“at first i was skeptical of personalized learning because i do not like change. i am not used to technology, my son's classroom looked like a free for all, and i thought my son's writing skills would not improve because he would not be using pencil and paper anymore.
but personalized learning seems to work better for my son and now he is actually motivated to learn. he thinks learning is fun, loves school, and his grades have improved significantly. my son has taken ownership of his learning and taught me how to use the ipad so we can track his progress together.”
-jason griswold, fnsbsd parent
as students grow up in a world awash in information, classrooms must give them the opportunity to learn from a variety of sources. students will be exposed to a combination of textbooks, online content, and teacher-created activities based on their learning needs. students will also be offered new platforms for collaboration and demonstration of knowledge.
in short, learning materials will be flexible - allowing for a differentiated learning path, pace, or performance tasks.
technology stations offer personalized content and practice through adaptive software & tools. learning in this setting complements the small-group and 1:1 instruction offered by the teacher and targets your student’s specific needs. students may also exercise choice by producing unique digital products such as videos, songs, online publications, presentations, and much more.
your student might learn about the same topic in two different classes. teachers work together to curate a variety of resources that give students culturally relevant topics to choose to explore. students then have choice in how to demonstrate learning: video, essay, podcast, in-class presentation, etc.
“teachers can reinforce the integration of digital tools in their classrooms by providing students with a clear understanding as to how digital tools align with classroom instruction.” enlarged city school district of middletown (ny)
teachers identify your student’s specific needs and then provide instruction and practice to address those needs. teachers might use small group settings, 1-1 conferencing, and targeted content to create a learning environment where all individual needs can be met.
targeted instruction means your child will receive just the right content & practice at just the right time.
your student will frequently learn in a teacher-led, small group of 4-7 students. students are grouped together by common academic need or interest. during this time, the teacher offers tailored content and practice to address your child’s needs. small-group instruction is often observed in elementary classrooms, but it benefits students of all ages and abilities in a personalized learning environment.
your child’s teacher will work to identify what your child does and does not yet know. based on that data, tailored content and practice will be assigned. what your student does in class or for homework might be different than other students in the class. this is what makes a personalized learning environment so powerful. every student is working toward the same standards but only working on those they have not yet mastered.
“targeted instruction allows a teacher to address individual needs by giving a small number of students direct instruction on a skill that will move them forward towards their specific goal.” kala compton, instructional coach, yuma school district one (az)
your student will have frequent opportunities to reflect on what he/she is learning and his/her success. your child will set goals to improve his/her learning outcomes and have opportunities to make authentic learning choices. these choices might range from learning pace to the type of product to produce to show what your child has learned. the goal is for your student to have authentic choices and ownership over his/her learning so they leave our classrooms prepared to grow and thrive personally and professionally.
your student will be asked to think about his/her learning experience and reflect on what went well and areas for improvement. questions like, “what strategy might i try next time to get better results on my quiz?” will encourage metacognition of your child’s learning process and preferences. continue this reflection at home by asking your student about their learning. how is he/she tracking academic progress? what strategies are working best and why?
once your student builds an awareness of his/her learning preferences and needs, goal-setting is a natural next step. we empower students to set academic goals such as, “i will master this standard by friday,” and offer the tools to complete and track their progress. your child’s teacher will integrate reflection and targeted instruction if and when your student does not meet an academic goal. the cycle of set a goal, work to meet it, reflect on the process is a lifelong skill.
“students work harder when they understand and realize the impact they have on their own progress...when students track their progress and reflect on their practices, they clearly see the connection between work done and the grade earned. they are no longer bystanders in their own education.” renee ritchie, instructional specialist, metropolitan school district of warren township (in)
your child’s teachers use data to inform instructional decisions from what content to deliver, how, when, and in what instructional setting. this data will be collected in a variety of ways and a variety of frequency. your student will have opportunities to explore his/her own data to make informed learning decisions. this decision-making will be scaffolded in an age-appropriate way to meet the needs of your child.
your child’s teacher uses small, frequent performance checks to constantly monitor what each student does and does not know. this might be an exit ticket (a question or two about the lesson as the students leave) or even a verbal survey in class. these informal checks measure academic performance and/or student confidence in a topic recently covered. this data is used by you student’s teacher to inform what, how, and in what setting your child will learn next.
your child tracks his/her performance over time using both collaborative and individual trackers. these might be on a bulletin board in the classroom, in your child’s notebook, or even stored digitally. your student’s teacher will harness student reflection and data-driven decisions to empower your child to make informed academic choices. perhaps he/she will decide their pace for the next several standards or use the data to remediate a specific weakness during work time in class.
"i believe data driven decisions are the backbone of personalized learning. we must use data to see what students need and don't need in order to individualize instruction and choose meaningful activities for our students that are at just the right level.” tammy hermance, blended learning coach, greeley-evans school district 6 (co)