Deeper Learning- What does it look like? feel like? sound like? Prior to a few weeks ago I could easily answer these questions without having a tidy definition.  And while I could espouse for hours about the power of Deeper Learning I don’t know that I was ever pushed into a space of considering what that really required.  As I sat around a table at the Deeper Learning Conference with fellow colleagues and students from across the continent something big bubbled up for me… what does this require of us -as teachers, schools, leaders, and coaches?

I was grateful to have Deeper Learning Defined for me as I engaged in a Deeper Learning Protocol This lens helped me to analyze the beautiful student work I was thinking deeply about. When prompted with the question “when looking at the work, what questions are raised for you” many of my colleagues responded with practical questions about ways to facilitate and design similar learning experiences for their students. By the time they had “whipped around” to me I sat in silence. Overwhelmed. All I could share was the following:  “What you all just shared is A LOT! What does this type of learning really require?”. And then their silence matched mine, and thank goodness for the protocol that moved us along!

I wasn’t settled with my question and so I spent the next week really wrestling with my inquiry. I appreciate the DL triangle that was provided for us-the one that situates deeper learning in the middle of the task, the teacher and the student. And while those three pieces are integral I think it’s important that we name more clearly what is required of those three entities-in particular the teacher-and the contexts in which they exist. So here goes:

Deeper Learning requires…

• The autonomy of a school and teacher to be able to create deeper learning tasks
• The ability of the teacher to differentiate and personalize learning for every child
• Adult and student agency!
• An appreciation for tinkering and creativity-and its’ place in school
• Trust in the process and a true learning system
• Skills in context (thank you Lisa Delpit and Deep Dive friends for helping me land on that!)
• “The Ask” must have high cognitive demand (which requires individuals to believe in the capacity of students)
• Structural mechanisms and individuals that support teachers professionally in this endeavor

Given that all this is necessary to support Deeper Learning, are you ready to “Go Deep”?  More importantly, are our schools ready to “Go Deep”?