Educators across the nation are constantly searching for new ways to prepare their students for the rigor of college and career. “Deeper Learning,” a framework established by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, identifies the skills, understandings, and mindsets students need to succeed in today’s rapidly evolving economy.
To help educators develop the skills and competencies they need to support their students as they engage in Deeper Learning experiences, Digital Promise distilled the six strategies for Deeper Learning into 40 micro-credentials. These micro-credentials are organized into stacks based on their themes and approaches. Micro-credentials recognize educators for the skills and competencies they develop throughout their careers.
Each micro-credential includes multiple components: a description of a research-backed competency, a key methodology associated with the competency, and supporting research and resources. Each micro-credential also includes an explanation of the evidence educators must submit and the rubric and scoring guide that will be used to assess that submission.
For example, educators that want to help their students develop compelling writing skills can earn the “Clear Thinking and Writing” micro-credential. The micro-credential describes a research-backed instructional method for achieving this goal and provides educators a clear pathway to earning formal recognition for using it in the classroom.
All 40 micro-credentials are currently available for educators to explore. The micro-credentials describe many ways educators can start to implement Deeper Learning in their classrooms through concrete activities, approaches, and methods. Through these micro-credentials, educators – regardless of grade level or subject area – can identify, develop, and share new skills to engage their students in Deeper Learning.
We’d love to hear what you think: How can you implement Deeper Learning in your classroom? What micro-credentials would be most valuable to you? What skills do you want to develop to support your students?
Let us know in the comments below or by tweeting @DigitalPromise using the hashtags #DeeperLearning and #MC4PD.