He was already conceived before she hit that stage,” said Damen, “or I probably wouldn’t have.”  He grinned at Nikandros again. “I’m so happy for you. Are you certain you wish to come to the festival, then? I wouldn’t blame Xanthippe if she wished for you to stay.”

“I am coming,” said Nikandros, sobering. “I would not leave you to face it alone.”

Damen favored family meals over the gatherings of the whole court in the hall that his father had preferred, and for his last night in Ios he had requested only a small family gathering.

Even a family meal was a boisterous affair. Leon spent half of the meal lecturing his siblings on the geography of their upcoming trip, and only Aratia paid any attention to him throughout his talk. Euandros just talked over Leon excitedly to anyone who would listen to his enthusiasms about his first horse, and Eradne had snuck a book in to the table somehow and was reading next to her plate. Jokaste would generally have taken the book away. She was less tolerant than Damen of Eradne’s habit of reading at odd moments. But Jokaste was distracted by Xanthippe’s news, and the two women spent much of the meal chattering about the best type of tea to drink in the mornings and whether carrying high or low was a sign of a boy or a girl. Nikandros was listening in on Jokaste and Xanthippe’s conversation and Damen let his eyes drift warmly over his entire family gathered together.

After the meal he retired with Jokaste to her chambers. She resided in the queen’s chambers in the palace. It had been a minor scandal when he had first installed her there without marrying her first, but she had wanted it as part of their negotiation and it had meant nothing to Damen. He didn’t care who lived in what rooms of the palace and he’d made no secret of the fact that he had no plans to marry again, so there was no worry about what would happen when he took a wife. Ten years later, it seemed hardly remarkable, and it was convenient when he wished to visit her that they both lived in the same wing.

She offered him wine, and he accepted, and then she sat down at her dressing table and began to remove her jewelry, until Damen stood behind her and brushed her hands away and did it himself. He set the earrings he’d put on her that morning back on the dressing table and unfastened her necklace and laid it next to them. Her hair was a mystery of pins, so he drank a mouthful of wine while he watched her pull gold pins out of it and it fell loose in waves around her shoulders.

They spoke lightly of Xanthippe and Nikandros. “I didn’t know if Xanthippe’s injury would prevent it,” said Jokaste. “I am happy for them.” She turned to Damen and undid his jewelry as well, removing his father’s ring to go next to her earrings and setting his brooch next to them.

“I am happy for them also,” Damen said, imagining Nikandros with his own babe in his arms. He suspected that Nikandros and Xanthippe had wished for children for some time, and he hoped that there were no complications with the birth.

He thought back to when he’d first held his own child. He’d still been bedridden with his injury from Kastor when Laurent had arranged for Jokaste and Leon and Leon’s nurse to be safely brought to Ios, and it had been Laurent who had carried Leon in to first meet with Damen and placed him into Damen’s arms. Damen had quite suddenly realized that he had very little experience holding an infant, and was terrified he’d let Leon drop through his hands to land on his lap, but Laurent didn’t hesitate.

“Is he mine, do you think?” Damen had asked Laurent, and Laurent had said, “He is, and you must never question it again.”

Damen didn’t know if Laurent had truly believed Leon was his and not Kastor’s, or that Laurent had meant it in more of a future sense—there was a tone of ‘he will be yours’ to his pronouncement. He’d been hesitant to ask Laurent about it directly for fear of having to confront Laurent’s Veretian distaste for bastards. But Laurent had told him not to question it, and Damen never did. Damen acted as though Leon were his son; Jokaste acted as though Leon were his son. It was either true or Jokaste found it advantageous to act so. Laurent actively proclaimed to the court that Leon was their son, and if there were further questions about Leon’s paternity Laurent hunted them down and they weren’t made openly at court.

He felt wistful, thinking back to when Leon had been a baby, remembering Laurent holding Leon—Laurent had had a little carrier made to keep Leon in a pack. Damen smiled remembering it.

Jokaste had removed her dress and and hung it on a hook. She unwound Damen’s garment and draped the fabric over the chair in front of the dressing table.

She gestured toward the bed, and Damen reclined. She joined him, sitting on the edge. He began to touch her, lazily, occasionally reaching over to his wine glass next to the bed for another sip. He spent a long time fondling her breasts with his hands. She indulged him. She had told him once that she found his attention to her breasts no more interesting than any other part, and yet Damen himself found it more interesting, and their arrangement was based on a frank admittance of what they each wanted.

Jokaste encouraged him to move his attentions lower, after a time, and he allowed himself to be pushed down the bed between her legs. He brought her off with his mouth, and then he crawled back up the bed, and she bent her knees a bit and he eased inside of her.

His thoughts were still tied up with thoughts of babies as he took her. He began to think of another child, and then the thought grew in his mind. He pictured Jokaste thickening with a fifth child, and then holding another little one in his arms. He imagined Euandros holding a new baby with wide eyes. Perhaps another daughter, he thought, or a son, either one. Euandros would like being an older brother as well as a younger brother, and there was something precious about the smallest ones and the way they rested their heads against his chest when they were sleepy.

He liked the idea more and more. He thought of spilling within Jokaste; perhaps they could conceive again. She had various methods for contraception and sometimes told him not to finish inside of her, but she had said nothing about that this evening. That likely meant she had taken some other precaution to avoid a child, but Damen indulged the idea in his mind nonetheless.

He rested for a moment after he finished, staying inside of Jokaste as if that would somehow contribute to planting the seed deeper within.  He had heard once that women were more likely to conceive if they orgasmed after the seed was within them, and the thought of that was enough to draw him down the bed once again to apply his mouth a second time.

Afterwards, Jokaste raised an eyebrow at him. “Something on your mind?” She thought he was thinking of Laurent, Damen realized suddenly. She thought he was thinking of the festival and of seeing Laurent again and what--distracting himself in bed to draw his mind away? Pretend she was Laurent? Perhaps she didn’t know.

“We could have another baby,” he said, trying to keep his tone light even though he’d spent the last quarter of an hour imagining it.

Jokaste sat up in the bed. “We had an agreement about four,” she said sharply. “Euandros was four.”

Damen made a noise. He remembered their agreement, and he didn’t really wish to renegotiate at the moment, but he also didn’t really want to let go of his fantasy of another baby.

Jokaste was watching him closely. She could tell, Damen thought, when he was thinking of Laurent, and sometimes she would ask him all-too-insightful questions about what he was thinking, and Damen did not wish to answer discuss Laurent with Jokaste, so he tried to think on other things when they were together.

“Are you going to sleep here?” said Jokaste, pulling a light cover over herself.

Damen sighed. “No,” he said. They both slept better separately, and he had a full day of travel ahead of him the following day. He levered himself off the bed, leaned in to kiss Jokaste gently, and then retrieved his own clothing from the back of the chair to make his way back to his own chambers.

[jiminandlemonade-blog]

Penpals / Don’t Leave Me - Part 11

Jimin:  

Series: Fluff/minor angst  

PART 11/15

New to the series? Part 1

Missed the last chapter? Part 10

Finally. Somewhere you belonged. At school, you never believed that you fit in with the crowd but at university, everyone was accepted and you loved it.

Your father was right, you did need Jimin's letters to comfort you as you settled in. It was a fear of the unknown being comforted by another unknown, that being, if you’d ever speak to him again.  

You met some amazing friends at University and 2 of them, you even considered your best friends, Rebecca and Amelia. They were both just as misunderstood as you were but you all understood each other, it was nice. 

 *6 months later*

It had been 6 months since you moved to University and there was still no contact with Jimin. You stayed in contact with Jihyun. He always messaged you on a Sunday to find out how you week had been and if you were feeling okay. You always lied. Of course you weren't okay. You had lost the love of your life and you had no idea when or if you'd ever speak to him again.  

"Jihyun, I've got to go" you said as Rebecca and Amelia walked into your dorm. "Ooooh, who’s that?" They asked, making kissing noises and faces after you ended the call. You hadn't told them about Jimin. You didn't want your non-existent love life to be a burden on them. "Just an old friend" you smiled, not lying.  

"I think there's something more going on" Rebecca laughed, sitting next to you on the bed and nudging your shoulder hard that you fell onto your pillow cushions. "Me too" Amelia agreed, composing herself after laughing from watching you dead ass fall from the slightest of nudges.  

"There's nothing, honestly.. It's just Jihyun" you stated. You came off like a closed book. You didn't want them to know about Jimin, even though you felt they needed too.  

"Um Y/N, is everything okay? Just recently you've seemed a bit.. Off.." Amelia questioned. "Yeah, that's what we actually came to talk to you about" Rebecca finished off.

Everything wasn't okay. You hadn't been right since your birthday 2 weeks ago. You expected something to turn up at the dorm, for Jihyun to say he had a message from Jimin.. Anything. But nothing came.  

Tears filled your eyes once more and you didn't want to lie to your best friends. These people knew everything about your past apart from what you considered the most important part, losing the love of your life.

"We didn't mean to upset you" Amelia soothed, rubbing your back as Rebecca knelt down in front of you with a concerned look on her face. "Yous didn't. But girls.. We need to talk..".  

They both sat bolt up right next to you on the bed, not knowing what to expect. You laughed at how protective they seemed. "I'm just going to go over here" you pointed to the floor, giggling. "Seriously, it's not that bad.. Well kinda" you shrugged.

"When I was in school, you both know that I acted up. But in my Geography class, I was given a pen pal from South Korea" "Jihyun?" Rebecca questioned midsentence. "No.. Not Jihyun. Anyway, we started talking and instantly connected on levels I never thought you could connect to a person. He felt misunderstood too. He went through troubles like me too. He wanted more than just an education.. He wanted to live. You both know how I've always wanted to be an actress but decided to go down the university route? Well he had the choice between education and dancing and he went down the dancing route.. And honestly, I have never been so proud of a person. I wanted to fly to Korea and hug him. He inspired me to go on auditions. Even though I didn't get them, I got great feedback but ultimately, this is what I chose. I feel like it's definitely the right path.. But enough about me. His name is Jimin and he is Jihyun's brother"  

"Ah" Rebecca let out. "So it's a love triangle?" "Ew, no!" You shrieked at the thought of fancying Jimin's brother.. "He's wonderful but he's Jimin's brother.. Just let me continue. He understood me so much and he just always seemed to know me.. Get me? He sent me flowers when he knew I was down, called my parents to get me ice cream from the supermarket when I was stressed revising.. All of those things you know? Then he seemed to go in his shell and started apologising for not being the person I thought he was so I was very confused. To cut a long story short, he went to Seoul for an audition and was successful but needed to keep it under wraps and couldn't tell a soul. I even told him I loved him a voicemail and I don't know whether he received it.. I always wondered whether that was why he stopped talking. Then I then lost contact with him. Soon after, I received a message on a cake from a local bakery that Jimin has sent telling me to expect a letter in the post explaining why I wasn't able to contact him. The letter arrived and he was apologising for everything and that he'd speak to me when he can. I went online to find his social media accounts were all disconnected. I had no contact. Jihyun contacted me and explained everything.. But, I don't know whether I can say anything." You ranted off.

"You can tell us anything" Rebecca promised. You knew you could. You just didn't know whether you wanted to. You felt betrayed and abandoned by Jimin and didn't want to come across as looking vulnerable. "So do you think Jimin stopped talking to you because you told him you loved him?" Amelia questioned.

You sighed. "Honestly, I did at first. But then Jihyun explained the situation and like I said, I'm not sure whether he had even received it.". Obviously, since Rebecca and Amelia were your friends, they knew the course you studied. Korean. And always wondered where your passion for the subject came from. You never told them the real reason. You just explained that you fell in love with the country at school.  

There was silence whilst they tried to comprehend everything you were saying. Rebecca finally spoke up. "He taught you Korean didn't he?". You nodded. "You didn't just fall in love with the language and culture.. You fell in love with him too" Rebecca chimed in matter of factly. You nodded again.  

"You're going to have to tell us what he did.. Did he enlist?" Amelia gasped. You explained the whole of the Korean culture to them. They knew everything. They loved your passion for the country and language and could listen to you talking for hours about it. Amelia even started watching K-POP groups with you and was more obsessed than what you were..  

