Personalized Learning Explained

Like most people, when I first started examining the benefits of personalized learning I thought I'd have to create the equivalent of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for every student, whether or not they demonstrated a need for intervention, as well as unique curriculum for every kind of learner.

Not so, I've since learned. Through my affiliation with the Summit Learning program and team, I've spent the last two years taking a deep dive into what personalized learning looks and feels like and I want to share with you the gist of what I've learned.

Personalization is not about designing unique learning journeys for every student. It's more about ensuring that every student gets what he or she needs in any given learning experience within your planned curriculum. This means that the teacher's work is similar to what we would do in a workshop style classroom or in project based learning.

That is, the teacher provides the curriculum and overall structure, then conducts ongoing formative and evaluative assessment to determine how students are progressing—collectively and individually—in their skills and knowledge throughout the stages of the project or unit of study.

That assessment informs next steps for the teacher, whether they determine a concept needs to be revisited with the whole class, a small-group workshop is needed to address a common need among a few students, a one-to-one conference is in order to get one student on track, or (most likely) some combination of all three.

Providing the appropriate intervention for each and every student when they demonstrate a need for it is the crux of what personalized learning is all about. This is a relief to me, because while that work is big and important, and although it means I always have an ever-growing to-do list, I am certain that I'm capable of accomplishing the goal of meeting every student where they are and nurturing growth with tools and strategies that they can employ effectively and immediately.

Personalizing our students' education is a challenge that keeps us on our toes and renders us totally tapped by the end of the day, but it's a worthy effort that is doable. Whether or not your school uses a program that supports this approach, doing so in your classroom (to the best of your ability with the vast array of resources available for free and nominal fees online) is a move in the right direction for your students.

As is true with most things that require diligent and persistent effort, the payoff for engaging in this kind of responsive teaching is exponential, because every student ends up learning more about his or her own challenges and strengths and can more effectively advocate for themselves and drive their own learning down the line.

For more information on how Summit Learning approaches personalized learning, read their blog post on this topic.