The Key to Successful Expanded Learning Programs Is Mastery | Asia Society Skip to main content
  • Back to asiasociety.org
  • Professional Development
    • Global Ed Explorer
    • Online Courses
    • Training and Consulting Services
  • Educator Resources
    • Teaching for Global Understanding
    • Improve Your Chinese Language Teaching
    • Career and Technical Education
    • CTE Toolkit
  • Our Ideas
    • Publications
    • Recent Articles
    • What is Global Competence?
  • Asia Society at Home
    • Virtual Reading Room
    • Cooking with STEAM
    • At-Home Adventures Through Asia
    • Global Learning
    • Teaching Resources Hub
  • Education For Equity
    • Discussion Series: Teaching Truth to Power
    • Addressing Racism Through Global Competence
    • Staff Picks
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Where We Work
    • Our Initiatives
    • Results and Opportunities
    • News and Events
leo icon Center for Global Education
Search
asiasociety.org Connect
Center for Global Education
Search
  • Professional Development
    • Global Ed Explorer
    • Online Courses
    • Training and Consulting Services
  • Educator Resources
    • Teaching for Global Understanding
    • Improve Your Chinese Language Teaching
    • Career and Technical Education
    • CTE Toolkit
  • Our Ideas
    • Publications
    • Recent Articles
    • What is Global Competence?
  • Asia Society at Home
    • Virtual Reading Room
    • Cooking with STEAM
    • At-Home Adventures Through Asia
    • Global Learning
    • Teaching Resources Hub
  • Education For Equity
    • Discussion Series: Teaching Truth to Power
    • Addressing Racism Through Global Competence
    • Staff Picks
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Where We Work
    • Our Initiatives
    • Results and Opportunities
    • News and Events

The Key to Successful Expanded Learning Programs Is Mastery

(artvea/istockphoto)

A well-rounded education is defined by a broader set of outcomes than traditionally outlined in academic standards and standardized tests. Educators and other stakeholders alike are increasingly interested in the so-called soft skills related to social and emotional learning, creativity and innovation, and citizenship.

But how do we ensure that all students, especially disadvantaged students, have sufficient time and opportunity to attain all the skills needed for college, career, and the global innovation economy beyond?

“Expanded learning” has become a catchphrase for a variety of different models that aim to expand learning time and experiences for students. Some models provide more time for learning by extending the school day and school year. Other models restructure the school schedule and leverage school-based afterschool and summer programs provided by community partners to expand access to hands-on learning experiences—in core subjects as well as others that have been increasingly cut from the school day, such as arts and music or health and wellness. A variety of models focus on leveraging technology through blended learning, flipped classroom, and “anywhere, anytime” opportunities that extend and expand learning beyond the school classroom and calendar. Still others focus on providing credit for learning that takes place outside the school day and beyond the school building, whether formal course credit, elective credit, or informal credit in the form of a digital badge.

Despite being driven by the need to graduate students who are proficient across a broader set of outcomes than those currently defined in the standards and assessed through standardized tests, few of the emerging expanded learning models are operating in the context of an established mastery-based or competency-based system. And yet, to ensure expanded learning programs are successful, one must be able to to recognize learning reliably and authentically based on students’ demonstrated mastery of a defined set of competencies.

This presents significant opportunities as well as challenges. On the one hand, expanded learning models represent an opportunity to consider education reform from the context of the student, rather than the system. Expanded learning is creating new approaches to organizing education around student needs and interests, regardless of when, where, how, or with whom learning happens. However, expanded learning cannot be successful without an established system for defining what criteria constitute accomplishment of learning, and how those criteria will be measured in a way that is valid and reliable. Otherwise, expanded learning may eventually be seen as a more relevant but ultimately less rigorous way to earn credit.

While policy catches up to the vision for competency-based systems, schools, afterschool providers, and community partners can start supporting shifts in practice. One of the important cornerstones of competency-based education is authenticity. Authentic learning is what afterschool programs do inherently, but many are not yet at the level of rigor required in a competency-based system.

Expanded learning programs need to:

  • Commit to focus learning around specific outcomes shared across the school and community that are “Common Core and more,” addressing the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that students will need to succeed in the world beyond school.
  • Provide high-quality project-based learning experiences that are aligned to competencies and engage students in the meaningful work of professionals in the real world.
  • Collaborate with schools and districts to support performance-based assessments that measure to what extent students can actually apply the knowledge and skills contained in the competencies and standards.

While all three of these things are fundamental to a competency-based system, they are also just good practice and can strengthen expanded learning programs, while at the same time preparing them to be strong partners to schools in a competency-based system.

You Might Also Like

Minhuan Qiangwei Primary School garden, "The Wish Farm" (Heather Loewecke/Asia Society)
article

Cultural Exchange Through Gardening

Gardens are increasingly becoming a part of afterschool programs and school culture, and they can be used as a window into other cultures.
Students in a Model United Nations exercise (ITU Pictures/Flickr)
resource

Civics Education is the Foundation for Global Citizenship

How civics education can prepare all students to be active citizens of the United States and the world.
A student during an afterschool program. (97702372@N07/Flickr)
Global Learning Beyond School

Global Competence in Expanded Learning Time

Children and adolescents need a broad range of experiences to build their knowledge of the world and understand their place in it. Learn how to use expanded learning time to build global competence.
Primary students in Shanghai working as a team. (Apoorvaa Joshi/Asia Society)
Global Cities Education Network

