Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom
-Aristotle
-Aristotle
One of the most important things we can do for kids is to empower them. Helping them to know who they are as a learner can improve their ability to self-manage their own learning and become advocates for their needs. Learner profiles can play and important role in supporting students in this process.
Learner profiles are a brief snapshot of the student. It identifies their interests, passions, strengths, challenges, worries, goals, and useful strategies that support their learning. Learning Support Teachers include aspects of a learner profile in any support plan they may write for a student. I wanted students to write their own.
Our PK-12 Learning Support Department has started to draft a scope and sequence of self-advocacy skills for students within our learning support program. The idea being that a big part of our work with students is to empower them to identify strategies to use to independently manage their own learning. We intervene and help with accommodations too, but the goal is for them to speak for themselves. In order for students to be prepared to do this well, we must speak more explicitly with students about their goals and needs. I hoped that developing learner profiles with my students would help me to do that.
The final unit in grade 5 at our school is called What does it mean to be a Healthy Adolescent? It follows the big Personal Passions Project (similar to the PYP Exhibition) and is a great support in preparing students for the transition to Middle School. Part of the unit is about puberty, but the big ideas focus on identity, well-being, relationships, and resilience. How to make healthy and responsible choices is a large focus of the unit. Working with learning support students to help them understand themselves better as a learners to make responsible learning choices seemed well-tied to this unit and well-timed to the transition to Middle School, where they will be asked to be much more independent.
Learner profiles are a brief snapshot of the student. It identifies their interests, passions, strengths, challenges, worries, goals, and useful strategies that support their learning. Learning Support Teachers include aspects of a learner profile in any support plan they may write for a student. I wanted students to write their own.
Our PK-12 Learning Support Department has started to draft a scope and sequence of self-advocacy skills for students within our learning support program. The idea being that a big part of our work with students is to empower them to identify strategies to use to independently manage their own learning. We intervene and help with accommodations too, but the goal is for them to speak for themselves. In order for students to be prepared to do this well, we must speak more explicitly with students about their goals and needs. I hoped that developing learner profiles with my students would help me to do that.
The final unit in grade 5 at our school is called What does it mean to be a Healthy Adolescent? It follows the big Personal Passions Project (similar to the PYP Exhibition) and is a great support in preparing students for the transition to Middle School. Part of the unit is about puberty, but the big ideas focus on identity, well-being, relationships, and resilience. How to make healthy and responsible choices is a large focus of the unit. Working with learning support students to help them understand themselves better as a learners to make responsible learning choices seemed well-tied to this unit and well-timed to the transition to Middle School, where they will be asked to be much more independent.
First the students created a draft profile based on the following prompts:
Then, I conferred with them to understand their draft ideas and walk them through the basics of their support plan. Very few of them even knew they had them, understood what their goals were or which accommodations were best for them. They found it to be a revelation. Others were quite sophisticated in their self-awareness and had already self-identified their needs and accommodations.
The kids found it to be a valuable experience and they especially liked having choice on how to present it. Several chose to complete a video, others designed a Google Slide Show, and one made a poster (pictured above). All of these will be shared with their Middle School teachers as a way of introducing the students to them.
In reflection, I discovered new things about the kids I thought I knew well. I would like to try doing a draft learner profile at the beginning of the year and conference with the kids similarly around their Support Goals and strategies early in the semester. I think it would help me to get to know them better, faster and support my work with them throughout the year in developing their awareness and self-advocacy to improve their self-management of learning. One learning point for me is that I need to do a better job with students in being explicit about what strategies we are using and how it is helpful. Some of the strategies identified by the students in their profiles were a bit superficial. In order to enable them to dig deeper in their understanding of strategies that support their learning, I need to do a better job of explicating naming them with the students.
If we drafted the profiles early in the year, we could share with teachers and parents in an early conference. Throughout the year we could revisit them and revise them. It would ensure that this conversation remains a part of our work together during the year. The students would then update them at the end of the year to create something they would like to share with their Middle School Teachers. I am excited to continue this work with my students next year.
- School is . . . .
- My strengths and skills are . . .
- My interests and passions are . . .
- I get stressed/worried/frustrated when . . .
- I learn least when . . .
- I learn best when . . .
- Things that help me are . . .
- My goals are . . .
Then, I conferred with them to understand their draft ideas and walk them through the basics of their support plan. Very few of them even knew they had them, understood what their goals were or which accommodations were best for them. They found it to be a revelation. Others were quite sophisticated in their self-awareness and had already self-identified their needs and accommodations.
The kids found it to be a valuable experience and they especially liked having choice on how to present it. Several chose to complete a video, others designed a Google Slide Show, and one made a poster (pictured above). All of these will be shared with their Middle School teachers as a way of introducing the students to them.
In reflection, I discovered new things about the kids I thought I knew well. I would like to try doing a draft learner profile at the beginning of the year and conference with the kids similarly around their Support Goals and strategies early in the semester. I think it would help me to get to know them better, faster and support my work with them throughout the year in developing their awareness and self-advocacy to improve their self-management of learning. One learning point for me is that I need to do a better job with students in being explicit about what strategies we are using and how it is helpful. Some of the strategies identified by the students in their profiles were a bit superficial. In order to enable them to dig deeper in their understanding of strategies that support their learning, I need to do a better job of explicating naming them with the students.
If we drafted the profiles early in the year, we could share with teachers and parents in an early conference. Throughout the year we could revisit them and revise them. It would ensure that this conversation remains a part of our work together during the year. The students would then update them at the end of the year to create something they would like to share with their Middle School Teachers. I am excited to continue this work with my students next year.