Deep Learning: Engage the World Change the World

by Michael Fullan

classrooms to cultures of learning that cultivate energy, creativity, curiosity, imagination, and innovation?

meeting students’ basic need for autonomy, competence...

Teachers do this when they intentionally create norms of belonging where every voice matters, when they model empathy and deeply listen to student needs and interests,

Autonomy is cultivated when students have choice, and competence develops when they are challenged just a bit beyond their current abilities

Characteristics of Classrooms Moving Toward Deep Learning Students asking the questions.

Questions valued above answers.

Varied models for learning.

Explicit connections to real-world application.

Collaboration.

Assessment of learning that is embedded, transparent, and authentic.

How will we develop norms of respect, collaboration, a trusting community, a sense of risk-taking, time for curiosity and creativity, and student voice and agency?

If we want our students to be curious, connected collaborators,

we need to provide multidimensional spaces that offer flexibility for large and small group collaboration;

quiet places for reflection an...

active areas for investigation, inquiry, communication, ...

rich resources that are transparently accessible. Innovative l...

they are used to intentionally support the learning.

Making the walls of the classroom transparent is not just about redesigning space but requires taking stock of the ways we can connect inside and outside the classroom.

we want students to seek out experts in the community

and beyond and to build knowledge from multiple fields, we need to identify ways to connect skills to discern appropriately and ways to build relationships in a diverse world.

is connecting the world inside and outside the traditional classroom and with experts who may be across the country or world.

leveraging digital.

deepens the learning process when used in tandem with the other three elements,

Deep learning design needs to answer two questions:

How can digital be leveraged so that learning can be facilitated, amplified, and accelerated as student-driven learning is cultivated? What transformative learning opportunities does digital provide that cannot be met with traditional approaches?

but rather focusing on the role that interaction with digital can play in enhancing the learning.

Our emphasis in NPDL has been not on the complexity of digital tools themselves but on how they can be leveraged in the direct development of deep learning.

Access to knowledge is no longer confined to books or teachers but is ever evolving.

from a relatively static set of resources. Fast forward to today and the teacher’s role becomes one of ensuring students have the skills and competencies to discern, critically assess, discover, and create new knowledge using an almost limitless set of resources available online.

Deep learning is focused on using digital ubiquitously as seamless parts of the learning rather than spotlighting the app or software of the week. In

Today we have moved from asking our students to be consumers of knowledge to asking them to apply their so...

Rather we recognize that in the learning design process, teachers need to select the most appropriate form of digital from the vast array of options and ensure that students have the skills to not simply use it but to be discriminating in how they use it to build knowledge, collaborate, or produce and share new learning.

integrated as part and parcel of the foursome that constitutes

attaining the learning goals and success criteria,

Maybe we need to make sure the success criteria is worth achieving .. not the same expectations as before.

Teachers also need to know how to begin to move from traditional lesson plans and pacing guides without

jeopardizing student success.

eliminating the outdated, ineffective ones.

provide time to develop the competencies

These models most often require the teacher to take on the role of activator and for students to engage in choice and take responsibility for their learning.

These longer learning experiences most often engage students in authentic, relevant problems or simulations where learning is applied.

increased engagement—the

Constructivism, student choice, and authentic learning are not new concepts;

Decades ago, Piaget (1966) introduced his four stages of cognitive development and the notion of learners building their own understanding. Seymour Pappert (1994) built on the concept of constructivism and also saw computers as a natural tool for problem-based learning to be used in an integral way that becomes seamless. Montessori (2013) and the Reggio Emilia approach are built on strong beliefs about early education and valuing the child as strong, capable, and resilient,

rich with wonder, deep curiosity, and potential that drives their interest to understand their world and their place within it.

lifelong learners.

communities of practice,

personal ne...

completion of work-rela...

Models of learning are evolving, and teachers need an extensive repertoire of practices.

aimless use of digital),