Preparing Students for the 21st Century

The American cities of New York, Denver, and Seattle, as well as the Asian cities of Singapore, Hiroshima, Shanghai, and Seoul, share their strategies and challenges in integrating 21st-century competencies into their school systems.
 A student cooks macaron cookies.
Global Learning Beyond School

Follow the Food

Food is a good way to introduce young people to a variety of countries and cultures. Learn how educators can design learning units using cooking as an instructional strategy to develop young people's global understanding through cuisine.
Rosetta Stone Social Emotional Skills
report

A Rosetta Stone for Social and Emotional Skills

Learn more about how research suggests that social and emotional factors could and should play a more pivotal role in educational policy and practice.
Students working on STEM skills (argonne/Flickr)
series
 /  Global Learning Beyond School

Workforce Development in Afterschool

Workforce development in afterschool and summer programs prepares youth for the 21st century.
Students work together (Mike Cerrillo/Flickr)
series
 /  Global Learning Beyond School

Afterschool Programs Support Common Core Implementation

With the adoption of the Common Core State Standards, there is an opportunity for afterschool and youth development organizations to play a role in shaping 21st-century skills and supporting academic progress for children and youth.
Students tour a submarine (compacfit/Flickr)
series
 /  Global Learning Beyond School

Afterschool Programs Develop College and Career Readiness

High-quality afterschool programming leverages hands-on learning experiences and community connections to prepare youth for success in college and the workforce.
Heading to the future
series
 /  Global Learning Beyond School

Afterschool Programs Prepare Youth for the 21st Century

Asia Society convened a working group with several Statewide Afterschool Networks to create issue briefs that make the case that afterschool programs prepare youth to fully participate in our global economy.
Making connections
Global Learning Beyond School

Guidance on Using Unit Plan Outlines for Out-of-School Time

An overview of ways to use our unit plan outlines in out-of-school time to help implement global learning activities.
Children from around the world
series
 /  Global Learning Beyond School

Global Learning Unit Plan Outlines

These unit plan outlines help out-of-school time programs implement global learning activities.
Global competence graphic.
resource

Global Competence Outcomes and Rubrics

Download globally focused performance outcomes and rubrics in a variety of grades and all academic subjects, plus a free copy of the book here.
(artvea/istockphoto)
article

The Key to Successful Expanded Learning Programs Is Mastery

Learning isn't limited to the school day. Expand your thinking on expanded learning time.
Students explore nature together (dcdebs/iStockPhoto)
report

Teaching and Learning 21st Century Skills

How students learn 21st century skills and the pedagogy needed for new learning styles.
Angry Birds mooncakes based on the worldwide hit game by Finnish entertainment media company Rovio are displayed during a preview at a restaurant in Singapore on July 3, 2012. (Roslan Rahman/AFP/GettyImages)

Evolution of a Classic: Ice Cream Mooncakes [Video]

The ice cream mooncake has turned tradition on its head. Does it still carry symoblic meaning for the mid-autumn festival? Like so many objects before it, the mooncake is writing its own biography.
Students Raymond and Zuri volunteer at a school (People to People International)
article

You Went Where For Spring Break?!

Traveling thousands or miles, or just one mile, can provide students many opportunities to engage with the world in meaningful ways.
Students play games
resource

Gaming: Leveling Up Global Competence

How online games can prepare students for the global knowledge economy.

Pagination

  • Current page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Next page Next ›
  • Last page Last »

Related Content

  • Developing Students' 21st-Century Competencies Using Improvement Science

    In this article, Christina Russell describes how school systems are creating practices that develop and strengthen students' 21st-century competencies.
  • report

    Advancing 21st Century Competencies

    How are five East Asian countries advancing 21st century competencies in their education reforms?
  • Language-Related Legislation in Congress

    U.S. Congressman Rush Holt outlines legislation that supports greater language capacity in the United States.
We Know Asia,
Get to Know Us

Visit Us

  • Hong Kong
  • New York
  • Texas

Global Network

  • Australia
  • India
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Northern California
  • Philippines
  • Southern California
  • Switzerland
  • Washington, DC

Resources

  • Arts
  • Asia Blog
  • ChinaFile
  • Current Affairs
  • Education
  • For Kids
  • Policy
  • Video

Shop

  • AsiaStore

Initiatives

  • Arts & Museum Summit
  • Asia 21 Young Leaders
  • Asia Arts Game Changer Awards
  • Asia Game Changer Awards
  • Asia Society Museum: The Asia Arts & Museum Network
  • Asia Society Policy Institute
  • Center for Global Education
  • Center on U.S.-China Relations
  • China Learning Initiatives
  • Coal + Ice
  • Creative Voices of Muslim Asia
  • Global Cities Education Network
  • Global Learning Beyond School
  • Global Talent Initiatives
  • Int'l Studies Schools Network
  • U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit
  • U.S.-China Dialogue
  • U.S.-China Museum Summit

About Asia Society

  • Mission & History
  • Our People
  • Become a Member
  • Career Opportunities
  • Corporate Involvement

Connect

  • Email Signup
  • For the Media

©2021 Asia Society | Privacy Statement | Accessibility | About AsiaSociety.org | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap | Contact

Asia Society takes no institutional position on policy issues and has no affiliation with any government.
The views expressed by Asia Society staff, fellows, experts, report authors, program speakers, board members, and other affiliates are solely their own. Learn more.

 

 

  • Visit Us
  • Hong Kong
  • New York
  • Texas
  • Global Network
  • Australia
  • India
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Northern California
  • Philippines
  • Southern California
  • Switzerland
  • Washington, DC