"No, he didn't enlist. Um, oh god, forgive me Jimin" you repeated Jihyun's words from your first conversation. "Jimin is um, he's urm.. Amelia.. He's a trainee" you explained. She gasped louder than when she questioned whether he had enlisted.

"He's a what now?" Rebecca laughed, not understanding the Korean jargon. You could see Amelia getting really excited and clenching her fists and gritting her teeth through amazement.

"A trainee is someone who is hired by an entertainment company and is trained up to be a professional entertainer whether that's a singer, dancer or actor.. Usually a singer and/or dancer and they then debut as a solo artist or musical group. It's the only normal way to become a recording artist over there" Amelia explained to Rebecca.

"Hold up" Rebecca paused Amelia's excitement. "You're trying to tell me that the K-POP groups that you listen too.. Your pen pal friend is going to be one of them?" She directed her question to you. "It's a massive possibility.. He may not be successful.. Even if he is, he may not debut for years or they may not be popular and disband before they even get an album out. It works very differently in Korea. If you're not popular from the get go, or at least have a following, you wont succeed in any manner" you explained.

"This is so much to take in" Rebecca stated, rubbing her head. "I know, imagine how I feel" you laughed off, giving them a hug and thanking them for being there for you.  

*3 months later*

You had been back home for the spring break and now back at university. Before you could even get back to your dorm, you had several missed calls from Rebecca and Amelia and some other friends who were trying to get in contact with you on their behalf.

"What's up?" You asked in the group call, trying to stick your key in the door whilst holding all of your bags. "When you get a minute, come to the library" Rebecca requested. "I've only just got here.. I'm not doing work!" You laughed. "Y/N.. Please just come to the library" Amelia sternly spoke. You were confused. This wasn't like them at all. "Is everything okay?" You queried, concerned, hitting your phone onto loud speaker as you dropped it onto the bed and dropped your bags from your arms, giving you an instant sensation of relief.  

"Yeah. I think so. Just, I can't really say much.. I don't know what to make of it. I-I don't know if.. Just get down here" Amelia spoke, just as stern as before. You were panicked. You had no idea what this could be about. "Okay, I'm coming now" you said, picking up your bag and running out of the door.  

You walked into the library and spotted their pale faces from a mile away. Rebecca even presented you with a cup of coffee and a shortbread. You knew this wasn't going to be good news. Coffee and shortbread were your comfort foods and they knew this.  

"So um, Y/N.. I don't know how to say this. I don't really know how to explain this. Hopefully it's nothing. Hopefully if it is something, you're keeping something from us too.. But we need to talk about Jimin." She explained. Your heart sank. You hadn't stopped thinking about him at all, but you were hoping as the days passed by, the pain would evaporate.. But it wasn't. If anything, it was getting harder. And your sleepless nights could vouch for that.

"J-Jimin?" You stuttered. Your hands started shaking and Rebecca put her hands around them to stop them. Your knees then started to shake and you felt weak. You knew something bad was about to happen.

"Have you spoke recently?" Amelia asked. You looked at her with a vague expression. "Well no.. I've already explained this. I have no contact" you huffed, slightly pissed she even asked you that. Amelia and Rebecca looked at each other and Rebecca muttered "fuck" under her breath. "What's going on?" You asked. "I'm getting worried". You felt that awful closing feeling at the back of your throat.

"Is his name Park Jimin and from Busan?" Amelia asked, staring at the computer screen. You looked up and dead eye stared at her. You never told her his surname or where he was from before. After your talk with Rebecca and Amelia, you never wanted to speak about it and hardlies ever did. "How did you--?" You asked before being cut off by Rebecca. "Is this him?" She asked, spinning the computer screen round in your direction.

You hadn't seen a picture of Jimin in a good few months. You stopped watching his videos he sent you because it broke your heart. The only thing you occasionally read were his letters but his image was permanently etched in your brain so there were no need for a constant photographic reminder.

You gulped and gasped at the same time. "That's him" you blinked, moving your head closer to the screen in a tilting confused motion. Rebecca looked at Amelia, obviously trying to get her to ask you a question but her words didn't seem to form.  "Y/N.. When did he say he would contact you?" Rebecca asked, gripping your hands tighter. "When he wasn't a trainee.. When he debuted" you stated, looking just as confused as ever.  

There was a moments silence and nobody knew what to say. "I'll let this do the talking" Amelia said solemnly, pressing play on the Youtube video.  

‘얌마 니 꿈은 뭐니 얌마 니 꿈은 뭐니 얌마 니 꿈은 뭐니 니 꿈은 겨우 그거니’

‘Hey what's your dream? Is that all your dream is?’

You had already had enough. You reached over your friends and tried to pause the video by using the space bar but missed. The video continued playing. Rebecca and Amelia were too focused on your face and demeanor to think about turning it off. Your heart was beating fast and the lump in your throat was getting bigger.

"He's debuted hasn't he?" You said through slightly gritted teeth. You felt pissed, hurt, alone, betrayed but ultimately, heartbroken. Amelia nodded. "I'm so sorry" they both said in unison.

There was another moments silence and you heard the song in the background.  

"That’s a lie, you such a liar See me, see me, ya you’re a hypocrite Why’re you telling to go a different path? Take care of yourself Please don’t force me" you translated out loud as you were going along with the song.

You had to admit. You loved the song. You even closed your eyes to somehow enhance your hearing sense.

"What's your dream? What's your dream? La La La La La." Jimin's voice. You took a deep breath. "That's Park Jimin alright" you smiled.  

You smiled because you were so proud. The feeling of overwhelming love and pride washed over you as soon as you saw him sing. He went to Seoul as a dancer and is now a singer.. You loved his singing voice. He even sang you to sleep over Skype sometimes. Well, in the past.  

Suddenly, you were struck down to reality. "When was this video published?" You gulped. He said he would contact you when he could. Jihyun said that Jimin would contact you. Why hadn't he? Had it just been posted?  

Neither Rebecca or Amelia said anything. "Just tell me!" You shouted in the middle of the library. You tensed your face and whispered 'sorry' the those studying around you and put your hand up to the librarians to resemble an apology.  

Amelia plucked up the courage to tell you. "Y/N.. They debuted 5 weeks ago" 

 Part 12

MASTERLIST

[nicolearp]

For the ask thing, all the ones you haven't already done or all the ones you want to answer

Oh wow, thank you so much! I’m so intrigued by the anon(s) I wanna know who you are ahaha

2: 3 movies you have rewatched many times

The first three that come to mind are legally blonde, liar liar, love actually

3: 3 songs that mean something to you

Fight Song by Rachel Platten, The One by Kodaline, Rise Up by Andra Day

4: 3 topics you’d love to learn more about

Mindfulness, meditation, and manifestation

5: 3 colours to paint your room

Well the walls in my room are currently beige, and tbh I’d stick with that but other options are white and blue

6: 3 characters that inspire you

Eleanor Shellstrop from The Good Place, Samantha Jones from Sex and the City, and idk, maybe Rosa Diaz from B99 for the bi representation? (Just realised that people say all 3 of those choices are bi loool my brand)

7: 3 fruits that you love the most

Pears, watermelon (ideally when on holiday), strawberries

8: 3 tv shows that you never get bored of

So hard to pick 3! Scrubs, sex and the city and wynonna Earp (I’ve only watched those last 2 all the way through once but they’ve become instant favourites of mine so I’m sure I’ll never get bored of them)

10: 3 things you like eating with coffee

Cake, donut, muffin

11: 3 books that you would recommend everyone to read

Everything I know about love by Dolly Alderton, why I’m no longer talking to white peoples about race by Reni Eddo-Lodge, and...hmm idk! Definitely those two, not sure about a third. I feel like I should name a classic but I haven’t read that many, I’m just gonna go with To Kill A Mockingbird

12: 3 apps you use the most

WhatsApp, Twitter and Tumblr (Facebook’s maybe joint 3rd)

13: 3 classes you used to hate in middle school

Geography, English, Drama (I love performing but I was super shy and reserved in school so I struggled there)

14: 3 professions that you would like to try

Presenter, publicist/PR, writer/columnist...not that I’d ever actually get to try them!

15: 3 quotes that have a special place in your life

This is tough, lots of possible answers!

“Give me the serenity to accept the things I can’t change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference”

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall”

“It doesn’t get better, but you get better”

16: 3 drinks you consume the most

Water, Diet Coke, iced coffee. (Jesus Christ I really do live up to the bisexual/LGBT+ brand)

17: 3 TV couples you adore the most

Wayhaught from Wynonna Earp, Jake & Amy from B99, and hmm idk, maybe Carrie and Big (but they’re problematic) or Monica and Chandler (but that’s high-key basic)

19: 3 animals you’d love to take care of in your house

Kitten, fish, terrapin

20: 3 adjectives that you’d use to describe yourself

I’m just instantly thinking of self-deprecating horrible things...putting them to one side id say I’m brave, caring and conscientious

21: 3 things you are the most passionate about:

Bi representation/ending bi erasure, anti-racism, pro-LGBT+ stuff, essentially equality in the many forms that takes

22: 3 movies/books/tv shows that made you cry

Finding Neverland (the movie and the musical), The Impossible, some episodes of Scrubs

23: 3 songs you listen to while cleaning

Lovely Day by Bill Withers, Good as Hell by Lizzo, anything from Dear Evan Hansen

24: 3 places that make you feel peaceful

My bedroom, my living room, a beach

25: 3 people you’d never get tired of

This is a little personal so I’m gonna leave this out, there’s only really one person ahaha

26: 3 countries you’d love to visit

Maldives, Italy, Canada

27: 3 things you wish you did more often

Meditate, journal, just generally taking time out for my mental health

29: 3 characteristics of the person you aspire to be

Good at accepting the things they can’t control, more extraverted/better in social situations, confident

30: 3 moments you could never forget

Everything I can think of is very personal so again I’m gonna leave this question out 😊 not something I want to publish for all to see ahaha

31: 3 types of flowers you love the most

I don’t know much about flowers but I like roses, tulips, and pussy willows (lol)

33: 3 scented candles you love the most

I love scented candles but I’m pretty new to the game! I had a frangipani one which I love, I also have some Christmas candles atm which smell so good, and also a vanilla one

34: 3 people in history that inspire you the most

This ones really hard, so many options! Marsha P Johnson and Rosa Parks come to mind. For a third, maybe MLK Jr?

35: 3 vegetables that you like the taste of

Sweetcorn, peas, carrots

36: 3 ways of travelling that you enjoy the most

Walk, car, train

Thank you so much for the questions! Sorry if my answers were terrible, I tried!

[newstfionline]

Saturday, November 7, 2020

Biden delivers confident assessment: ‘We’re going to win this race’ (Yahoo News) Democratic nominee Joe Biden addressed the nation Friday, after his growing lead in the presidential election’s key battleground states appeared to have placed him on the verge of victory. "The numbers tell us a clear and convincing story: We're going to win this race," Biden said. The remarks came as the race appeared to be quickly slipping away from Trump. As votes continued to be counted in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania, Biden held a lead in all of them. The Associated Press and Fox had already called Arizona for Biden; any of the remaining three states would put the Democrat over the 270 Electoral College votes needed to secure the presidency. But ahead of Biden’s speech in Wilmington, President Trump made clear that he would not be conceding defeat in the race anytime soon. “Joe Biden should not wrongfully claim the office of the President!” Trump tweeted. “I could make that claim also. Legal proceedings are just now beginning!” Early on Wednesday, several hours after the polls closed, Trump made an appearance and declared he had already won the election. "We will win this, and as far as I'm concerned, we already have,” he told supporters in the East Room of the White House.

Presidential election exposes America’s ‘perilous’ divides (AP) Presidential elections can be revealing moments that convey the wishes of the American people to the next wave of elected officials. So far, the big reveal in the contest between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden is the extent of the cavernous divide between Republican and Democratic America, one that defines the nation, no matter which candidate ultimately wins. Voters from both parties turned out in droves to pick the next president, but as they did so, they found little agreement about what that president should do. Democrats and Republicans prioritized different issues, lived in different communities and even voted on different kinds of ballots. Whoever emerges as the winner, that division ensures that the next president will face significant gridlock in Congress, skepticism about the integrity of the vote and an agitated electorate increasingly divided by race, education and geography. Even the vote count itself threatens to further split Americans. “Except for the Civil War, I don’t think we’ve lived through any time as perilous as this in terms of the divisions,” said historian Barbara Perry, the director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center.

