When They Already Know It. Tami Williams

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Personalization The Teacher … The Teacher … The Learner … Provides instruction to groups of learners Provides instruction to an individual learner Drives his or her own learning Adjusts to learning needs for groups of learners Accommodates learning needs of the individual learner Connects learning with his or her interests, talents, passions, and aspirations Designs instruction based on the learning needs of different groups of learners Customizes instruction based on the learning needs of the individual learner Actively participates in the design of his or her learning Is responsible for a variety of instruction for different groups of learners Is responsible for modifying instruction based on the needs of the individual learner Owns and is responsible for his or her learning that includes voice and choice on how and what he or she learns Identifies the same objectives for different groups of learners as he or she does for the whole class Identifies the same objectives for all learners with specific objectives for each individual who receives one-to-one support Identifies goals for his or her learning plan and benchmarks as he or she progresses along his or her learning path with guidance from teachers Selects technology and resources to support the learning needs of different groups of learners Selects technology and resources to support the learning needs of the individual learner Acquires the skills to select and use the appropriate technology and resources to support and enhance his or her learning Supports groups of learners reliant on him or her for the learning Understands the individual learner is dependent on him or her to support the learning Builds a network of peers, experts, and teachers to guide and support his or her learning Monitors learning based on the Carnegie unit (seat time) and grade level Monitors learning based on the Carnegie unit (seat time) and grade level Demonstrates his or her mastery of content in a competency-based system Uses data and assessments to modify instruction for groups of learners and provides feedback to individual learners to advance learning Uses data and assessments to measure progress of what the individual learner learned and did not learn to decide next steps in the learning Becomes a self-directed expert learner who monitors progress and reflects on learning based on his or her mastery of content and skills Uses assessment of and for learning Uses assessment of learning Uses assessment as and for learning with minimal assessment of learning

      Source: Adapted from Bray & McClaskey, 2015, pp. 9–10.

      Even though this chart (see table 2.1) highlights differences, we should note that these three concepts are deeply connected. Carol Ann Tomlinson (2017), the guru on differentiated instruction, refers to personalized learning as a type of differentiated instruction. Andrew Easton (2016), a teacher who works for a midwestern school district as a personalized learning collaborator, offers an interesting perspective on the relationship between these three key themes. He explains that personalized learning is differentiated and individualized instruction on steroids (Easton, 2016).

      The key distinction between personalized learning versus differentiation and individualization is students have voice and choice in what they are learning. To us, the linchpin of personalized learning is voice and choice (one of the five elements we discuss in the next section) and how teachers use it in conjunction with the other elements. That being said, our definition of personalized learning is this: an instructional approach designed to nurture learners to discover and broaden the ways in which they learn best so that they become independent learners committed to their learning by encouraging student choice, voice, and interests to master the highest standards possible in a relational environment.

A Misunderstood Concept

      As we’ve noted, personalized learning can mean many different things to many different people. While there is a great deal of momentum around personalized learning, Benjamin Herold (2017) explores in an EdWeek article three main critiques educators and policy makers have expressed regarding this learning philosophy: (1) the hype outweighs the research, (2) personalized learning is bad for teachers and students, and (3) big tech + big data = big problems. We’d like to offer our perspective on the points this article raises.

      The hype outweighs the research. Some educators are unreceptive to personalized learning because there is not a definitive set of research to demonstrate its effectiveness. While the RAND Corporation has done some research in this area, it has not developed studies to cite conclusive evidence. Also, this topic becomes hard to study because the term personalized learning means different things to different people.

      While there is not a definitive set of research on this topic, Herold (2017) highlights that there is a great deal of research that supports the fundamentals of personalized learning, which include giving students control over their own learning, differentiating instruction for each student, and providing real-time feedback.

      Personalized learning is bad for teachers and students. Many educators are under the impression personalized learning is really just putting learning on the computer where tasks are broken down into smaller segments and students quietly proceed through a program until they reach completion at their own pace. They are concerned that if this is what personalized learning is, it does not offer an inspiring education experience. Herold (2017) notes that until personalized learning can figure out “the appropriate role for software in the classroom, how much autonomy is best for student learning, and the challenge of maintaining high standards and social interaction when every student is pursuing his or her own path,” these concerns will remain high.

      We agree that personalized learning is an often misunderstood topic. The difficult thing is that one person might feel it is a computer program that students work through at their own pace and another feels it is a way of thinking when designing classrooms, activities, or units in a way that works in parallel with the teacher, and they are both correct. There is not one universally agreed-on definition. However, to us, personalized learning is the latter of these two conceptualizations. It is teachers philosophically and collaboratively developing instructional strategies that incorporate concepts such as knowing your learner, allowing voice and choice, providing flexibility, using data, and integrating technology. Personalized learning is not, to us, students working on a computer program on their own in the corner of the classroom.

      Big tech + big data = big problems. To some, personalized learning means a large emphasis on data hardware and software, which involves technology companies. For example, Mark and Chan Zuckerberg have pledged to invest millions of dollars into the initiative. With this type of involvement, Herold (2017) notes there are concerns about sacrificing student privacy and asks, if students are entering detailed information about their thoughts, preferences, hopes, and fears, is that something we are OK with? Herold (2017) also raises the question of whether it is appropriate to have formulas and algorithms

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