Personalized Learning (PLearning)

"What motivates students to engage in learning and achieve academic success? The authors synthesize research on achievement motivation, school engagement, and student voice, concluding that the more educators use student-centered approaches to reinforce student agency, the more motivation and engagement are likely to rise."

The executive summary and report by Eric Toshalis, Ed.D. and Michael J. Nakkula, Ed.D. can be downloaded on this site.

I had the honor of interviewing Stephen Petrucci who is the first British Columbia administrator that discussed UDL in relation to a personalized learning environment.  Stephen shares his vision of personalized learning and what steps have been taken in his schools where he is the Director of Instruction in School District 60 - Fort St. John, BC.

"What is your vision of personalizing learning?

Personalizing learning is education through the eyes and brain of the individual learner. This entails building a relationship with the learner and creating a profile that reveals personal interests, strengths and prior learning, as well as academic needs. It involves determining and getting a learner’s input on how they learn best, using a framework such as UDL to collaboratively design instruction and finally, employing the vehicles of technology and the arts to drive that personal learning forward."

Thank you Stephen, a BC thought leader, for your vision and insight into persoanlized learning!

Kevin McLaughlin is a primary teacher in the Old Mill Primary School in the UK who shares how he transformed his classroom to a personalized learning environment.

In a recent interview, Kevin shared his vision of personalized learning, the steps he took to create this new learning environment and how he redesigned his classroom based on how learners interact with each other.  Read this inspirational interview and discover why “It’s never been a better time to be a teacher/learner.”

Here is a small excerpt on Kevin's vision:

"What is your vision of personalizing learning?

I have envisaged personalised learning in my classroom as one that involves every learner in the development of their learning journey, that includes their own learning themes as well as those that the curriculum requires of them and allows them the opportunity to explore this learning in any way they see fit to achieve it."

Jean Garrity, Assistant Director at The Institute @CESA #1, writes a moving article that personalized learning is for all students.  She points out that for struggling students, school is not always a welcoming place.  So how can personalize learning change that?

"Struggling students require significant amounts of time and attention, and relying on a century-old approach to education will not help these students move forward and find success. When learning is personalized, teachers use assessment data to identify the starting point in the curriculum where students can be successful, creating learning paths that engage students in their own development. Personalized learning also makes learning relevant by engaging students in real-world problem solving connected to academic content."

She concludes:  "Personalizing learning will promote achievement, engagement and ultimately ownership for all students, and if we give our kids who struggle a chance, they just might surprise us."

Thank you Jean for giving educators some food for thought on personalizing learning!

The Students at the Center Project provides a set of reports that lay the foundation to understanding student-centered learning and it's promise for transforming education as we know it.  Here are just a few excerpts from reports that were recently released.

"Student-centered approaches to learning reject the one-size-fits-all instruction that can result from pressure to increase student scores on standardized tests. But they do not lower standards or ignore them. Rather, student-centered practices help teachers connect meaningfully with their students and individualize instruction to each, while also taking advantage of the social aspects of learning—adolescents’ propensities to collaborate with their peers. Capitalizing on the adaptability of the brain, student-centered approaches start from the premise that all students can learn when provided with instruction that truly engages them and adapts to their changing needs. All young people can acquire the skills, knowledge, and expertise needed for 21st-century college and career success. These include and go beyond the Common Core State Standards."

If school districts want to win between $15 million and $25 million in the next Race to the Top competition, they will have to focus on personalized learning, according to draft guidelines released by the U.S. Department of Education.

"The proposed competition offers nearly $400 million in grants and invites school districts to create plans for individualized classroom instruction aimed at closing achievement gaps and preparing each student for college and career."

"Susan Yonezawa, Larry McClure, and Makeba Jones evaluate formal attempts to personalize U.S. secondary education and assess the research on teacher-student relationships and their impact. With a focus on programs for low-income and minority youth, the authors examine school reforms that have incorporated personalization. To improve student achievement and emotional well-being significantly, they conclude, increasing personalization must be the goal of a widespread, sustained organizational effort."

James Michie and Kevin McLaughlin are sponsoring a Google+ Hangout on April 25th to discuss their approaches to facilitate independent/personalised learning in our classrooms.

Discover why they are "Unwilling to be the ‘sage on the stage’, to spoon feed, teach to the test or over plan"  and why they  "both practice (and advocate) a student-centred approach to learning".

CSSR (The Center for Secondary School Redesign) is a renowned high school redesign leader.  The Personalized High School offers a series of first-hand accounts for implementing effective high school reform.

"The authors take an in-depth look at how a diverse array of schools from across the country have crafted programs to create more effective learning experiences for students, with insights on the challenges faced, lessons learned, and what this means for any educator contemplating implementing similar reforms.

The chapters are written by veteran educators who have worked in these innovative schools, and illustrate how the Call to Action principles provide practical examples for developing personalized learning plans, student portfolios and student-led conferences; creating professional learning communities for teachers; and implementing authentic assessments that empower students to demonstrate what they know and are able to do far beyond high-stakes standardized tests."

Dave Truss, Vice Principal of the Inquiry Hub in Coquiltam, BC, Canada, shares his thoughts about inquiry and personalized learning. Why questions matter!

In an interview with Dave Truss, he describes the Inquiry Hub, what it will offer students in Grades 8-12 and how it will help students understand how they learn best.  Here is just a glimpse of this in-depth interview:

Q. What is The Inquiry Hub:

"The Inquiry Hub was inspired by conversations around our district vision of “Learning Without Boundaries”."

Q. Can you explain the student-driven inquiry approach to learning?

"We are working on the simple premise that if we help students develop meaningful and engaging questions around their own interests, passions and ideas that matter to them, then the learning will be rich and meaningful to our entire learning community. By helping students connect, create and learn together, we will encourage them to look outside of their box and seek a world of potential."

 Thank you Dave for the inspiration and commitment you have made to the learners in your school!