Eta back to sea as Central America tallies damages and dead (AP) As the remnants of Hurricane Eta moved back over Caribbean waters, governments in Central America worked to tally the displaced and dead, and recover bodies from landslides and flooding that claimed dozens of lives from Guatemala to Panama. It will be days before the true toll of Eta is known. Its torrential rains battered economies already strangled by the COVID-19 pandemic, took all from those who had little and laid bare the shortcomings of governments unable to aid their citizens and pleading for international assistance. Shortly after Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández asked neighboring Guatemala for help rescuing residents stranded near their shared border Thursday, Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei said at least 50 people had been killed in landslides in his own country, most of them in a remote town rescuers struggled to reach. A week of rain spoiled crops, washed away bridges and flooded homes across Central America. Hurricane Eta’s arrival Tuesday afternoon in northeast Nicaragua followed days of drenching rain as it crawled toward shore. Its slow, meandering path north through Honduras pushed rivers over their banks and pouring into neighborhoods where families were forced onto rooftops to wait for rescue. / (Reuters, later:) The death toll from the calamitous storm Eta in Central America soared on Friday after the Guatemalan military reached a remote mountainous village where torrential rains had triggered devastating mudslides, killing about 100 people. Another 50 are missing.

Brazilian state of Amapa suffers a power blackout for days (AP) A fire at an electricity substation has caused four days of blackouts in most of northern Brazil’s Amapa state, disrupting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. The outage began Tuesday night when a fire damaged a transformer, interrupting the power supply to 13 of the state’s 16 municipalities, including the capital Macapa, the state government said. Amapa state, on Brazil’s border with French Guyana, has a total of 850,000 residents. Nearly 90% of Amapa’s population was still without power on Friday morning, according to the state’s communications secretary. Thousands of people lined up to fill water jugs and tanks at places in the capital where supply was still available, according to images shown in local press. Most of the population was without telephone service or internet access.

Minks (National Geographic) Minks, which are raised for their fur around much of the world, are, like several other mammals, able to catch coronaviruses from humans. That’s the bad news. The worse news is that 207 fur farms in Denmark are home to minks that tested positive for the coronavirus. The even worse news is that the nation’s public health authority found that the virus can then circulate between minks and humans, and worse still, the virus has mutated in the minks. Half of the 783 human cases in the north of the country are related to the minks’ mutant coronavirus. That’s extremely bad, as if this strain gets around it may be sufficiently mutated to undermine the efficacy of a future vaccine. In light of this, Denmark will kill every one of the 15 million mink in the country’s 1,200 fur farms as a precautionary step.

France reinforcing its border controls following attacks (AP) French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that France is reinforcing its border controls after a series of attacks that hit the country in recent weeks. Macron said the number of police and troops in charge of border controls will double from 2,400 now to 4,800. They will focus on fighting illegal immigration and smuggling activities, he said, during a visit to a frontier post in Le Perthus, at the border with Spain. In addition, Macron said he will push for changes to make controls at the European Union’s external borders more efficient. “Attacks in France, in Austria a few days ago in Vienna, show us that the terrorist risk is everywhere, that (terrorist) networks are global ... which forces Europe to intensify its response,” he said. France will present its proposals at a European summit in December.

Greece imposes lockdown to avoid worst at hospitals (AP) With a surge in coronavirus cases straining health systems in many European countries, Greece announced a nationwide lockdown Thursday in the hopes of stemming a rising tide of patients before its hospitals come under “unbearable” pressure. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that he acted before infection rates reached the levels seen in many neighboring countries because, after years of financial crises that have damaged its health system, it couldn’t afford to wait as long to impose restrictions as others had. The lockdown takes effect at daybreak on Saturday across the country and will last until the end of the month. People will only be allowed to leave their homes for work, physical exercise and medical reasons—and only after sending a text message to authorities. Shops will shut, although supermarkets and other food stores will remain open. Restaurants will operate on a delivery-only basis.

Kosovo President Resigns to Fight War Crimes Case in the Netherlands (NYT) The president of Kosovo, a guerrilla leader during Kosovo’s fight for independence against Serbia, resigned on Thursday to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity at a special international court in the Netherlands. The president, Hashim Thaci, 52, said at a news conference in Pristina, Kosovo’s capital, that he was stepping down to protect the office of the presidency. The former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Mr. Thaci was indicted in June by the special court in The Hague on 10 counts of war crimes. Prosecutors accused him and other former independence fighters of being “criminally responsible for nearly 100 murders.” A judge at the court also confirmed war crimes charges against Jakup Krasniqi, a former interim president of Kosovo. Prosecutors said Wednesday that he had been arrested with the help of European Union authorities.

Belarus nuclear plant opens (Foreign Policy) The first nuclear plant in Belarus began operations on Thursday amid objections from neighboring Lithuania, whose citizens live within roughly 12 miles of the facility. The plant, built by Russian state company Rosatom, will eventually power a third of Belarus according to a statement from its energy ministry. Lithuania’s complaints about problems with the plant’s construction have been waved off by Russia, who say it meets the highest international standards. Lithuania has offered free potassium iodide tablets—which can protect the thyroid gland from radioactive iodine released during nuclear accidents—to residents near the plant in the event of a nuclear meltdown.

Iraqi forces kill protester, wound 40 in southern Basra (AP) Iraqi security forces killed at least one anti-government protester using live gunfire and wounded at least 40 others in the southern city of Basra on Friday, security sources and a rights official said. It was the first killing of a protester by security forces in Basra since Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi took office in May. Deadly flare-ups have been rare since protests against Iraq’s ruling elite and demanding jobs and services largely subsided earlier this year. During months of anti-government protests that erupted under his predecessor Adel Abdul Mahdi in October 2019, more than 500 people were killed, mostly young unarmed demonstrators.

Israel rebuked for ‘biggest demolition of Palestinian homes in years’ (BBC) The United Nations has rebuked Israel for carrying out what it said was the biggest demolition of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank for a decade. Some 73 people, including 41 children, were made homeless when their dwellings were knocked down in the Bedouin settlement of Khirbet Humsa, in the Jordan Valley, the UN said. The Israeli military said the structures had been built illegally. But the UN called the Israeli actions a “grave breach” of international law. According to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), 76 structures—including homes, animal shelters, toilets and solar panels—were destroyed when Israeli bulldozers moved in late on Tuesday. Footage from the scene following the demolition, released by Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, showed the area strewn with wreckage including twisted metal, sheets and cots. “This is a great injustice,” resident Harb Abu al-Kabash told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. “We didn’t know they were coming and we didn’t prepare, and now we are facing rain.”

Ethiopia conflict escalates as army sends more troops to Tigray region (Washington Post) Ethiopia’s dispute with the northern Tigray region escalated Thursday with reports of heavy shelling and the army’s deputy chief declaring that the country had entered into “an unexpected war” and was sending more troops to the area. The intensifying conflict drew an urgent international response, with the United Nations dispatching a special envoy to Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, and the International Crisis Group warning that the conflict could spread beyond Ethiopia’s borders. Clashes erupted in Tigray on Wednesday after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner, sent troops into Tigray province and declared a “military confrontation” after the regional government attacked a federal military base.

[succeedly]

Personalizing the Curriculum with the Learning Journey Model

Mark Engstrom, Episode 188 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

Mark Engstrom shares a personalized model for learning that he calls the “Learning Journey Model.” After students accomplish a core competency, they personalize their learning journey much like the “game of LIFE” board game.

Got 5 minutes? That is all it takes to enter the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest. If you’re a US public school teacher of grades 6-12, you and your students just need to come up with a STEAM idea that can help your community. If you’re selected as a finalist, you’ll win technology and prizes to help your STEAM project come to reality.

The entry period ends this week – Thursday, November 9 is the last day! Go to http://ift.tt/2AoA0pm to learn more. Good luck!

Listen Now

    Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

    Stream by clicking here.

  Below is an enhanced transcript, modified for your reading pleasure. For guests and hyperlinks to resources, scroll down.

***

Enhanced Transcript

Improving the Curriculum with the Learning Journey Model

Link to show: http://ift.tt/2hU7xAo Date: November 8, 2017

Vicki: Today we’re talking to Mark Engstrom @markaengstrom Head of Middle School and Upper School at Allen Academy in Bryan, Texas.

The Learning Journey Model

Mark, you are passionate about helping students have control over their learning. Give me an example. What do your students do?

Mark: So… my students know which components of my classes are foundational and what components are collaborative, what components they will have choice on and what they’ll get to choose from when it’s time for assessments.

I think of the Learning Journey more like the game of life and less like a traditional syllabus where teachers dictate what’s going to be taught, when it’s going to be taught, how you’ll be graded, how you’ll be penalized, the resources you have to use. I prefer to give kids a path, and let them choose from within that path what works best for them.

Vicki: OK, did you say that they get to choose their assessment?

Assessment in a Personalized Classroom

Mark: So they do get to choose. They have a variety of passion-based projects they get to pick from. Within the assessments, there are six questions, and they do three of them. They have five different chances to take the assessment, so the idea is that there’s choice within the assessment, and there’s choice about when they want to take the assessment.

Vicki: Okay, so are all the assessment tests, or do you assess other ways?

Mark: I assess in other ways as well. We’ve got MAP quizzes, we’ve got content-based knowledge assessments, so there are some other some other ways.

Vicki: OK, so there are some teachers sitting here saying, “OK, so you’re coming up with four different ways to assess? That sounds like a whole lot of work!”

Mark: It is! But once you get your kids trained to sort of think, “OK. I’m learning for learning’s sake. I’m going to be assessed in a whole bunch of different ways, and I will have choices,” then they are really feeling empowered.

It becomes less about “playing school” and more about, “How much can I learn? What more can I learn? What don’t I know? Who can help me? Where can I go online to get better? Who in the class can help me? What do I need to ask the teacher?” It makes them the agents of their own learning, and it is fantastic!

Vicki: Do you have a learning management system that helps you keep up with all this?

How does this relate to your Learning Management System?

Mark: We do. It’s called PowerSchool. The reality is that it’s a round-peg-square-hole kind of situation, because I don’t want to manage their learning. I want to inspire them, I want to spark inquiry, I want to answer their questions, I want to give them resources. So the whole idea of a learning management system? I just think it’s flawed. We shouldn’t be managing their learning, we should be sparking it.

Vicki: OK, but you use that to track it and hold it all together? I use PowerSchool Learning as well. I think I’d have to say that they do sponsor some of the work that I do, so I do have to say that.

So, OK. So what class in particular… You’re Head of School, but are you also teaching a class, or is this the model in all of the classrooms for your students?

Mark: So I’m the Head of our Middle and Upper School. We’ve got a Head of School who’s in charge of the kit and kaboodle of Pre-K through 12. So, in my two divisions, Middle and Upper School, we’ve got five classes that now use the Learning Journey model.

Vicki: OK. So is this something that you invented, or where’d you find it?

Mark: I went to some professional development that made me rethink the way we do school. And I kind of landed on the Game of Life that I wanted to use. So, yeah, I came up with it.

Vicki: OK. And we’ll share in the Shownotes , you’ve got some infographics about how you structure your syllabus. (See above.) You completely changed the syllabi for these courses, haven’t you?

Mark: Correct. Can I just talk a little bit about how the Learning Journey works, so it’s clear to people?

Vicki: Yeah! Help us

Mark: So, if you’re looking at the infographic, (see above) basically the top left is Goal Setting. You can follow the white arrows all the way down. It kind of forms maybe two “S”-shapes. Along the way, there’s Artifacts and Reflections and Goal Setting. Kids are always thinking about, “What did I do that’s awesome?” or “What did I do where I struggled?” or “What do I do when I want to do it better?”

And “What did I do that was collaborative? Where can I get an artifact that sort of encapsulates this segment of my learning?”

And then they write a little paragraph about it. I comment on that.

