Personalized Learning in 13 Blogs-Step 12: Learning Zone vs Performance Zone

A crucial part of learning is recognizing that there are times when we are focused on the learning and times when we are performing what we have learned. I hadn’t realized this until I watched: Eduardo Briceño: How to get better at the things you care about. This TED Talk got me thinking and talking to my students about the idea. To introduce it to them, I wrote a 2Voices poem to read at morning meeting. It sparked a great deal of discussion. As students, they are always in the learning zone with short visits to the performance zone. We, as teachers, recognize that the pressure to assess everything, often feels like, we are in the performance zone way too much to be learning anything. But, as my students see it, the performance zone is just part of the learning zone because it helps us to reflect on our level of proficiency. When we embrace it as an opportunity to learn about ourselves, it doesn’t seem so scary. At least not, according to my insightful students. It is interesting how “performance zone” and “learning zone” have become part of our everyday language now that we understand their importance.