Westside Community Schools is committed to the implementation of personalized learning district-wide and to the personalized movement across the country in education. In this podcast, we are proud to share our personalized experiences and reflections.
This episode is part one of an audio recording of the experts' panel Q&A conversation that took place as part of the Westside Personalized Summit in late May 2019. Everyone in this panel has extensive practice implementing personalized practices into their own classroom, and they all are recognized presenters and... Read More
This was a terrific conversation where Allison and I spent some time talking about the changes that come along with moving to a more student-centered approach to learning. This episode approaches that topic for the complexities of functionally making those aspirations a reality while also being sensitive to the methodical... Read More
In this episode, Michael and I cover the topic of games in education from defining terms like gamification and game-based learning to sharing practical classroom examples to insights as to the reasons why teachers should consider adding game elements and practices to a lesson, unit, or an entire course/year. This... Read More
In this episode, Jaime shares the story behind the 2nd-grade spelling website that she created with as apart of a team of 2nd-grade teachers in District 66 in order to personalize that learning experience for her students. The pod delves into everything from how our 3rd-grade spelling site inspired this... Read More
Westside's Superintendent Blane McCann joins us this week on the podcast to reflect on the seven-year story of the implementation of personalized learning in District 66. In this episode, Dr. McCann shares the backstory behind creating a strategic plan for the district and how personalized learning came to be a... Read More
In this episode, Kristen Hogan shares how Westside teachers in 3rd and 4th grade have been personalizing their morning routines to foster learner agency and their abilities to complete a series of tasks independently. The resources that accompany this podcast offer teachers an example and also a blank template that... Read More
In this episode, Andi and I have a fun conversation that covers a variety of topics. Andi shares about her book "Genius Hour: Passion Projects that Ignite Innovation and Student Inquiry" and her upcoming follow-up text, "A Meaningful Mess." The pod serves as an insightful preview to the sessions Andi... Read More
In this episode, Kathleen McClaskey and I have a chance to chat about the purpose behind personalized learning: learner agency and empowerment. We delve into Kathleen's recent ponderings related to learners setting, owning, and pursuing their dreams, which is a topic she plans to explore as a portion of one... Read More
In this episode, Stephanie Pueppka and Stephanie Heitmann share their vision for and implementation of a nonfiction unit in their English 1 Honors class that afforded learners their choice in which book they read. In order to support learners with this freedom, they compiled a list of 200+ books, complete... Read More
This week's pod is the audio from a video you can watch at https://youtu.be/MovUqoRFWr4. In the episode, Michael shares his passion for creating authentic learning experiences through game-based learning practices. As Michael shares the nuances of the game he created, we discuss the personalized aspects of that experience; and while... Read More
In this episode, Jim and I hold an informal conversation that jumps from topics such as the Why behind personalization to Jim's perspective on the current state of the personalization movement to Jim providing advice to educators starting out with this work. We also devote a portion of the pod... Read More
In this episode, Liz and I discuss her efforts with personalizing the learning experience in her 7th grade ELA class. Liz shares her insights and reflections on the various pieces she implemented, noting what went well and what she would revise for next time. Her comments drive this pod and... Read More
In this episode, Greg and I discuss Greg's efforts to personalize the learning experience for the students in his music theory class. As the semester begins, learners in this course range from those learning about musical composition for the very first time to others who are so well versed with the... Read More
In this episode, John shares how he chose to create his own instructional video content for his courses in order to extend the opportunity for students to move through his course at their own pace with his new on-demand video resources. The podcast delves into his implementation of these videos and... Read More
In this episode, Mark and I reflect upon the five-year backstory behind personalization in the Westside Community School District. Mark's insights on implementing and then scaling up personalized practices at the district-level make this pod a valuable conversation for anyone interested in bringing personalization to their school system or building.Show... Read More
In this episode, Michael shares his process for implementing the personalized practice of differentiating instruction to drive engagement and help each student to develop a better understanding of their learner preferences. Michael's passion as an educator truly comes through in this pod and that paired with his insights about his learners... Read More
Andi Espinosa joins the pod this week and shares her professional journey incorporating personalized practices into her role as a special education teacher. Our conversation looks at ways in which personalization extends the individualized work and practices that special education educators traditionally excel at. Andi also discusses the nuances of... Read More