So it’s not just about the learning. I tell kids, “The hidden curriculum is YOU.”

We talk about geography, and I care about geography. But what I really care about is, “What are you learning about how you learn best?”

And so, the first part is foundational learning. That’s the blue part. In every class around the world, teachers could identify the non-negotiable pieces that lay the foundation for deeper thoughts. Those pieces are in my Foundational Learning segment.

Then there’s Collaborative Learning, which looks like what you would imagine it should look like for any collaborative project.

Then we move into a personal segment where they do a Passion-Based Learning Project.

The final segment of the class is getting ready for the assessments.

Vicki: Are all the kids operating at a different speed?

How the personalized approach works

Mark: We work on trimesters. The first trimester we kind of all go at the same pace. But then in the second and third, I really let them loose. Some kids really fly, and you realize that they’ve been shackled by the traditional methods of teaching and whole-class instruction. And it is awesome to see kids just take off on their learning.

Vicki: What happens, though, when you have some people who’ve covered a lot more material than others, and then you go back to this, “OK, these folks have class rank.”

Class Rank and Traditional Grading in this model

Is it fair if somebody covers eight more chapters than somebody else?

Mark: What do you mean by “class rank”?

Vicki: Well, in high school, do you have first, second, third, fourth in your class, or do you not do that at your school?

Mark: We have to do that for the state of Texas, because it affects admissions policies. But other than that, we don’t need to.

I mean, I see your point. There are kids who go above and beyond. But this isn’t a system that’s geared to satisfy other components of traditional education.

Vicki: Ahhhhhh….

Mark: I’m trying to drill down to what does research say about agency? Like if you look at Daniel Pink, Mastery, Autonomy, Purpose… the Learning Journey is full of autonomy and purpose options. That’s kind of the driving force.

Vicki: So… you… are just reinventing school!

Mark: That’s what we’re trying to do.

Vicki: Do you get any pushback?

What pushback do you get with the Learning Journey model?

Mark: I’ve presented this at conferences before, and I’ve written about this. Some people will write in and say, “Wow, that’s great!” But I get very few people who actually want to jump in. I think right now there aren’t enough incentives for teachers to take the time to overhaul their class. Whether their principal wouldn’t appreciate it, or they team teach with people who aren’t interested — I just think there aren’t enough incentives out there right now.

But I would say that any teacher out there, who’s really looking to get re-energized around student learning and the experiences that they’re offering their kids? They’re more than welcome to reach out to me. I’m on Twitter, and I’d be happy to talk through the first couple steps of the Learning Journey.

Vicki: Mark, the truth is that we’re going to end up where you are at some point. We can either aggressively go after it and become part of the change, or the change can be done to us.

You’re either a victim or a victor when you’re dealing with change.

This whole personalized learning approach is really where we’re moving. I mean, would you agree with that or disagree with that?

Mark: Amen. I think you’re spot on.

30-second elevator pitch for the Learning Journey model

Vicki: But it’s just hard. I’m trying to get my arms around it. What do you think… If you were stuck in an elevator with someone who was in charge of the curriculum for one of the biggest districts in the country, and you had one minute to sell this approach of the Learning Journey model. What would you say?

Mark: I’d probably start by asking them, “What’s the number one thing they want to change about student learning in their school district?”

And, depending on their answer, I would chime in that there are different parts of learning journeys, or personalized learning, or digital tools that can accomplish what they’re hoping to accomplish.

And if I had a whiteboard or my infographic at the ready, I would kind of walk them through how the Game of Life — which allowed you to make choices about going to college, having a wife and family, investing in stocks — I mean, that same sort of board game path is applicable to giving students agency over what they want to learn and how they want to learn.

Vicki: So what’s your greatest, “AHA!” moment from this whole process?

Greatest Aha Moment

Mark: ASo I think the “AHA!” moment is that we don’t need to move students through the old industrial model of teaching. It’s easy to do flipped class learning and see how that works. It’s easy to do Project-Based Learning and see how that works. But all of those things feel to me like piecemeal or part of the answer. Whereas I hope the Learning Journey is more of a holistic approach to giving students control. I think that would be my “AHA!” moment.

Vicki: What do you think is the biggest mistake you’ve made in this journey?

Mistake in Personalizing Learning

Mark: The first step I made was to get rid of all content as a requirement. I gave kids too much choice to start. I got a lot of pushback from parents saying, “We don’t know what to study.”

I wish I hadn’t started there. I wish I had started smaller, and given kids choice and trimmed back the content instead of giving them total choice over what they study.

After the Foundational Learning piece of the journey, they really do have total control. So I’ll have some students who only do politics. Or only do environmental stuff. Or only do economics. And I didn’t do that well the first time.

Vicki: I love that you admit — I think that this is important for the transparency — saying, “This is what I did right, This is what I did wrong.”

Your Learning Journey model really is a journey, for you.

Educators, you’re definitely going to want to check the Shownotes for the infographics and the links to Mark’s site.

We love to feature brave, remarkable educators on the 10-Minute Teacher to really provoke your thinking. This is the direction that I think that we’re all going to be heading.

It sounds complicated. It sounds hard.

But I’ll tell you this — we cannot let the fact that something is challenging keep us from doing it, because we’re talking about lives here.

If it works, we need to consider it.

So let’s take a look at the Learning Journey model, and see what we can learn from it.

    Transcribed by Kymberli Mulford

kymberlimulford@gmail.com

Bio as submitted

Mark Engstrom is an Educational Consultant, Blended Learning Designer and the Head of MS/US at Allen Academy in Bryan, Texas. He has presented on digital and personalized learning through Independent School Management, Association of American Schools in South America and Association of International Schools in Africa. He has also written for EdSurge, Getting Smart and Teachers Matter. He has helped teachers from all over the world make learning more engaging for their students. Feel free to connect through Twitter @markaengstrom

Twitter:@markaengstrom

Author of

Blending Alone- http://ift.tt/2AlnxCc

Redesigning the syllabus to reflect the learning journey- http://ift.tt/2xekD3D

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.) This company has no impact on the editorial content of the show.

The post Personalizing the Curriculum with the Learning Journey Model appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

Personalizing the Curriculum with the Learning Journey Model published first on http://ift.tt/2jn9f0m

[strivesy]

Personalizing the Curriculum with the Learning Journey Model

Mark Engstrom, Episode 188 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

Mark Engstrom shares a personalized model for learning that he calls the “Learning Journey Model.” After students accomplish a core competency, they personalize their learning journey much like the “game of LIFE” board game.

Got 5 minutes? That is all it takes to enter the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest. If you’re a US public school teacher of grades 6-12, you and your students just need to come up with a STEAM idea that can help your community. If you’re selected as a finalist, you’ll win technology and prizes to help your STEAM project come to reality.

The entry period ends this week – Thursday, November 9 is the last day! Go to http://ift.tt/2AoA0pm to learn more. Good luck!

Listen Now

    Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

    Stream by clicking here.

  Below is an enhanced transcript, modified for your reading pleasure. For guests and hyperlinks to resources, scroll down.

***

Enhanced Transcript

Improving the Curriculum with the Learning Journey Model

Link to show: http://ift.tt/2hU7xAo Date: November 8, 2017

Vicki: Today we’re talking to Mark Engstrom @markaengstrom Head of Middle School and Upper School at Allen Academy in Bryan, Texas.

The Learning Journey Model

Mark, you are passionate about helping students have control over their learning. Give me an example. What do your students do?

Mark: So… my students know which components of my classes are foundational and what components are collaborative, what components they will have choice on and what they’ll get to choose from when it’s time for assessments.

I think of the Learning Journey more like the game of life and less like a traditional syllabus where teachers dictate what’s going to be taught, when it’s going to be taught, how you’ll be graded, how you’ll be penalized, the resources you have to use. I prefer to give kids a path, and let them choose from within that path what works best for them.

Vicki: OK, did you say that they get to choose their assessment?

Assessment in a Personalized Classroom

Mark: So they do get to choose. They have a variety of passion-based projects they get to pick from. Within the assessments, there are six questions, and they do three of them. They have five different chances to take the assessment, so the idea is that there’s choice within the assessment, and there’s choice about when they want to take the assessment.

Vicki: Okay, so are all the assessment tests, or do you assess other ways?

Mark: I assess in other ways as well. We’ve got MAP quizzes, we’ve got content-based knowledge assessments, so there are some other some other ways.

Vicki: OK, so there are some teachers sitting here saying, “OK, so you’re coming up with four different ways to assess? That sounds like a whole lot of work!”

Mark: It is! But once you get your kids trained to sort of think, “OK. I’m learning for learning’s sake. I’m going to be assessed in a whole bunch of different ways, and I will have choices,” then they are really feeling empowered.

It becomes less about “playing school” and more about, “How much can I learn? What more can I learn? What don’t I know? Who can help me? Where can I go online to get better? Who in the class can help me? What do I need to ask the teacher?” It makes them the agents of their own learning, and it is fantastic!

Vicki: Do you have a learning management system that helps you keep up with all this?

How does this relate to your Learning Management System?

Mark: We do. It’s called PowerSchool. The reality is that it’s a round-peg-square-hole kind of situation, because I don’t want to manage their learning. I want to inspire them, I want to spark inquiry, I want to answer their questions, I want to give them resources. So the whole idea of a learning management system? I just think it’s flawed. We shouldn’t be managing their learning, we should be sparking it.

Vicki: OK, but you use that to track it and hold it all together? I use PowerSchool Learning as well. I think I’d have to say that they do sponsor some of the work that I do, so I do have to say that.

So, OK. So what class in particular… You’re Head of School, but are you also teaching a class, or is this the model in all of the classrooms for your students?

Mark: So I’m the Head of our Middle and Upper School. We’ve got a Head of School who’s in charge of the kit and kaboodle of Pre-K through 12. So, in my two divisions, Middle and Upper School, we’ve got five classes that now use the Learning Journey model.

Vicki: OK. So is this something that you invented, or where’d you find it?

Mark: I went to some professional development that made me rethink the way we do school. And I kind of landed on the Game of Life that I wanted to use. So, yeah, I came up with it.

Vicki: OK. And we’ll share in the Shownotes , you’ve got some infographics about how you structure your syllabus. (See above.) You completely changed the syllabi for these courses, haven’t you?

Mark: Correct. Can I just talk a little bit about how the Learning Journey works, so it’s clear to people?

Vicki: Yeah! Help us

Mark: So, if you’re looking at the infographic, (see above) basically the top left is Goal Setting. You can follow the white arrows all the way down. It kind of forms maybe two “S”-shapes. Along the way, there’s Artifacts and Reflections and Goal Setting. Kids are always thinking about, “What did I do that’s awesome?” or “What did I do where I struggled?” or “What do I do when I want to do it better?”

And “What did I do that was collaborative? Where can I get an artifact that sort of encapsulates this segment of my learning?”

And then they write a little paragraph about it. I comment on that.

So it’s not just about the learning. I tell kids, “The hidden curriculum is YOU.”

We talk about geography, and I care about geography. But what I really care about is, “What are you learning about how you learn best?”

And so, the first part is foundational learning. That’s the blue part. In every class around the world, teachers could identify the non-negotiable pieces that lay the foundation for deeper thoughts. Those pieces are in my Foundational Learning segment.

Then there’s Collaborative Learning, which looks like what you would imagine it should look like for any collaborative project.

Then we move into a personal segment where they do a Passion-Based Learning Project.

The final segment of the class is getting ready for the assessments.

Vicki: Are all the kids operating at a different speed?

How the personalized approach works

Mark: We work on trimesters. The first trimester we kind of all go at the same pace. But then in the second and third, I really let them loose. Some kids really fly, and you realize that they’ve been shackled by the traditional methods of teaching and whole-class instruction. And it is awesome to see kids just take off on their learning.

Vicki: What happens, though, when you have some people who’ve covered a lot more material than others, and then you go back to this, “OK, these folks have class rank.”

Class Rank and Traditional Grading in this model

Is it fair if somebody covers eight more chapters than somebody else?

Mark: What do you mean by “class rank”?

Vicki: Well, in high school, do you have first, second, third, fourth in your class, or do you not do that at your school?

