Special Report
Classroom Technology

Case Study: When Personalized Learning Requires a More Human Touch

A charter school takes the unusual approach of delaying the introduction of new technologies to focus on social skills
By Sarah D. Sparks — November 06, 2018 2 min read
Third grader Steven Pena, 8, does his schoolwork alongside classmates at Chicago International Charter School West Belden. The school has a 1-to-1 computing program, but is trying to create a better balance between the use of technology and the development of interpersonal skills.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Chicago

The Chicago International Charter School West Belden, needed to slow students down to speed up its personalized learning approach.

The charter school won a Next Generation Learning Challenges grant in 2014 to redesign the 950-student campus. The group dove in with some of the most visible markers of blended learning: flexible classrooms, 1-to-1 computing with laptops and tablets, and individualized learning plans for students. Some classrooms boasted 60 to 80 students from multiple grades in “learning labs” with co-teachers.

Although the students quickly learned to use the programs, the relationships between teachers and students didn’t always gel, said Scott Frauenheim, the founder of Distinctive Schools, which runs West Belden.

“Early in our one-to-one model, we found our students were jumping into the technology too fast, without building the classroom relationships that needed to exist,” Frauenheim said.

With nearly all the school’s students living in poverty and more than half English-learners, the staff found “the kids needed to know how to work with each other in the classroom a little bit more, to know how to ask for help, how to communicate what’s not necessarily working,” said Jean Fischer, the school’s technology coordinator.

So the school took an unusual approach for a blended-learning school: It took a step back from technology. For the past two years, West Belden has delayed introducing individual technology until mid-October and built in more programs to connect students with each other.

In addition to teaching the students how to use content platforms like Lexia or Summit, the school spends the first six weeks of the year teaching students how to work with classroom partners; how to ask for help in person and in the platforms; and how to stay focused during independent study, among other topics.

Moreover, each student is assigned a teacher-mentor to meet with weekly, as well as a homeroom class. “The idea was that in kindergarten, you’d be put into a pack, and you’re with the same kids every year until you graduate 8th grade, with [homeroom] teachers also staying with the same packs,” said Christine Shannon, a 2nd grade teacher. “I’ve had the same kids for three years, which has been really great.”

This year, Shannon also launched a peer-mentoring club, Bulldogs Belong, in which middle school students devise and teach social-emotional lessons to elementary classes and become mentors for younger students.

“We 7th and 8th graders are pack leaders,” said Ricardo Astorga, an 8th grader who came to the school in the middle of 6th grade. “We buddy up with the younger kids and we help to educate them on how to help other students and how to develop friendships.”

Astorga said the peer and adult mentoring makes him feel more connected to the school than the experiences in his previous traditional school did, and it has helped him learn to organize his various projects and lessons on the Summit platform.

“The way teachers talk to you boosts your confidence,” he said. “The mentor helps you understand what to focus on for Summit.”

In Chicago’s latest school climate survey, West Belden rated higher than the district average in both the overall supportive environment at the school and student-teacher trust in particular.

A version of this article appeared in the November 07, 2018 edition of Education Week as Taking a Step Back From the Digital Tools

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Equity & Diversity Webinar
Classroom Strategies for Building Equity and Student Confidence
Shape equity, confidence, and success for your middle school students. Join the discussion and Q&A for proven strategies.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Disrupting PD Day in Schools with Continuous Professional Learning Experiences
Hear how this NC School District achieved district-wide change by shifting from traditional PD days to year-long professional learning cycles
Content provided by BetterLesson
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Classroom Technology Spotlight Spotlight on Online Learning & Integrity
This Spotlight will help you use tech to enhance student engagement, learn tips for creating assignments that outsmart ChatGPT, and more.

Classroom Technology 'Knowledge Is Meant to Be Shared': The Case for Open Educational Resources
Open Educational Resources can save educators time and allow them to tap into the creativity of colleagues around the country.
3 min read
Adult male teaching a lecture from desktop PC at computer lab.
E+
Classroom Technology The Most Popular Ed-Tech Products Don’t Meet Research Standards
Only 26 percent of the most-used K-12 ed-tech products meet federal requirements, a new report says.
1 min read
Image of school space.
Naulicreative/iStock/Getty
Classroom Technology Opinion Three Steps to Prevent ChatGPT Misuse
First, it is important to understand what the artificial intelligence tool is—and what it is not.
Spencer Burrows
4 min read
Conceptual vector illustration of Women in AI examining a virtual apple.
Wanlee Prachyapanaprai/iStock