The podcast welcomes Kate Sommerville this week as she shares her role in scaling up personalized, learner-center experience on a regional scale through her work at the Institute as a professional development specialist. Kate's energy and perspective make this episode both fun and also informative regarding topics such as the purpose... Read More
This episode takes a deep dive into Angela's development and implementation of a personalized Natural Phenomena unit in her Earth and Space course. Angela's skill at reflecting upon her practices shines in this podcast and listeners will glean a great deal about PL practices from her insights. This is a terrific... Read More
Join Lynn and I as we discuss her efforts to develop a sense of agency in the high ability learners she serves in the math classes she leads. This podcast delves into the need for personalizing learning for HAL students, and in this episode, Lynn provides insights regarding how she... Read More
This was my first solo podcast as I wanted to share our iCreate Google Site with friends of the pod. The iCreate site gives learners a resource to support them in their creative endeavors, specifically when it comes to open opportunities for them to demonstrate their understanding of a concept... Read More
This episode welcomes Julie Schmitz and Becca Kratky to the podcast to talk about their efforts to personalize learning in their 6th-grade classroom. Julie and Becca lead their combined class as co-teachers, and within that structure, they have implemented personalization by pre-testing students on a subject-to-subject and unit-to-unit basis, focusing... Read More
In this episode, the personalized learning collaborator team answers questions sent to us via email from a podcast listener. The pod delves into our individual backgrounds with personalization, the backstory of our district's work with personalized learning, and also the details of our jobs as we support educators in a myriad... Read More
In this episode, Angela Mosier and I discuss her doctoral studies around personalized learning. The pod shares Angela's three key findings from her research, and we discuss how those findings have played out in the personalized learning work we have seen and/or heard about within District 66. This is an... Read More
This week on the Westside Personalized podcast, join Angela Bergman and I as we discuss Angela's personalized learning lesson for teaching nuclear fusion in her Earth and Space course. The pod breaks down Angela's thought process prior to developing this personalized experience for her learners, and she shares a myriad of... Read More
In this episode, Beau and I discuss the personalized chemistry unit he designed as the first unit in his biology course at Westside High School. This unit design empowered learners through the incorporation of all five personalized elements, and his vision also enabled learners to progress through the course content... Read More
In this episode, Holly and I discuss her desire to bring her love for basketball into the classroom as a way to create a gamification experience for her ELA learners in order to increase student engagement, to motivate learners to go above and beyond normal expectations, and to further the... Read More
This episode, Kaela delves into the nuances of the process and system she and her sister have implemented and promote within Edina Public Schools to enhance each learner's reflection process to increase learner agency. Kaela's background as both a classroom practitioner and coach with this work offer listeners a rich... Read More
In this episode, Westside High School's English 1 Honors team breaks down how they created and implemented a semester-long grammar initiative that tailored lessons and checks for understanding to each individual learner's needs. This pod is a terrific resource for anyone looking to develop an objective, self-paced assessment piece that... Read More
In this episode, Kevin and I chat about how he turned one unit from his probability and stats class into a Winter Olympics gamified unit where students competed on teams to complete both mental and physical challenges in hopes of helping their country to win the Olympic games. Within the... Read More
In this episode, Dee Harrell will inspire listeners as she reflects on her role with Westside Community Schools CAPS program (Center for Advanced Professional Studies) and shares her unique perspective as someone from the business-world stepping into the role of an educator in a classroom setting. This conversation looks not only... Read More
This episode delves into several units taught as a part of the Global Geography course at Westside High School. In the pod, Amy shares about how she and her teammates approach the design of these units that focus on skill development as much as they do content. With that value... Read More
Holly and I discuss her implementation of a practice known as Number Talks as a way to teach learners how to develop their own individual strategies for solving math problems in a personalized way. This approach to teaching math personalizes the learning process for students and fosters within them a... Read More
In this episode, Hannah and I discuss her implementation of personalized learning along with some of the scaffolding steps she utilized to support her learners as they acclimated to her personalized model. Hannah's passion for education and insightful reflections on personalization make this pod a fun and useful resource for any... Read More
