Guest Teacher Blog Post from @KaylaAKasten on her #PLconf14 experience

Over the course of the two day conference on personalized learning, I have began to reflect on what AbD (Aligned by Design) could look like with all levels (pre AP, mid, and core) in one chemistry classroom. Could the core students be mixed with the pre AP students who could serve as role models and "tutors"? AbD could still stay in place since personalized learning would allow students to work at their current CRS skill band.

One particular presentation showed how powerful having one big chemistry class with several teachers is. Students would have access to several different teachers (each with different teaching styles and knowledge). On days where it is necessary to divide by CRS skill bands, each teacher could take a different skill band (pre AP, mid, and core). On personalized, self-paced days, students could access their classmates as well as several teachers from the same content. This classroom could occur in a big classroom environment or several smaller classrooms where students and teachers float to meet the learning needs of all in the classroom. Could this increase academic motivation and separate the behavior problem often found in core?!

I also began to think about how to add a blended approach to anatomy and physiology. One of the biggest take aways I got with blended was to start blended on a small scale and teach students the skills to be successful in a blended classroom and then move to more blending within the classroom. As I look to the next couple weeks and units in anatomy and physiology, I plan to begin to embed the skills to be blended learners with the hope of being blended by the end of the 2015 school year.

Two days, sixteen total hours, three keynote speakers, four breakout sessions, and team time provides an endless capacity to build my instructional practices. #plconf14