Self-Directed Learning

  • Learning

     

     

    ST1.3 Students are empowered to personalize and self-direct their STEM learning experiences supported by STEM educators who facilitate their learning. 

  • Students play an active role in their learning at New Ellenton Middle STEAM Magnet School. One way students self-direct their learning in all disciplines is through monitoring and reflecting on their progress toward established learning goals.

     

     Student Grade Reflection Form

    Grade Form

     

     A daily, thirty-minute advisory class cultivates a spirit of connectedness, which aids in building rapport between students and teachers. It is also a time for students to seek remediation, acceleration, monitor grades in PowerSchool, and participate in STEM classes, such as Future City, Yearbook, and Stock Market. Every two-and-a-half weeks, students are issued progress reports in each of their classes (general and related arts). PowerSchool is an additional means for students to monitor submitted and missing assignments on a daily basis. Students are also required to complete weekly reflections on their grades in the designated section of their STEAM notebooks. All students participate in goal-setting conferences concerning their performance on the Reading Inventory (formerly Scholastic Reading Inventory) and Math Inventory (formerly Scholastic Math Inventory). During conferences, students reflect upon and discuss their performance, outline measurable strategies to make gains, and set reasonable goals. Students are also asked to summarize and/or reflect on their daily learning using closure activities (i.e. exit slips, surveys, reflections).

Student Coding Animation Project

Student Example of Self-Directed Learning: Cloning Presentation

Self Directed Learning Evidence Links

South Carolina Stock Market Competition

  • Providing students with a variety of options empowers them to self-direct their academic progress. In their classes, assessment differentiation allows students to personalize the way in which they demonstrate their learning. Many general education and related arts classes allow students to choose how to solve a problem and how to present their learning through projects and/or presentations. English Language Arts students select a text of interest aligned to established learning goals and frequently have options of how to communicate their learning (i.e., oral presentations, PowerPoint presentations, Prezi presentations, brochures, and/or essays). Other examples of student choice in modes of learning includes song selection in band, investigations in science, forms of computation in math, and subjects of visual expressions in art. Additionally, students have options regarding exploratory classes and clubs. Aiken County Virtual Academy (ACVA) program offers students accelerated learning opportunities through enrollment in high school credit courses. Exposure to a variety of careers, through various speakers, enhances students' ability to personalize future learning goals through their high school, college, and career pathways. These experiences allow students to play a more active role in developing their Individual Learning Plans (6th and 7th grade) and Individual Graduation Plans (8th grade). The aforementioned experiences are just a few examples of how New Ellenton Middle School students are empowered to personalize and self-direct their learning.