Personalized learning
“Personalized Learning means every student is supported to learn in a way that suits their needs.”
—from Personalized Learning and Wellbeing by Microsoft
Personalized learning is the opposite of a one-size-fits-all approach; yet, it also isn’t a customized learning environment for each individual learner. Rather, as author and Harvard University Lecturer Todd Rose says, personalized learning refers to "a system that is built to be responsive to the individuality of each and every kid." As an essential tenet of student-centered learning, personalized learning anticipates and designs for individual learner needs, empowering them and supporting their learning. Instilling these conditions in student-centered and personalized learning may require deliberate dismantling and active development of new ways to do school.
Personalized learning requires an intentional shift towards prioritizing learning over compliance. While many, if not all, schools have the purpose of educating and supporting the achievement of every learner, many still "maintain systemic practices that contribute directly to gaps in opportunity and inequitable academic outcomes," such as inequitable grading or neglecting to fill in learning gaps. When it comes to learning, Sarah Fine, coauthor of In Search of Deeper Learning, explains that every educator she’s spoken to has "expressed a desire to have their classroom be a place where powerful learning was happening, regardless of what kind of kids they were teaching. They all wanted it." Yet, when it comes to creating the conditions for powerful personalized learning, "the system responds to perceived threats by asserting more control, rather than allowing for a natural release that empowers kids to make more choices and to take ownership of their education."
Personalized learning is also necessary to appropriately respond to the existing and shifting demographics of a class. According to the Pew Research Center, there were more than 250 million migrants worldwide in 2018. Our classes require culturally responsive curricula that reflect the lived experiences of our learners and expose them to different perspectives of the world around them.
In personalized learning environments, learners are known and provided with the support they need to learn effectively. Research around motivation, engagement, and psychological safety supports the necessity to move towards supportive learning environments rather than ones focused on accountability measures. Nurturing belonging and positive self-concept in learners requires intentional shifts on the part of the school. Affording time to focus on learning plans for all learners, assessments, and reassessments that respond to learners’ evidence of learning, and a deep investment towards cultural competency can lay the groundwork for developing "a system that is built to be responsive to the individuality of each and every kid."
The Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education conducted a study to measure how student-centered and personalized learning environments influence learning outcomes for learners who come from diverse backgrounds as compared to more traditional schools. In their study, learners at the more student-centered schools outperformed peers on state assessments, graduated at higher rates, and saw greater academic persistence throughout college. Personalized learning allows for learners to learn rather than comply.
Application
Identify a place where people learn new skills. Try to think of places that aren't schools. Schedule a time to visit that place to observe how learning happens there. Spend at least 30 minutes observing:
- What does effective learning in this environment look like?
- What conditions in the environment contribute to learning?
- How might I react to being a learner in this environment?
- How might I be motivated to engage in this learning environment?
- What elements of this environment are/can be replicated at my school?
Reflection
What does it mean to "meet all learners where they are"? In what ways is our school (not) meeting that goal?