In this episode, Amber and I share the details from our collaboration on the flexible-seating, learning space redesign that we employed in her 1st-grade classroom in the Spring. The pod delves into the specific choices we made with the seating options, the positioning of that furniture, the implementation of that design (and... Read More
Join Dustin and I for an episode on differentiated instruction that focuses on the use (and creation) of instructional video content to offer learners a choice in how they access new information. Some students learn best from direct instruction, others from video content, others from reading or discussing or listening... Read More
In this episode, Carrie shares her expertise on sketchnoting and advocates for educators to consider making sketchnoting an option for their learners as a way to engage new ideas and content shared through direct instruction. Together, Carrie and I discuss the value of first teaching students a variety of ways in... Read More
Tara M. Martin joins the pod this week to explore a fun and creative, alternative way to annotate, #Booksnaps. In this episode, Tara shares her story that led to the creation of #Booksnaps, she delves into the brain research that supports #Booksnaps as a viable educational strategy, and she and... Read More
Camille Akers, with the help of personalized learning collaborator Katie Sindt, created a personalized novel unit for the book "Esperanza Rising" for Camille's 6th-grade learners. This episode shares details about the design and implementation of the unit, and educators at any level can learn from Camille's unique approach to choice... Read More
In this episode, Craig shares his implementation of personalized practices into his strength and conditioning three course through students setting long-term fitness goals and then designing a personalized workout plan in an effort to achieve those goals. Join us as Craig elaborates on the process he uses to scaffold for... Read More
In this episode, Crystal shares how she has leveraged flexible seating to further enhance the positive classroom climate and rapport she has with her learners. Additionally, the conversation also delves into the innovative practices Crystal has used to support her students' ability to set measurable academic goals, pursue those goals,... Read More
Personalized physics! Ben Powers has transformed his classroom, his lessons, and his class culture in his physics courses at Westside High School to adopt a personalized approach that empowers learners with opportunities to design their own labs, to experiment with different materials, and to both metacognitively and creatively engage in the... Read More
Mikayla's first foray into gamification came in the form of her short story unit Ready Reader One, where she built a series of "worlds" that were each created around the premise of one of the five short stories her learners had the opportunity to read and explore. In this episode,... Read More
In this episode, Sarah and I discuss the Rockbrook third grade's vision for personalizing their learners' experience in addressing their approach to teaching spelling. Additionally, Sarah also breaks down flexible seating in her classroom, sharing the expectations she has set for her learners and how learners use the space intentionally... Read More
Sarah Schoenrock is a high energy educator who loves to challenge herself creatively, which has led to her trying a variety of new things this year in her classroom. In this episode, Sarah reflects on her forays into implementing personalized practices and also game elements into her instructional repertoire this... Read More
In this episode, Lance shares how he personalized an assignment that asked learners to explore the lives and efforts of seven social reformers from the progressive era. That personalized assignment afforded learners choice in selecting which reformer's life to delve deeper into, and then students created a modern social media... Read More
In this episode, Molly and I discuss a personalized learning unit that she and educator Melissa Inmon designed for their AP Composition course at Westside High School. The personalized practices in this learning experience were rich as students had academic choices to make in the content they engaged, in the... Read More
Join Alli Pontious and I in this episode as we discuss the interactive choice chart we built using Google Slides that helped to provide a personalized learning experience for our district's primary learners. This choice board offers learners the opportunity to complete five assignments (driven by indicators) in the order... Read More
In this episode, Tricia and I reflect on our experiences as personalized learning collaborators/coaches in our respective districts. Our respective districts, Westside and Edina, are sister-schools that are both invested in scaling up personalized learning district-wide, and our ongoing support of one another's efforts and our continued communication have been a... Read More
In this episode, Lacey Peters shares the personalized model she has built for the three swimming courses she leads. Lacey uses iPads to film her students as they are perfecting their swimming techniques, and through the use of the Hudl program, Lacey and her swimmers collaborate on stroke analysis and... Read More
Kevin shares first his personalized classroom model as he has built it out in his secondary math class, and in the back half of the episode, Kevin delves into the design process, implementation, and also provides his reflections on his first experience with gamifying a personalized learning unit. Listeners, key... Read More
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