C20: Tackling Learner Profile Misconceptions

by Lu Gerlach

I think the learner profile attributes are often under-valued in the unit of inquiry. They are often equated to a bunch of character traits that we follow to be better people.  Upon a deeper look, you’ll see that there are hidden depths.
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A few years ago, I noticed my friend, Mondrea Mitchell, had a figure of a child cut up into puzzle pieces in her room.  She explained that each piece of the child was an attribute and together they created a profile of an internationally-minded  learner.  This is why we don’t call them the learner profiles, because the attributes are many parts that make up the profile of one child.  Once she told me this, it became clear in my mind the importance of the learner profile attributes in the learning and teaching in my classroom. ​​

Here is a picture of the child coming together.

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​We are going to take a deeper look at the attributes by sorting them into Action Within and Action Beyond. Where do you think they will lay?  As I read the expanded descriptor, consider if this is an action within or action beyond.  We’ll compare answers at the end. 

Balanced

​Being balanced is more than healthy eating and doing yoga twice a week.  It’s having the capability to explore different aspects of ourselves and not being ruled by one facet.   It’s recognizing that there will always be positive and negative factors in the world and to dwell on the things we can control.  It requires us to look beyond our own needs and think of greater humanity. 

Caring

​Being caring is usually tokenized as being a good friend or caring for the classroom. Caring is deeper, because it requires us to listen with compassion, empathize with those who are hurting, and respect opinions that are different than our own.  Caring requires us to look beyond ourselves and consider the needs of our local community. Our action or inaction greatly impacts the lives of others. 

Communicator

​Being a communicator is more than sharing your ideas to a whole or small group.  It requires confidence in your ability to articulate your thoughts clearly to the intended audience.  Being a communicator requires a broad base of skills related to voice, word choice, meaning, message, and audience.  A communicator understands the presence of bias and persuasive ideas, so they listen carefully to the ideas of others. 

Inquirer

​Being an inquirer is usually tied to asking a lot of questions. This is only a part of what inquirers do.  They take those questions and plan how they will explore them through research, real-life experiences, speaking to experts, engaging with a variety of multimodal texts, and so much more. Inquirers are independent learners who understand their purpose and this sustains their love of learning throughout their lives. 

Knowledgeable

​Being knowledgeable is more than gaining new information.  When we obtain true knowledge, we are making connections across the content areas through a conceptual lens to create transfer.  We seek ways to connect this understanding to issues in our local and global community.

Open-Minded

​Being open-minded is often mistaken for trying new foods, tolerating someone else’s beliefs, and taking on new experiences.  This is part of the process.  Being open-minded is looking below the surface and understanding that everyone’s life has a story based on a set of beliefs and values that were established by their unique culture.  When we are open-minded, we seek to understand a range of points of view, so we can better understand our own. 

Principled

​Being principled is being more than honest.  It means you are doing what is right when no one else is looking. They have a strong sense of fairness, truth, balance, and justice.  As such, they own their mistakes and accept the consequences for their actions, regardless if they were intentional.  They do not blame others for their mistakes, because they understand that making mistakes is part of the learning process. 

Reflective

​Being reflective is more than recalling events from a singular learning engagement into a journal.  It’s a vibrant process of putting ideas and events together, considering their implications, and thinking about one’s participation in the process. It requires regular and systematic time and space for these ideas to connect. 

Risk-Taker

​Being a risk-taker is not always jumping out of an airplane like Indiana Jones or battling a basilisk in Harry Potter.  They are often quiet decisions that require a lot of forethought.  Risk-taking requires a deeper look at the costs and benefits of a plan and assessing its value. It is overcoming fear of failure and establishing a resiliency to weather any storm ahead.  It requires blind faith to take a step towards the unknown.

Thinker

​Being a thinker is the ability to know a wide variety of skills and tools and be able to self-select them to solve complex problems in the world.  They are innovators, creators, and problem-solvers who make informed choices based on a wide-variety of data points. They know the impact their decisions will have on the community, so they are committed to making reasoned, ethical decisions.  

How did you do?

What learner profile attributes are action within and action beyond.  Here are my ideas, but they are simply my opinion.  If you can justify your response, this is what determines the placement. 

My choices: 

Action Within:  thinker, principled, open-minded, reflective

Action Beyond:  knowledgeable, inquirers, communicators, caring, risk-takers, balanced