The Check-In: A Classroom Routine For Focus, Accountability, and Progress

The 4 Check-in Questions

What If… Overview These are some benefits of “The Check-In Routine,” the third Self-Directed Learning Routine in the Learning Sprint. It makes progress toward the learning goals visible. The visibility evokes conversations and grows students’ capacity to self-monitor, adapt, and seek support. The Check-In Routine is short and frequent. It is typically scheduled at the…

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Agile Mentors Interview With John Miller

Today on the show, John joins Brian to share how he started introducing the Agile framework to educators. He walks us through how Agile classrooms help students solve complex problems while developing decision-making skills. He’ll share how converting to an Agile classroom creates deeper, more fulfilling student and teacher relationships and the steps teachers can take to make their classroom an Agile classroom.

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Video: Agile Classrooms in Action at Grandview Prep

A wonderful video of the results and experience from the Agile Classrooms workshop at Grandview Preparatory School in Florida to enable 21st Century Learning. Thank you to our great partner, the Scrum Alliance, for making the video a reality! It was tons of fun to work with such passionate and innovative educators and their incredible…

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Element 4: Empowerment

There are 5 Elements to an Agile Classroom. This post will describe the fourth element, Empowerment. Agile Classrooms defines empowerment is the process of enhancing learners’ capacity to make choices towards achieving positive learning and life outcomes (1). When learners are fully empowered in choosing what and how they learn, we say they are self-directed.…

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Agile in Education: Defining the Movement

First, an inspiring video of the first Agile in Education Gathering and defining a movement. In early 2015, Arno Deljij from EduScrum and I, began to collaborate around the state of Agile in Education. Although we are in separate parts of the world, he in the Netherlands and I in the USA, we found our stories and…

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Element 2: The Learning Rhythm

There are 5 Elements to an Agile Classroom. This post will describe the second element, The Learning Rhythm. In an Agile Classroom, learners set and achieve their goals within an iterative learning cycle called the Learning Rhythm. The the cycle is timeboxed from 1-4 weeks. When a cycle of the Learning Rhythm ends, it repeats…

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5 Elements of Agile Classrooms

An Agile Classroom is designed through the integration of 5 Elements. Each element, like Legos, can be combined in different ways to meet one’s specific goals and context. It is most powerful when used synergistically together as a complete system. 5 ELEMENTS OF AGILE CLASSROOMS ELEMENT DESCRIPTION 1. Visible Classroom A visual learning management system.…

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Designing the Learning Alliance 2: Activities

In the last post, we shared the importance of putting Culture before Content. Agile Classrooms sets the stage to grow a positive classroom culture through a set of activities performed the first days of school called Designing the Learning Alliance. This post will outline the activities and tools we use to do so. My World…

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Design the Learning Alliance: The Why

When we see students not behaving in the way we desire, we naturally focus more on classroom management practices. Careful. This paradoxically increases the poor behavior we do not want. By managing student behavior more, we reduce students’ ability to self-regulate and self-correct. Increasing classroom management and behavioral interventions, although sometimes needed, treats the symptoms…

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