Personalized learning is generally defined as instruction that seeks to cater, through structural supports, to students’ individual learning needs. It’s certainly not new, but advances in technology, an increased awareness of students’ diverse capacities, and heightened academic-achievement goals have combined to lend it growing prominence in teaching.
Emphasizing students’ own influence on curriculum and instruction, personalized learning often utilizes techniques like student portfolios and 1-to-1 programs to assist teachers, but many other techniques can be used to personalize student learning.
Read additional stories from Getting Personal: Teachers, Technology, and Tailored Instruction.
In these videos from our editorial partners at Teaching Channel, educators (and students) discuss techniques that embody a wide swath of pedagogical approaches forming the basis of personalized learning.
The videos cover strategies for differentiating instruction, creating specialized student pathways, integration of internships, and how to tailor grading practices, among others.
Using Expertise to Group Students
At Covington Middle School in Vancouver, Wash., the teachers decide which of them will work with which students, based on the students’ learning needs.
Student Profile: A Personalized Experience
Savannah, a junior in Henderson, Minn., describes how her school allows her to explore subjects in her own way.
Deeper Learning Through Personalized Learning Plans
Learning has to mean something to students in order for them to retain knowledge, say educators at the Minnesota New Country School in Henderson, Minn.
Individualized Real-World Learning
San Diego’s Metro Career and Tech School emphasizes student internships, reasoning that learning outside of school may help students learn inside school.
Carol Dweck on Personalized Learning
Motivational psychology expert Carol Dweck discusses “growth mindsets” and what makes students tick and how schools can learn and use that information. (Dweck also participated in an Education Week Teacher PD webinar, currently available on-demand.)
Podcasting to Personalize Feedback
Teacher Sarah Brown Wessling of Johnston, Iowa, explains how making podcasts helps her deliver better feedback on her students’ writing, including a more personalized response.
