Transformational Learning Principles

The Transformational Learning Principles (TLPs) are a set of evidence-based guidelines highlighting the most essential elements of effective learning. Bringing together core ASCD and ISTE concepts and informed by learning science, they are a key part of our organizational mission and vision. They also bring focus and a common language to our collaborative efforts with schools and educators to ensure all students have access to impactful and joyful learning experiences.

We recognize the amazing work educators do every day to improve student learning in the face of systemic and historical challenges. When implemented thoughtfully, these principles will support and advance their work.

Nurture

• Cultivate Belonging. Educators prioritize relationship building in physical and virtual spaces. They strive to create learning cultures that ensure students’ safety and belonging and foster life skills such as empathy, creativity, and collaboration.
• Connect Learning to the Learner. Educators hold high expectations for all students and tailor instruction to meet students’ individual needs and interests. They use differentiation strategies and impactful technology tools to embrace learner variability, increase engagement, and advance progress toward mastery.
• Ensure Equity. Educators are responsive to students’ cultural and developmental contexts. They celebrate and build on students’ identities, strengths, and voices. They reduce barriers to meaningful and challenging learning, especially for students from historically marginalized backgrounds.

Guide

• Spark Curiosity. Educators connect content and skills to students’ prior knowledge, experiences, and passions to spark curiosity and inspiration. Technology is used to create new pathways for student engagement and enable students to express knowledge, skills, and attributes in a variety of ways.
• Develop Expertise. Educators use evidence-based practices to ensure students learn and develop essential skills and knowledge. They frame learning around key conceptual understandings, use multiple modes of presentation and inquiry, model skills, and prioritize intentional practice.
• Elevate Reflection. Educators use a variety of data and tools to provide timely and specific feedback to students that helps them understand how to improve and encourages critical thinking. Students are given time and support to reflect on, learn from, and apply feedback. They monitor their own progress and set goals.

Empower

• Prioritize Authentic Experiences. Educators create opportunities for students to apply and extend their learning in meaningful, real-world contexts. They facilitate authentic performance-based projects and assessments that elevate students’ roles as designers, creators, collaborators, and problem-solvers.
• Ignite Agency. Educators use a mix of learner-led approaches and flexible learning formats to encourage student agency and exploration. Students have opportunities to follow their own intellectual pursuits, take risks, make discoveries, challenge assumptions, and build enduring learning skills.