Personalized Learning

 

In CEP 811 this week, we learned about learning theories such as personalized learning, collaborative problem solving and giving immediate feedback based on a Tedx Talk by Richard Culatta. Culatta introduces the idea that each student could come into a classroom with a personalized itinerary for their learning that day and options for how to follow that path. He states that personalized learning “draws students into what they are learning about” and “creates creators”(Culatta, 2013). He also claims that personalized learning would bridge the gap between learners at various levels and paces as well as the gap between technology and education. I was in awe of this type of learning and the possibilities for students but I couldn’t get a good picture of what this would look like in the classroom, especially at an elementary level which led me to focus on personalized learning as a focus for my research further into Culatta’s ideas.

In the article Pacesetter in Personalized Learning, Joanne Jacobs (2018) looks at Summit Public Schools, who have transitioned into personalized learning for the students and how they went through that transition. When they saw that the percentage of students receiving bachelor’s degrees was much lower than expected, they decided they needed to make a change. Jacobs quotes Bill Gates when visiting a Summit school “At its best, personalized learning doesn’t just let students work at their own pace. It puts them in charge of their own academic growth” (2018). One focus they found was project based learning, students learning through projects throughout the lesson instead of one at the end. These projects give students the opportunities to display their knowledge through creative means and use their creativity to explain concepts in a way that makes sense to them. While teachers at Summit schools struggled with this at first, they eventually swathe huge benefits of students creating. The students spend 80% of the day on projects and 20% on personalized learning time, where they are explicitly learning content (Jacobs, 2018). This opens doors to both students and teachers to do their respective jobs at school in an entirely new and productive way.

In the article Personalized Learning for Every Student Every Day, Childress and Benson (2014) analyze the idea of personalized learning in more depth. They spend a lot of time talking about what this would look like from a teacher perspective and what Summit Schools (pioneers for personalized education) do to make it so successful. “Teachers curate materials for student playlists and help them set their own goals. As students advance at their own pace, teachers can devote their attention and instruction where it’s most needed.” (Childress & Benson, 2014) This model would allow a teacher to still be giving instruction, but more focused to what each student needs at different times. Some students could be on a self guided path if they are a more independent learner while others could work in small groups or one on one. This would give the teacher the ability to reach every single student at their level, which is essentially impossible in a standard classroom today. Students are in charge of learning to an extent, with the materials given by a teacher.

Both of these articles give real world examples of personalized learning and how successful it is in the classroom. Project based learning is a base component of personalized learning and how to give students ownership of their learning in the classroom. Students creating and being active learners adds the maker piece to traditional learning to demonstrate knowledge.They also can use their creations to learn and explore new ideas with hands on education based on where they are in the learning and what they need to move forward. This connects very directly with both Culatta’s ideas and the maker culture in education. Can students use “making” as a base of learning and still be as successful? Can students really guide their own learning and stay on track and meet all standards necessary to succeed? Seeing more schools move in this direction gives me hope that technology will become a tool to teachers instead of a burden as technology grows to meet demands in education.

References

Childress, S., & Benson, S. (2014). Personalized learning for every student every day. The Phi Delta Kappan, 95(8), 33-38. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/24374606

Jacobs, J. (2018). Pacesetter in personalized learning. The Education Digest, 83(6), 32-41. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/docview/1985541941?accountid=12598

Reimagining Learning: Richard Culatta at TEDxBeaconStreet. (2013, January 10). Retrieved January 23, 2018, from https://youtu.be/Z0uAuonMXrg