Mark: We have to do that for the state of Texas, because it affects admissions policies. But other than that, we don’t need to.

I mean, I see your point. There are kids who go above and beyond. But this isn’t a system that’s geared to satisfy other components of traditional education.

Vicki: Ahhhhhh….

Mark: I’m trying to drill down to what does research say about agency? Like if you look at Daniel Pink, Mastery, Autonomy, Purpose… the Learning Journey is full of autonomy and purpose options. That’s kind of the driving force.

Vicki: So… you… are just reinventing school!

Mark: That’s what we’re trying to do.

Vicki: Do you get any pushback?

What pushback do you get with the Learning Journey model?

Mark: I’ve presented this at conferences before, and I’ve written about this. Some people will write in and say, “Wow, that’s great!” But I get very few people who actually want to jump in. I think right now there aren’t enough incentives for teachers to take the time to overhaul their class. Whether their principal wouldn’t appreciate it, or they team teach with people who aren’t interested — I just think there aren’t enough incentives out there right now.

But I would say that any teacher out there, who’s really looking to get re-energized around student learning and the experiences that they’re offering their kids? They’re more than welcome to reach out to me. I’m on Twitter, and I’d be happy to talk through the first couple steps of the Learning Journey.

Vicki: Mark, the truth is that we’re going to end up where you are at some point. We can either aggressively go after it and become part of the change, or the change can be done to us.

You’re either a victim or a victor when you’re dealing with change.

This whole personalized learning approach is really where we’re moving. I mean, would you agree with that or disagree with that?

Mark: Amen. I think you’re spot on.

30-second elevator pitch for the Learning Journey model

Vicki: But it’s just hard. I’m trying to get my arms around it. What do you think… If you were stuck in an elevator with someone who was in charge of the curriculum for one of the biggest districts in the country, and you had one minute to sell this approach of the Learning Journey model. What would you say?

Mark: I’d probably start by asking them, “What’s the number one thing they want to change about student learning in their school district?”

And, depending on their answer, I would chime in that there are different parts of learning journeys, or personalized learning, or digital tools that can accomplish what they’re hoping to accomplish.

And if I had a whiteboard or my infographic at the ready, I would kind of walk them through how the Game of Life — which allowed you to make choices about going to college, having a wife and family, investing in stocks — I mean, that same sort of board game path is applicable to giving students agency over what they want to learn and how they want to learn.

Vicki: So what’s your greatest, “AHA!” moment from this whole process?

Greatest Aha Moment

Mark: ASo I think the “AHA!” moment is that we don’t need to move students through the old industrial model of teaching. It’s easy to do flipped class learning and see how that works. It’s easy to do Project-Based Learning and see how that works. But all of those things feel to me like piecemeal or part of the answer. Whereas I hope the Learning Journey is more of a holistic approach to giving students control. I think that would be my “AHA!” moment.

Vicki: What do you think is the biggest mistake you’ve made in this journey?

Mistake in Personalizing Learning

Mark: The first step I made was to get rid of all content as a requirement. I gave kids too much choice to start. I got a lot of pushback from parents saying, “We don’t know what to study.”

I wish I hadn’t started there. I wish I had started smaller, and given kids choice and trimmed back the content instead of giving them total choice over what they study.

After the Foundational Learning piece of the journey, they really do have total control. So I’ll have some students who only do politics. Or only do environmental stuff. Or only do economics. And I didn’t do that well the first time.

Vicki: I love that you admit — I think that this is important for the transparency — saying, “This is what I did right, This is what I did wrong.”

Your Learning Journey model really is a journey, for you.

Educators, you’re definitely going to want to check the Shownotes for the infographics and the links to Mark’s site.

We love to feature brave, remarkable educators on the 10-Minute Teacher to really provoke your thinking. This is the direction that I think that we’re all going to be heading.

It sounds complicated. It sounds hard.

But I’ll tell you this — we cannot let the fact that something is challenging keep us from doing it, because we’re talking about lives here.

If it works, we need to consider it.

So let’s take a look at the Learning Journey model, and see what we can learn from it.

    Transcribed by Kymberli Mulford

kymberlimulford@gmail.com

Bio as submitted

Mark Engstrom is an Educational Consultant, Blended Learning Designer and the Head of MS/US at Allen Academy in Bryan, Texas. He has presented on digital and personalized learning through Independent School Management, Association of American Schools in South America and Association of International Schools in Africa. He has also written for EdSurge, Getting Smart and Teachers Matter. He has helped teachers from all over the world make learning more engaging for their students. Feel free to connect through Twitter @markaengstrom

Twitter:@markaengstrom

Author of

Blending Alone- http://ift.tt/2AlnxCc

Redesigning the syllabus to reflect the learning journey- http://ift.tt/2xekD3D

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.) This company has no impact on the editorial content of the show.

The post Personalizing the Curriculum with the Learning Journey Model appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

Personalizing the Curriculum with the Learning Journey Model published first on http://ift.tt/2yTzsdq

[patriciaanderson357-blog]

Personalizing the Curriculum with the Learning Journey Model

Mark Engstrom, Episode 188 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

Mark Engstrom shares a personalized model for learning that he calls the “Learning Journey Model.” After students accomplish a core competency, they personalize their learning journey much like the “game of LIFE” board game.

Got 5 minutes? That is all it takes to enter the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest. If you’re a US public school teacher of grades 6-12, you and your students just need to come up with a STEAM idea that can help your community. If you’re selected as a finalist, you’ll win technology and prizes to help your STEAM project come to reality.

The entry period ends this week – Thursday, November 9 is the last day! Go to coolcatteacher.com/samsungsolve to learn more. Good luck!

Listen Now

    Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

    Stream by clicking here.

  Below is an enhanced transcript, modified for your reading pleasure. For guests and hyperlinks to resources, scroll down.

***

Enhanced Transcript

Improving the Curriculum with the Learning Journey Model

Link to show: www.coolcatteacher.com/e188 Date: November 8, 2017

Vicki: Today we’re talking to Mark Engstrom @markaengstrom Head of Middle School and Upper School at Allen Academy in Bryan, Texas.

The Learning Journey Model

Mark, you are passionate about helping students have control over their learning. Give me an example. What do your students do?

Mark: So… my students know which components of my classes are foundational and what components are collaborative, what components they will have choice on and what they’ll get to choose from when it’s time for assessments.

I think of the Learning Journey more like the game of life and less like a traditional syllabus where teachers dictate what’s going to be taught, when it’s going to be taught, how you’ll be graded, how you’ll be penalized, the resources you have to use. I prefer to give kids a path, and let them choose from within that path what works best for them.

Vicki: OK, did you say that they get to choose their assessment?

Assessment in a Personalized Classroom

Mark: So they do get to choose. They have a variety of passion-based projects they get to pick from. Within the assessments, there are six questions, and they do three of them. They have five different chances to take the assessment, so the idea is that there’s choice within the assessment, and there’s choice about when they want to take the assessment.

Vicki: Okay, so are all the assessment tests, or do you assess other ways?

Mark: I assess in other ways as well. We’ve got MAP quizzes, we’ve got content-based knowledge assessments, so there are some other some other ways.

Vicki: OK, so there are some teachers sitting here saying, “OK, so you’re coming up with four different ways to assess? That sounds like a whole lot of work!”

Mark: It is! But once you get your kids trained to sort of think, “OK. I’m learning for learning’s sake. I’m going to be assessed in a whole bunch of different ways, and I will have choices,” then they are really feeling empowered.

It becomes less about “playing school” and more about, “How much can I learn? What more can I learn? What don’t I know? Who can help me? Where can I go online to get better? Who in the class can help me? What do I need to ask the teacher?” It makes them the agents of their own learning, and it is fantastic!

Vicki: Do you have a learning management system that helps you keep up with all this?

How does this relate to your Learning Management System?

Mark: We do. It’s called PowerSchool. The reality is that it’s a round-peg-square-hole kind of situation, because I don’t want to manage their learning. I want to inspire them, I want to spark inquiry, I want to answer their questions, I want to give them resources. So the whole idea of a learning management system? I just think it’s flawed. We shouldn’t be managing their learning, we should be sparking it.

Vicki: OK, but you use that to track it and hold it all together? I use PowerSchool Learning as well. I think I’d have to say that they do sponsor some of the work that I do, so I do have to say that.

So, OK. So what class in particular… You’re Head of School, but are you also teaching a class, or is this the model in all of the classrooms for your students?

Mark: So I’m the Head of our Middle and Upper School. We’ve got a Head of School who’s in charge of the kit and kaboodle of Pre-K through 12. So, in my two divisions, Middle and Upper School, we’ve got five classes that now use the Learning Journey model.

Vicki: OK. So is this something that you invented, or where’d you find it?

Mark: I went to some professional development that made me rethink the way we do school. And I kind of landed on the Game of Life that I wanted to use. So, yeah, I came up with it.

Vicki: OK. And we’ll share in the Shownotes , you’ve got some infographics about how you structure your syllabus. (See above.) You completely changed the syllabi for these courses, haven’t you?

Mark: Correct. Can I just talk a little bit about how the Learning Journey works, so it’s clear to people?

Vicki: Yeah! Help us

Mark: So, if you’re looking at the infographic, (see above) basically the top left is Goal Setting. You can follow the white arrows all the way down. It kind of forms maybe two “S”-shapes. Along the way, there’s Artifacts and Reflections and Goal Setting. Kids are always thinking about, “What did I do that’s awesome?” or “What did I do where I struggled?” or “What do I do when I want to do it better?”

And “What did I do that was collaborative? Where can I get an artifact that sort of encapsulates this segment of my learning?”

And then they write a little paragraph about it. I comment on that.

So it’s not just about the learning. I tell kids, “The hidden curriculum is YOU.”

We talk about geography, and I care about geography. But what I really care about is, “What are you learning about how you learn best?”

And so, the first part is foundational learning. That’s the blue part. In every class around the world, teachers could identify the non-negotiable pieces that lay the foundation for deeper thoughts. Those pieces are in my Foundational Learning segment.

Then there’s Collaborative Learning, which looks like what you would imagine it should look like for any collaborative project.

Then we move into a personal segment where they do a Passion-Based Learning Project.

The final segment of the class is getting ready for the assessments.

Vicki: Are all the kids operating at a different speed?

How the personalized approach works

Mark: We work on trimesters. The first trimester we kind of all go at the same pace. But then in the second and third, I really let them loose. Some kids really fly, and you realize that they’ve been shackled by the traditional methods of teaching and whole-class instruction. And it is awesome to see kids just take off on their learning.

Vicki: What happens, though, when you have some people who’ve covered a lot more material than others, and then you go back to this, “OK, these folks have class rank.”

Class Rank and Traditional Grading in this model

Is it fair if somebody covers eight more chapters than somebody else?

Mark: What do you mean by “class rank”?

Vicki: Well, in high school, do you have first, second, third, fourth in your class, or do you not do that at your school?

Mark: We have to do that for the state of Texas, because it affects admissions policies. But other than that, we don’t need to.

I mean, I see your point. There are kids who go above and beyond. But this isn’t a system that’s geared to satisfy other components of traditional education.

Vicki: Ahhhhhh….

Mark: I’m trying to drill down to what does research say about agency? Like if you look at Daniel Pink, Mastery, Autonomy, Purpose… the Learning Journey is full of autonomy and purpose options. That’s kind of the driving force.

Vicki: So… you… are just reinventing school!

Mark: That’s what we’re trying to do.

Vicki: Do you get any pushback?

What pushback do you get with the Learning Journey model?

Mark: I’ve presented this at conferences before, and I’ve written about this. Some people will write in and say, “Wow, that’s great!” But I get very few people who actually want to jump in. I think right now there aren’t enough incentives for teachers to take the time to overhaul their class. Whether their principal wouldn’t appreciate it, or they team teach with people who aren’t interested — I just think there aren’t enough incentives out there right now.

But I would say that any teacher out there, who’s really looking to get re-energized around student learning and the experiences that they’re offering their kids? They’re more than welcome to reach out to me. I’m on Twitter, and I’d be happy to talk through the first couple steps of the Learning Journey.

