In this episode, I talk to Andrea Stewart, the founder and CEO of Learning Couture, a company that focuses on customizing learning experiences for educators and students. Andrea shares her challenges and goals in creating deeper learning opportunities for both educators and students, as well as her insights on the changing nature of living, learning, and working in society. She also discusses the importance of involving various stakeholders in designing a portrait or profile of a graduate and the rapid expansion of competency-based education across the country and around the world.
If you are interested in learning more about how to customize learning experiences for yourself or others, you don’t want to miss this episode!
Andrea Stewart has 12 years in personalized, competency-based learning and 25 years in education, both PK-12 and in teacher/administrator preparation. She leads transformational change with schools, districts, education service/state agencies, institutions of higher education, and via national conferences and cross-state partnerships/consultation. Andrea co-authored the Aurora Institute’s 2022 report, Teachers Making the Shift to Equitable, Learner-Centered Education: Harnessing Mental Models, Motivations and Moves, and supports leaders with strategic planning for and implementation of these key levers for change. As Learning Couture, LLC’s founder and CEO, she created the organization’s methodology and tool set for learning redesign, and works closely with partner-clients to ensure they are supported in their learning journey. Part of this work includes leading districts in the design and implementation of a portrait/profile of a graduate, which then serves as the compass for school improvement, reimagining graduation outcomes, empowering learners, and transforming education systems.
Andrea served on the Iowa Department of Education’s CBE Task Force, CBE Collaborative, and Design Team where she led the state’s competency design and assessment process. Andrea also served on the Midwest Comprehensive Center’s Cross-state CBE Consortium, where she co-created micro-credential quality criteria/tools, and contributed to multiple technical advisory groups for the Aurora Institute’s National 2017 Summit on K-12 Competency-Based Education. Her work in competency-based education began in 2011 where she led pilot implementation of standards-based assessment and reporting and competency-based education in an Iowa district. Prior to this work, Andrea taught high school English for 12 years. She holds a BA in English Education from the University of Iowa, an MA in Teacher Leadership from Morningside College, and an EdS in Education Administration from Drake University.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-stewart146
Twitter: @ajs_stewart
In this episode, we also explore some of the emerging patterns that Andrea has observed in her work and research. These include:
Here are some of the key moments from this conversation that you don’t want to miss:
We challenge you to think about how you can customize your own learning experiences or help others do the same. What are some of the competencies that you want to develop or improve? How can you design a learning pathway that suits your needs and interests? How can you involve other stakeholders in your learning journey? How can you measure your progress and celebrate your achievements?
💬 Share your thoughts and ideas with us on social media and tagging us. We would love to hear from you and learn from your experiences!
