Real-World Learning Archives - Learner-Centered Collaborative https://learnercentered.org/tag/real-world-learning/ Wed, 28 Jan 2026 19:36:59 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 https://learnercentered.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/favicon-180-66x66.png Real-World Learning Archives - Learner-Centered Collaborative https://learnercentered.org/tag/real-world-learning/ 32 32 What an 8th-Grade Defense Taught Me About Competency-Based Learning https://learnercentered.org/blog/what-an-8th-grade-defense-taught-me-about-competency-based-learning/ Wed, 21 Jan 2026 16:00:00 +0000 https://learnercentered.org/?p=11211 Written by Maysa Dadmun Have you ever watched a student light up when they get to learn about something they truly love? That spark is what shaped my entire 8th-grade defense project, and now, as a freshman in high school, it’s shaping the way I approach learning every day.  I attended Sussex School, a K–8...

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]]> 5 Tips for Launching Internships and Apprenticeships in Your District https://learnercentered.org/blog/5-tips-for-launching-internships-and-apprenticeships/ Wed, 19 Nov 2025 12:00:32 +0000 https://learnercentered.org/?p=11096 Every year, thousands of students graduate high school without stepping foot into a professional work setting. In today’s rapidly changing world, this lack of exposure is not providing students with the experiences and skills they need to thrive beyond graduation. So, what if school was not separate from the “real world,” but an active part...

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]]> School Redesign Playbook https://learnercentered.org/publications/school-redesign-playbook/ Fri, 24 Oct 2025 18:55:18 +0000 https://learnercentered.org/?p=11019 For more than a century, schools have been shaped by an industrial-era model built for efficiency, standardization, and compliance. While that design achieved many of its original aims, it has not met the needs of all learners, and it no longer prepares young people for a rapidly changing world. In addition to content knowledge, learners...

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]]> Big Moves at West Pk-8: The Power of Distributed Leadership in the School Redesign Process https://learnercentered.org/blog/west-distributed-leadership-redesign/ Wed, 15 Oct 2025 12:00:41 +0000 https://learnercentered.org/?p=10969 Colorado Springs is changing fast. Like many communities across the country, it is being shaped by new demographics, emerging opportunities, and the need for creativity and critical thinking like never before. District 11 knew that West PK–8 Campus, one of its oldest schools, couldn’t simply layer new programs on top of old structures to meet...

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]]> Pathways to Possibility: Reimagining CTE in California’s Continuation High Schools https://learnercentered.org/publications/reimagining-cte-in-californias-continuation-high-schools/ Wed, 17 Sep 2025 12:00:09 +0000 https://learnercentered.org/?p=10737 Across California, continuation high schools are creating more personalized, purposeful learning experiences for students who have often been underserved by traditional systems. These schools support young people navigating poverty, housing instability, and other complex life challenges, yet too often these students are left out of education redesign efforts. Career Technical Education (CTE) is a powerful...

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]]> The Learning Experience Design Cycle: A Compass for Designing Deeper Learning https://learnercentered.org/blog/the-learning-experience-design-cycle/ Wed, 27 Aug 2025 12:00:37 +0000 https://learnercentered.org/?p=10770 As an English teacher co-leading an interdisciplinary project with a science teacher, I had the privilege of working alongside high school seniors as they explored what it truly means to survive. We called it the Science of Survival. Over the course of the project, learners read stories of survival in fiction and nonfiction, interviewed survivors...

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]]> Teaching Teams & Mixed-Age Cohorts https://learnercentered.org/big-moves/mixed-age-cohorts/ Fri, 11 Jul 2025 14:26:50 +0000 https://learnercentered.org/?p=10619 The post Teaching Teams & Mixed-Age Cohorts appeared first on Learner-Centered Collaborative.

]]> Career Pathway Programs https://learnercentered.org/big-moves/career-pathway-programs/ Fri, 11 Jul 2025 14:26:49 +0000 https://learnercentered.org/?p=10627 The post Career Pathway Programs appeared first on Learner-Centered Collaborative.

]]> From the Classroom to the Cosmos: Passion Projects as a Tool for Real-World Learning https://learnercentered.org/blog/from-the-classroom-to-the-cosmos-passion-projects-as-a-tool-for-real-world-learning/ Wed, 23 Apr 2025 12:00:51 +0000 https://learnercentered.org/?p=10264 “My favorite part of my passion project was when astronaut Kevin explained that Mars rocks are in the Arctic ice. It was so cool to know that we can learn a lot about Mars here on Earth instead of going to Mars,” said Owen, a space-obsessed fifth grader. My son, Owen, didn’t just complete a...

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]]> Physical Space Design https://learnercentered.org/big-moves/physical-space-design/ Wed, 09 Apr 2025 21:22:28 +0000 https://learnercentered.org/?p=10230 The post Physical Space Design appeared first on Learner-Centered Collaborative.

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