Vicki: Mark, the truth is that we’re going to end up where you are at some point. We can either aggressively go after it and become part of the change, or the change can be done to us.

You’re either a victim or a victor when you’re dealing with change.

This whole personalized learning approach is really where we’re moving. I mean, would you agree with that or disagree with that?

Mark: Amen. I think you’re spot on.

30-second elevator pitch for the Learning Journey model

Vicki: But it’s just hard. I’m trying to get my arms around it. What do you think… If you were stuck in an elevator with someone who was in charge of the curriculum for one of the biggest districts in the country, and you had one minute to sell this approach of the Learning Journey model. What would you say?

Mark: I’d probably start by asking them, “What’s the number one thing they want to change about student learning in their school district?”

And, depending on their answer, I would chime in that there are different parts of learning journeys, or personalized learning, or digital tools that can accomplish what they’re hoping to accomplish.

And if I had a whiteboard or my infographic at the ready, I would kind of walk them through how the Game of Life — which allowed you to make choices about going to college, having a wife and family, investing in stocks — I mean, that same sort of board game path is applicable to giving students agency over what they want to learn and how they want to learn.

Vicki: So what’s your greatest, “AHA!” moment from this whole process?

Greatest Aha Moment

Mark: ASo I think the “AHA!” moment is that we don’t need to move students through the old industrial model of teaching. It’s easy to do flipped class learning and see how that works. It’s easy to do Project-Based Learning and see how that works. But all of those things feel to me like piecemeal or part of the answer. Whereas I hope the Learning Journey is more of a holistic approach to giving students control. I think that would be my “AHA!” moment.

Vicki: What do you think is the biggest mistake you’ve made in this journey?

Mistake in Personalizing Learning

Mark: The first step I made was to get rid of all content as a requirement. I gave kids too much choice to start. I got a lot of pushback from parents saying, “We don’t know what to study.”

I wish I hadn’t started there. I wish I had started smaller, and given kids choice and trimmed back the content instead of giving them total choice over what they study.

After the Foundational Learning piece of the journey, they really do have total control. So I’ll have some students who only do politics. Or only do environmental stuff. Or only do economics. And I didn’t do that well the first time.

Vicki: I love that you admit — I think that this is important for the transparency — saying, “This is what I did right, This is what I did wrong.”

Your Learning Journey model really is a journey, for you.

Educators, you’re definitely going to want to check the Shownotes for the infographics and the links to Mark’s site.

We love to feature brave, remarkable educators on the 10-Minute Teacher to really provoke your thinking. This is the direction that I think that we’re all going to be heading.

It sounds complicated. It sounds hard.

But I’ll tell you this — we cannot let the fact that something is challenging keep us from doing it, because we’re talking about lives here.

If it works, we need to consider it.

So let’s take a look at the Learning Journey model, and see what we can learn from it.

    Transcribed by Kymberli Mulford

kymberlimulford@gmail.com

Bio as submitted

Mark Engstrom is an Educational Consultant, Blended Learning Designer and the Head of MS/US at Allen Academy in Bryan, Texas. He has presented on digital and personalized learning through Independent School Management, Association of American Schools in South America and Association of International Schools in Africa. He has also written for EdSurge, Getting Smart and Teachers Matter. He has helped teachers from all over the world make learning more engaging for their students. Feel free to connect through Twitter @markaengstrom

Twitter:@markaengstrom

Author of

Blending Alone- http://www.gettingsmart.com/2014/01/blending-alone-blend-non-blended-environment/

Redesigning the syllabus to reflect the learning journey- https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-09-10-redesigning-the-syllabus-to-reflect-the-learning-journey

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.) This company has no impact on the editorial content of the show.

The post Personalizing the Curriculum with the Learning Journey Model appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

[aira26soonas]

Personalizing the Curriculum with the Learning Journey Model

Mark Engstrom, Episode 188 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

Mark Engstrom shares a personalized model for learning that he calls the “Learning Journey Model.” After students accomplish a core competency, they personalize their learning journey much like the “game of LIFE” board game.

Got 5 minutes? That is all it takes to enter the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest. If you’re a US public school teacher of grades 6-12, you and your students just need to come up with a STEAM idea that can help your community. If you’re selected as a finalist, you’ll win technology and prizes to help your STEAM project come to reality.

The entry period ends this week – Thursday, November 9 is the last day! Go to coolcatteacher.com/samsungsolve to learn more. Good luck!

Listen Now

    Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

    Stream by clicking here.

  Below is an enhanced transcript, modified for your reading pleasure. For guests and hyperlinks to resources, scroll down.

***

Enhanced Transcript

Improving the Curriculum with the Learning Journey Model

Link to show: www.coolcatteacher.com/e188 Date: November 8, 2017

Vicki: Today we’re talking to Mark Engstrom @markaengstrom Head of Middle School and Upper School at Allen Academy in Bryan, Texas.

The Learning Journey Model

Mark, you are passionate about helping students have control over their learning. Give me an example. What do your students do?

Mark: So… my students know which components of my classes are foundational and what components are collaborative, what components they will have choice on and what they’ll get to choose from when it’s time for assessments.

I think of the Learning Journey more like the game of life and less like a traditional syllabus where teachers dictate what’s going to be taught, when it’s going to be taught, how you’ll be graded, how you’ll be penalized, the resources you have to use. I prefer to give kids a path, and let them choose from within that path what works best for them.

Vicki: OK, did you say that they get to choose their assessment?

Assessment in a Personalized Classroom

Mark: So they do get to choose. They have a variety of passion-based projects they get to pick from. Within the assessments, there are six questions, and they do three of them. They have five different chances to take the assessment, so the idea is that there’s choice within the assessment, and there’s choice about when they want to take the assessment.

Vicki: Okay, so are all the assessment tests, or do you assess other ways?

Mark: I assess in other ways as well. We’ve got MAP quizzes, we’ve got content-based knowledge assessments, so there are some other some other ways.

Vicki: OK, so there are some teachers sitting here saying, “OK, so you’re coming up with four different ways to assess? That sounds like a whole lot of work!”

Mark: It is! But once you get your kids trained to sort of think, “OK. I’m learning for learning’s sake. I’m going to be assessed in a whole bunch of different ways, and I will have choices,” then they are really feeling empowered.

It becomes less about “playing school” and more about, “How much can I learn? What more can I learn? What don’t I know? Who can help me? Where can I go online to get better? Who in the class can help me? What do I need to ask the teacher?” It makes them the agents of their own learning, and it is fantastic!

Vicki: Do you have a learning management system that helps you keep up with all this?

How does this relate to your Learning Management System?

Mark: We do. It’s called PowerSchool. The reality is that it’s a round-peg-square-hole kind of situation, because I don’t want to manage their learning. I want to inspire them, I want to spark inquiry, I want to answer their questions, I want to give them resources. So the whole idea of a learning management system? I just think it’s flawed. We shouldn’t be managing their learning, we should be sparking it.

Vicki: OK, but you use that to track it and hold it all together? I use PowerSchool Learning as well. I think I’d have to say that they do sponsor some of the work that I do, so I do have to say that.

So, OK. So what class in particular… You’re Head of School, but are you also teaching a class, or is this the model in all of the classrooms for your students?

Mark: So I’m the Head of our Middle and Upper School. We’ve got a Head of School who’s in charge of the kit and kaboodle of Pre-K through 12. So, in my two divisions, Middle and Upper School, we’ve got five classes that now use the Learning Journey model.

Vicki: OK. So is this something that you invented, or where’d you find it?

Mark: I went to some professional development that made me rethink the way we do school. And I kind of landed on the Game of Life that I wanted to use. So, yeah, I came up with it.

Vicki: OK. And we’ll share in the Shownotes , you’ve got some infographics about how you structure your syllabus. (See above.) You completely changed the syllabi for these courses, haven’t you?

Mark: Correct. Can I just talk a little bit about how the Learning Journey works, so it’s clear to people?

Vicki: Yeah! Help us

Mark: So, if you’re looking at the infographic, (see above) basically the top left is Goal Setting. You can follow the white arrows all the way down. It kind of forms maybe two “S”-shapes. Along the way, there’s Artifacts and Reflections and Goal Setting. Kids are always thinking about, “What did I do that’s awesome?” or “What did I do where I struggled?” or “What do I do when I want to do it better?”

And “What did I do that was collaborative? Where can I get an artifact that sort of encapsulates this segment of my learning?”

And then they write a little paragraph about it. I comment on that.

So it’s not just about the learning. I tell kids, “The hidden curriculum is YOU.”

We talk about geography, and I care about geography. But what I really care about is, “What are you learning about how you learn best?”

And so, the first part is foundational learning. That’s the blue part. In every class around the world, teachers could identify the non-negotiable pieces that lay the foundation for deeper thoughts. Those pieces are in my Foundational Learning segment.

Then there’s Collaborative Learning, which looks like what you would imagine it should look like for any collaborative project.

Then we move into a personal segment where they do a Passion-Based Learning Project.

The final segment of the class is getting ready for the assessments.

Vicki: Are all the kids operating at a different speed?

How the personalized approach works

Mark: We work on trimesters. The first trimester we kind of all go at the same pace. But then in the second and third, I really let them loose. Some kids really fly, and you realize that they’ve been shackled by the traditional methods of teaching and whole-class instruction. And it is awesome to see kids just take off on their learning.

Vicki: What happens, though, when you have some people who’ve covered a lot more material than others, and then you go back to this, “OK, these folks have class rank.”

Class Rank and Traditional Grading in this model

Is it fair if somebody covers eight more chapters than somebody else?

Mark: What do you mean by “class rank”?

Vicki: Well, in high school, do you have first, second, third, fourth in your class, or do you not do that at your school?

Mark: We have to do that for the state of Texas, because it affects admissions policies. But other than that, we don’t need to.

I mean, I see your point. There are kids who go above and beyond. But this isn’t a system that’s geared to satisfy other components of traditional education.

Vicki: Ahhhhhh….

Mark: I’m trying to drill down to what does research say about agency? Like if you look at Daniel Pink, Mastery, Autonomy, Purpose… the Learning Journey is full of autonomy and purpose options. That’s kind of the driving force.

Vicki: So… you… are just reinventing school!

Mark: That’s what we’re trying to do.

Vicki: Do you get any pushback?

What pushback do you get with the Learning Journey model?

Mark: I’ve presented this at conferences before, and I’ve written about this. Some people will write in and say, “Wow, that’s great!” But I get very few people who actually want to jump in. I think right now there aren’t enough incentives for teachers to take the time to overhaul their class. Whether their principal wouldn’t appreciate it, or they team teach with people who aren’t interested — I just think there aren’t enough incentives out there right now.

But I would say that any teacher out there, who’s really looking to get re-energized around student learning and the experiences that they’re offering their kids? They’re more than welcome to reach out to me. I’m on Twitter, and I’d be happy to talk through the first couple steps of the Learning Journey.

Vicki: Mark, the truth is that we’re going to end up where you are at some point. We can either aggressively go after it and become part of the change, or the change can be done to us.

You’re either a victim or a victor when you’re dealing with change.

This whole personalized learning approach is really where we’re moving. I mean, would you agree with that or disagree with that?

Mark: Amen. I think you’re spot on.

30-second elevator pitch for the Learning Journey model

Vicki: But it’s just hard. I’m trying to get my arms around it. What do you think… If you were stuck in an elevator with someone who was in charge of the curriculum for one of the biggest districts in the country, and you had one minute to sell this approach of the Learning Journey model. What would you say?

Mark: I’d probably start by asking them, “What’s the number one thing they want to change about student learning in their school district?”

And, depending on their answer, I would chime in that there are different parts of learning journeys, or personalized learning, or digital tools that can accomplish what they’re hoping to accomplish.

And if I had a whiteboard or my infographic at the ready, I would kind of walk them through how the Game of Life — which allowed you to make choices about going to college, having a wife and family, investing in stocks — I mean, that same sort of board game path is applicable to giving students agency over what they want to learn and how they want to learn.

Vicki: So what’s your greatest, “AHA!” moment from this whole process?

