School District 20 is preparing for a province-wide change in learning that may take longer to understand than implement.
Superintendent of schools Greg Luterbach said the district’s focus right now is educating teachers and parents on “personalized learning” for the time being, until any real changes happen in the classroom.
“The ministry is kind of painting a picture and setting a compass and saying this is the direction that we need to roll toward and now as districts, as superintendents, as principals and as teachers, we have to have some strong conversation on what we can do to move in that direction.”
Personalized learning is described as the tailoring of curriculum and learning environments to meet the needs of individuals, often with extensive use of technology.
Beyond giving learners flexibility to make choices in the classroom, from pursuing project ‘A’ from ‘B,’ the new style of learning is said to simplify outcomes to reduce stress and give students a chance to get a deeper understanding of what they’re learning.
Luterbach just attended a conference with superintendents from around the province and ministry staff to talk about a system change that will take place in due time.
“It’s not throw everything out and start all over, it’s an opportunity to look at what we’re doing and change things up a bit and continue to build on the success that we have in the province,” he said. “We don’t need to throw the baby out with the bath water because, as I said, we have a great system already.”
With job action underway, a move to a new province-wide curriculum will likely be delayed and Luterbach doesn’t expect a change soon.
“First thing is we need to get a common understanding and that’s the stage we’re at now,” he said. “We’re not at a massive change, yet, it’s about when we say the term that we all have an idea of what it is.”
To learn more, visit personalizedlearningbc.ca