We’ve developed a K-8 guide to address some of the scaffolding and modifications which may be necessary when working with our youngest students toward student-directed project work. The Big Picture Learning design, however, is flexible enough to use at every grade level. The BPL distinguishers are intentionally planned to be adapted for every grade level, to insure that each student has a personalized learning experience that is tied to his/her own interests, passions and growth areas.
Much of the material in the other advisor guides is applicable to advisors teaching in the K-8 environment. You may just need to adapt some of the lessons for the developmental age group that you are working with. There are some significant ways that K-8 students differ from secondary students, and these differences need to be taken into account when designing Big Picture Learning schools that serve these students. Younger students need additional support in designing their own learning – advisors must more intentionally plan day-to-day activities and exposing students to new topics, ideas and content, while also building up student ability and autonomy with regards to project work. You can consider the breakdown of work in the following graphic. Students use Learning Plans to dictate their work, and their work is a combination of independent and directed experiences, both inside and outside of the classroom.