Greatest Aha Moment

Mark: ASo I think the “AHA!” moment is that we don’t need to move students through the old industrial model of teaching. It’s easy to do flipped class learning and see how that works. It’s easy to do Project-Based Learning and see how that works. But all of those things feel to me like piecemeal or part of the answer. Whereas I hope the Learning Journey is more of a holistic approach to giving students control. I think that would be my “AHA!” moment.

Vicki: What do you think is the biggest mistake you’ve made in this journey?

Mistake in Personalizing Learning

Mark: The first step I made was to get rid of all content as a requirement. I gave kids too much choice to start. I got a lot of pushback from parents saying, “We don’t know what to study.”

I wish I hadn’t started there. I wish I had started smaller, and given kids choice and trimmed back the content instead of giving them total choice over what they study.

After the Foundational Learning piece of the journey, they really do have total control. So I’ll have some students who only do politics. Or only do environmental stuff. Or only do economics. And I didn’t do that well the first time.

Vicki: I love that you admit — I think that this is important for the transparency — saying, “This is what I did right, This is what I did wrong.”

Your Learning Journey model really is a journey, for you.

Educators, you’re definitely going to want to check the Shownotes for the infographics and the links to Mark’s site.

We love to feature brave, remarkable educators on the 10-Minute Teacher to really provoke your thinking. This is the direction that I think that we’re all going to be heading.

It sounds complicated. It sounds hard.

But I’ll tell you this — we cannot let the fact that something is challenging keep us from doing it, because we’re talking about lives here.

If it works, we need to consider it.

So let’s take a look at the Learning Journey model, and see what we can learn from it.

    Transcribed by Kymberli Mulford

kymberlimulford@gmail.com

Bio as submitted

Mark Engstrom is an Educational Consultant, Blended Learning Designer and the Head of MS/US at Allen Academy in Bryan, Texas. He has presented on digital and personalized learning through Independent School Management, Association of American Schools in South America and Association of International Schools in Africa. He has also written for EdSurge, Getting Smart and Teachers Matter. He has helped teachers from all over the world make learning more engaging for their students. Feel free to connect through Twitter @markaengstrom

Twitter:@markaengstrom

Author of

Blending Alone- http://www.gettingsmart.com/2014/01/blending-alone-blend-non-blended-environment/

Redesigning the syllabus to reflect the learning journey- https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-09-10-redesigning-the-syllabus-to-reflect-the-learning-journey

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.) This company has no impact on the editorial content of the show.

The post Personalizing the Curriculum with the Learning Journey Model appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

from Cool Cat Teacher BlogCool Cat Teacher Blog http://www.coolcatteacher.com/e188/

[ralph31ortiz]

Personalizing the Curriculum with the Learning Journey Model

Mark Engstrom, Episode 188 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

Mark Engstrom shares a personalized model for learning that he calls the “Learning Journey Model.” After students accomplish a core competency, they personalize their learning journey much like the “game of LIFE” board game.

Got 5 minutes? That is all it takes to enter the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest. If you’re a US public school teacher of grades 6-12, you and your students just need to come up with a STEAM idea that can help your community. If you’re selected as a finalist, you’ll win technology and prizes to help your STEAM project come to reality.

The entry period ends this week – Thursday, November 9 is the last day! Go to coolcatteacher.com/samsungsolve to learn more. Good luck!

Listen Now

    Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

    Stream by clicking here.

  Below is an enhanced transcript, modified for your reading pleasure. For guests and hyperlinks to resources, scroll down.

***

Enhanced Transcript

Improving the Curriculum with the Learning Journey Model

Link to show: www.coolcatteacher.com/e188 Date: November 8, 2017

Vicki: Today we’re talking to Mark Engstrom @markaengstrom Head of Middle School and Upper School at Allen Academy in Bryan, Texas.

The Learning Journey Model

Mark, you are passionate about helping students have control over their learning. Give me an example. What do your students do?

Mark: So… my students know which components of my classes are foundational and what components are collaborative, what components they will have choice on and what they’ll get to choose from when it’s time for assessments.

I think of the Learning Journey more like the game of life and less like a traditional syllabus where teachers dictate what’s going to be taught, when it’s going to be taught, how you’ll be graded, how you’ll be penalized, the resources you have to use. I prefer to give kids a path, and let them choose from within that path what works best for them.

Vicki: OK, did you say that they get to choose their assessment?

Assessment in a Personalized Classroom

Mark: So they do get to choose. They have a variety of passion-based projects they get to pick from. Within the assessments, there are six questions, and they do three of them. They have five different chances to take the assessment, so the idea is that there’s choice within the assessment, and there’s choice about when they want to take the assessment.

Vicki: Okay, so are all the assessment tests, or do you assess other ways?

Mark: I assess in other ways as well. We’ve got MAP quizzes, we’ve got content-based knowledge assessments, so there are some other some other ways.

Vicki: OK, so there are some teachers sitting here saying, “OK, so you’re coming up with four different ways to assess? That sounds like a whole lot of work!”

Mark: It is! But once you get your kids trained to sort of think, “OK. I’m learning for learning’s sake. I’m going to be assessed in a whole bunch of different ways, and I will have choices,” then they are really feeling empowered.

It becomes less about “playing school” and more about, “How much can I learn? What more can I learn? What don’t I know? Who can help me? Where can I go online to get better? Who in the class can help me? What do I need to ask the teacher?” It makes them the agents of their own learning, and it is fantastic!

Vicki: Do you have a learning management system that helps you keep up with all this?

How does this relate to your Learning Management System?

Mark: We do. It’s called PowerSchool. The reality is that it’s a round-peg-square-hole kind of situation, because I don’t want to manage their learning. I want to inspire them, I want to spark inquiry, I want to answer their questions, I want to give them resources. So the whole idea of a learning management system? I just think it’s flawed. We shouldn’t be managing their learning, we should be sparking it.

Vicki: OK, but you use that to track it and hold it all together? I use PowerSchool Learning as well. I think I’d have to say that they do sponsor some of the work that I do, so I do have to say that.

So, OK. So what class in particular… You’re Head of School, but are you also teaching a class, or is this the model in all of the classrooms for your students?

Mark: So I’m the Head of our Middle and Upper School. We’ve got a Head of School who’s in charge of the kit and kaboodle of Pre-K through 12. So, in my two divisions, Middle and Upper School, we’ve got five classes that now use the Learning Journey model.

Vicki: OK. So is this something that you invented, or where’d you find it?

Mark: I went to some professional development that made me rethink the way we do school. And I kind of landed on the Game of Life that I wanted to use. So, yeah, I came up with it.

Vicki: OK. And we’ll share in the Shownotes , you’ve got some infographics about how you structure your syllabus. (See above.) You completely changed the syllabi for these courses, haven’t you?

Mark: Correct. Can I just talk a little bit about how the Learning Journey works, so it’s clear to people?

Vicki: Yeah! Help us

Mark: So, if you’re looking at the infographic, (see above) basically the top left is Goal Setting. You can follow the white arrows all the way down. It kind of forms maybe two “S”-shapes. Along the way, there’s Artifacts and Reflections and Goal Setting. Kids are always thinking about, “What did I do that’s awesome?” or “What did I do where I struggled?” or “What do I do when I want to do it better?”

And “What did I do that was collaborative? Where can I get an artifact that sort of encapsulates this segment of my learning?”

And then they write a little paragraph about it. I comment on that.

So it’s not just about the learning. I tell kids, “The hidden curriculum is YOU.”

We talk about geography, and I care about geography. But what I really care about is, “What are you learning about how you learn best?”

And so, the first part is foundational learning. That’s the blue part. In every class around the world, teachers could identify the non-negotiable pieces that lay the foundation for deeper thoughts. Those pieces are in my Foundational Learning segment.

Then there’s Collaborative Learning, which looks like what you would imagine it should look like for any collaborative project.

Then we move into a personal segment where they do a Passion-Based Learning Project.

The final segment of the class is getting ready for the assessments.

Vicki: Are all the kids operating at a different speed?

How the personalized approach works

Mark: We work on trimesters. The first trimester we kind of all go at the same pace. But then in the second and third, I really let them loose. Some kids really fly, and you realize that they’ve been shackled by the traditional methods of teaching and whole-class instruction. And it is awesome to see kids just take off on their learning.

Vicki: What happens, though, when you have some people who’ve covered a lot more material than others, and then you go back to this, “OK, these folks have class rank.”

Class Rank and Traditional Grading in this model

Is it fair if somebody covers eight more chapters than somebody else?

Mark: What do you mean by “class rank”?

Vicki: Well, in high school, do you have first, second, third, fourth in your class, or do you not do that at your school?

Mark: We have to do that for the state of Texas, because it affects admissions policies. But other than that, we don’t need to.

I mean, I see your point. There are kids who go above and beyond. But this isn’t a system that’s geared to satisfy other components of traditional education.

Vicki: Ahhhhhh….

Mark: I’m trying to drill down to what does research say about agency? Like if you look at Daniel Pink, Mastery, Autonomy, Purpose… the Learning Journey is full of autonomy and purpose options. That’s kind of the driving force.

Vicki: So… you… are just reinventing school!

Mark: That’s what we’re trying to do.

Vicki: Do you get any pushback?

What pushback do you get with the Learning Journey model?

Mark: I’ve presented this at conferences before, and I’ve written about this. Some people will write in and say, “Wow, that’s great!” But I get very few people who actually want to jump in. I think right now there aren’t enough incentives for teachers to take the time to overhaul their class. Whether their principal wouldn’t appreciate it, or they team teach with people who aren’t interested — I just think there aren’t enough incentives out there right now.

But I would say that any teacher out there, who’s really looking to get re-energized around student learning and the experiences that they’re offering their kids? They’re more than welcome to reach out to me. I’m on Twitter, and I’d be happy to talk through the first couple steps of the Learning Journey.

Vicki: Mark, the truth is that we’re going to end up where you are at some point. We can either aggressively go after it and become part of the change, or the change can be done to us.

You’re either a victim or a victor when you’re dealing with change.

This whole personalized learning approach is really where we’re moving. I mean, would you agree with that or disagree with that?

Mark: Amen. I think you’re spot on.

30-second elevator pitch for the Learning Journey model

Vicki: But it’s just hard. I’m trying to get my arms around it. What do you think… If you were stuck in an elevator with someone who was in charge of the curriculum for one of the biggest districts in the country, and you had one minute to sell this approach of the Learning Journey model. What would you say?

Mark: I’d probably start by asking them, “What’s the number one thing they want to change about student learning in their school district?”

And, depending on their answer, I would chime in that there are different parts of learning journeys, or personalized learning, or digital tools that can accomplish what they’re hoping to accomplish.

And if I had a whiteboard or my infographic at the ready, I would kind of walk them through how the Game of Life — which allowed you to make choices about going to college, having a wife and family, investing in stocks — I mean, that same sort of board game path is applicable to giving students agency over what they want to learn and how they want to learn.

Vicki: So what’s your greatest, “AHA!” moment from this whole process?

Greatest Aha Moment

Mark: ASo I think the “AHA!” moment is that we don’t need to move students through the old industrial model of teaching. It’s easy to do flipped class learning and see how that works. It’s easy to do Project-Based Learning and see how that works. But all of those things feel to me like piecemeal or part of the answer. Whereas I hope the Learning Journey is more of a holistic approach to giving students control. I think that would be my “AHA!” moment.

Vicki: What do you think is the biggest mistake you’ve made in this journey?

Mistake in Personalizing Learning

Mark: The first step I made was to get rid of all content as a requirement. I gave kids too much choice to start. I got a lot of pushback from parents saying, “We don’t know what to study.”

I wish I hadn’t started there. I wish I had started smaller, and given kids choice and trimmed back the content instead of giving them total choice over what they study.

After the Foundational Learning piece of the journey, they really do have total control. So I’ll have some students who only do politics. Or only do environmental stuff. Or only do economics. And I didn’t do that well the first time.

Vicki: I love that you admit — I think that this is important for the transparency — saying, “This is what I did right, This is what I did wrong.”

Your Learning Journey model really is a journey, for you.

Educators, you’re definitely going to want to check the Shownotes for the infographics and the links to Mark’s site.

We love to feature brave, remarkable educators on the 10-Minute Teacher to really provoke your thinking. This is the direction that I think that we’re all going to be heading.

It sounds complicated. It sounds hard.

But I’ll tell you this — we cannot let the fact that something is challenging keep us from doing it, because we’re talking about lives here.

If it works, we need to consider it.

So let’s take a look at the Learning Journey model, and see what we can learn from it.

    Transcribed by Kymberli Mulford

kymberlimulford@gmail.com

Bio as submitted

Mark Engstrom is an Educational Consultant, Blended Learning Designer and the Head of MS/US at Allen Academy in Bryan, Texas. He has presented on digital and personalized learning through Independent School Management, Association of American Schools in South America and Association of International Schools in Africa. He has also written for EdSurge, Getting Smart and Teachers Matter. He has helped teachers from all over the world make learning more engaging for their students. Feel free to connect through Twitter @markaengstrom

Twitter:@markaengstrom

Author of

Blending Alone- http://www.gettingsmart.com/2014/01/blending-alone-blend-non-blended-environment/

Redesigning the syllabus to reflect the learning journey- https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-09-10-redesigning-the-syllabus-to-reflect-the-learning-journey

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.) This company has no impact on the editorial content of the show.

The post Personalizing the Curriculum with the Learning Journey Model appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

from Cool Cat Teacher BlogCool Cat Teacher Blog http://www.coolcatteacher.com/e188/

[athena29stone]

Personalizing the Curriculum with the Learning Journey Model

Mark Engstrom, Episode 188 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

Mark Engstrom shares a personalized model for learning that he calls the “Learning Journey Model.” After students accomplish a core competency, they personalize their learning journey much like the “game of LIFE” board game.

Got 5 minutes? That is all it takes to enter the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest. If you’re a US public school teacher of grades 6-12, you and your students just need to come up with a STEAM idea that can help your community. If you’re selected as a finalist, you’ll win technology and prizes to help your STEAM project come to reality.

The entry period ends this week – Thursday, November 9 is the last day! Go to coolcatteacher.com/samsungsolve to learn more. Good luck!

Listen Now

    Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

    Stream by clicking here.

  Below is an enhanced transcript, modified for your reading pleasure. For guests and hyperlinks to resources, scroll down.

***

Enhanced Transcript

Improving the Curriculum with the Learning Journey Model

Link to show: www.coolcatteacher.com/e188 Date: November 8, 2017

Vicki: Today we’re talking to Mark Engstrom @markaengstrom Head of Middle School and Upper School at Allen Academy in Bryan, Texas.

The Learning Journey Model

Mark, you are passionate about helping students have control over their learning. Give me an example. What do your students do?

Mark: So… my students know which components of my classes are foundational and what components are collaborative, what components they will have choice on and what they’ll get to choose from when it’s time for assessments.

I think of the Learning Journey more like the game of life and less like a traditional syllabus where teachers dictate what’s going to be taught, when it’s going to be taught, how you’ll be graded, how you’ll be penalized, the resources you have to use. I prefer to give kids a path, and let them choose from within that path what works best for them.

Vicki: OK, did you say that they get to choose their assessment?

Assessment in a Personalized Classroom

Mark: So they do get to choose. They have a variety of passion-based projects they get to pick from. Within the assessments, there are six questions, and they do three of them. They have five different chances to take the assessment, so the idea is that there’s choice within the assessment, and there’s choice about when they want to take the assessment.

Vicki: Okay, so are all the assessment tests, or do you assess other ways?

Mark: I assess in other ways as well. We’ve got MAP quizzes, we’ve got content-based knowledge assessments, so there are some other some other ways.

Vicki: OK, so there are some teachers sitting here saying, “OK, so you’re coming up with four different ways to assess? That sounds like a whole lot of work!”

Mark: It is! But once you get your kids trained to sort of think, “OK. I’m learning for learning’s sake. I’m going to be assessed in a whole bunch of different ways, and I will have choices,” then they are really feeling empowered.

It becomes less about “playing school” and more about, “How much can I learn? What more can I learn? What don’t I know? Who can help me? Where can I go online to get better? Who in the class can help me? What do I need to ask the teacher?” It makes them the agents of their own learning, and it is fantastic!

Vicki: Do you have a learning management system that helps you keep up with all this?

How does this relate to your Learning Management System?

Mark: We do. It’s called PowerSchool. The reality is that it’s a round-peg-square-hole kind of situation, because I don’t want to manage their learning. I want to inspire them, I want to spark inquiry, I want to answer their questions, I want to give them resources. So the whole idea of a learning management system? I just think it’s flawed. We shouldn’t be managing their learning, we should be sparking it.

Vicki: OK, but you use that to track it and hold it all together? I use PowerSchool Learning as well. I think I’d have to say that they do sponsor some of the work that I do, so I do have to say that.

So, OK. So what class in particular… You’re Head of School, but are you also teaching a class, or is this the model in all of the classrooms for your students?

Mark: So I’m the Head of our Middle and Upper School. We’ve got a Head of School who’s in charge of the kit and kaboodle of Pre-K through 12. So, in my two divisions, Middle and Upper School, we’ve got five classes that now use the Learning Journey model.

Vicki: OK. So is this something that you invented, or where’d you find it?

Mark: I went to some professional development that made me rethink the way we do school. And I kind of landed on the Game of Life that I wanted to use. So, yeah, I came up with it.

Vicki: OK. And we’ll share in the Shownotes , you’ve got some infographics about how you structure your syllabus. (See above.) You completely changed the syllabi for these courses, haven’t you?

Mark: Correct. Can I just talk a little bit about how the Learning Journey works, so it’s clear to people?

Vicki: Yeah! Help us

Mark: So, if you’re looking at the infographic, (see above) basically the top left is Goal Setting. You can follow the white arrows all the way down. It kind of forms maybe two “S”-shapes. Along the way, there’s Artifacts and Reflections and Goal Setting. Kids are always thinking about, “What did I do that’s awesome?” or “What did I do where I struggled?” or “What do I do when I want to do it better?”

And “What did I do that was collaborative? Where can I get an artifact that sort of encapsulates this segment of my learning?”

And then they write a little paragraph about it. I comment on that.

So it’s not just about the learning. I tell kids, “The hidden curriculum is YOU.”

We talk about geography, and I care about geography. But what I really care about is, “What are you learning about how you learn best?”

And so, the first part is foundational learning. That’s the blue part. In every class around the world, teachers could identify the non-negotiable pieces that lay the foundation for deeper thoughts. Those pieces are in my Foundational Learning segment.

Then there’s Collaborative Learning, which looks like what you would imagine it should look like for any collaborative project.

Then we move into a personal segment where they do a Passion-Based Learning Project.

The final segment of the class is getting ready for the assessments.

Vicki: Are all the kids operating at a different speed?

How the personalized approach works

Mark: We work on trimesters. The first trimester we kind of all go at the same pace. But then in the second and third, I really let them loose. Some kids really fly, and you realize that they’ve been shackled by the traditional methods of teaching and whole-class instruction. And it is awesome to see kids just take off on their learning.

Vicki: What happens, though, when you have some people who’ve covered a lot more material than others, and then you go back to this, “OK, these folks have class rank.”

Class Rank and Traditional Grading in this model

Is it fair if somebody covers eight more chapters than somebody else?

Mark: What do you mean by “class rank”?

Vicki: Well, in high school, do you have first, second, third, fourth in your class, or do you not do that at your school?

Mark: We have to do that for the state of Texas, because it affects admissions policies. But other than that, we don’t need to.

I mean, I see your point. There are kids who go above and beyond. But this isn’t a system that’s geared to satisfy other components of traditional education.

Vicki: Ahhhhhh….

Mark: I’m trying to drill down to what does research say about agency? Like if you look at Daniel Pink, Mastery, Autonomy, Purpose… the Learning Journey is full of autonomy and purpose options. That’s kind of the driving force.

Vicki: So… you… are just reinventing school!

Mark: That’s what we’re trying to do.

Vicki: Do you get any pushback?

What pushback do you get with the Learning Journey model?

Mark: I’ve presented this at conferences before, and I’ve written about this. Some people will write in and say, “Wow, that’s great!” But I get very few people who actually want to jump in. I think right now there aren’t enough incentives for teachers to take the time to overhaul their class. Whether their principal wouldn’t appreciate it, or they team teach with people who aren’t interested — I just think there aren’t enough incentives out there right now.

But I would say that any teacher out there, who’s really looking to get re-energized around student learning and the experiences that they’re offering their kids? They’re more than welcome to reach out to me. I’m on Twitter, and I’d be happy to talk through the first couple steps of the Learning Journey.

Vicki: Mark, the truth is that we’re going to end up where you are at some point. We can either aggressively go after it and become part of the change, or the change can be done to us.

You’re either a victim or a victor when you’re dealing with change.

This whole personalized learning approach is really where we’re moving. I mean, would you agree with that or disagree with that?

Mark: Amen. I think you’re spot on.

30-second elevator pitch for the Learning Journey model

Vicki: But it’s just hard. I’m trying to get my arms around it. What do you think… If you were stuck in an elevator with someone who was in charge of the curriculum for one of the biggest districts in the country, and you had one minute to sell this approach of the Learning Journey model. What would you say?

Mark: I’d probably start by asking them, “What’s the number one thing they want to change about student learning in their school district?”

And, depending on their answer, I would chime in that there are different parts of learning journeys, or personalized learning, or digital tools that can accomplish what they’re hoping to accomplish.

And if I had a whiteboard or my infographic at the ready, I would kind of walk them through how the Game of Life — which allowed you to make choices about going to college, having a wife and family, investing in stocks — I mean, that same sort of board game path is applicable to giving students agency over what they want to learn and how they want to learn.

Vicki: So what’s your greatest, “AHA!” moment from this whole process?

Greatest Aha Moment

Mark: ASo I think the “AHA!” moment is that we don’t need to move students through the old industrial model of teaching. It’s easy to do flipped class learning and see how that works. It’s easy to do Project-Based Learning and see how that works. But all of those things feel to me like piecemeal or part of the answer. Whereas I hope the Learning Journey is more of a holistic approach to giving students control. I think that would be my “AHA!” moment.

Vicki: What do you think is the biggest mistake you’ve made in this journey?

Mistake in Personalizing Learning

Mark: The first step I made was to get rid of all content as a requirement. I gave kids too much choice to start. I got a lot of pushback from parents saying, “We don’t know what to study.”

I wish I hadn’t started there. I wish I had started smaller, and given kids choice and trimmed back the content instead of giving them total choice over what they study.

After the Foundational Learning piece of the journey, they really do have total control. So I’ll have some students who only do politics. Or only do environmental stuff. Or only do economics. And I didn’t do that well the first time.

Vicki: I love that you admit — I think that this is important for the transparency — saying, “This is what I did right, This is what I did wrong.”

Your Learning Journey model really is a journey, for you.

Educators, you’re definitely going to want to check the Shownotes for the infographics and the links to Mark’s site.

We love to feature brave, remarkable educators on the 10-Minute Teacher to really provoke your thinking. This is the direction that I think that we’re all going to be heading.

It sounds complicated. It sounds hard.

But I’ll tell you this — we cannot let the fact that something is challenging keep us from doing it, because we’re talking about lives here.

If it works, we need to consider it.

So let’s take a look at the Learning Journey model, and see what we can learn from it.

    Transcribed by Kymberli Mulford

kymberlimulford@gmail.com

Bio as submitted

Mark Engstrom is an Educational Consultant, Blended Learning Designer and the Head of MS/US at Allen Academy in Bryan, Texas. He has presented on digital and personalized learning through Independent School Management, Association of American Schools in South America and Association of International Schools in Africa. He has also written for EdSurge, Getting Smart and Teachers Matter. He has helped teachers from all over the world make learning more engaging for their students. Feel free to connect through Twitter @markaengstrom

Twitter:@markaengstrom

Author of

Blending Alone- http://www.gettingsmart.com/2014/01/blending-alone-blend-non-blended-environment/

Redesigning the syllabus to reflect the learning journey- https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-09-10-redesigning-the-syllabus-to-reflect-the-learning-journey

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.) This company has no impact on the editorial content of the show.

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