{"id":7234,"date":"2017-04-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-04-28T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/blog\/cw_post\/what-does-personalized-learning-mean-for-teachers\/"},"modified":"2020-02-05T13:01:44","modified_gmt":"2020-02-05T18:01:44","slug":"what-does-personalized-learning-mean-for-teachers","status":"publish","type":"cw_post","link":"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/cw_post\/what-does-personalized-learning-mean-for-teachers\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does Personalized Learning Mean for Teachers?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>This post originally appeared at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gettingsmart.com\/2017\/03\/what-does-personalized-learning-mean-for-teachers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Getting Smart<\/a> on March 28, 2017.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.competencyworks.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/GS1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-15612\" src=\"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GS1-196x300-196x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"383\" \/><\/a>As families, communities, parents, teachers and students around the country have deep conversations around how to transform schools to better prepare each student for future success, many schools are implementing personalized learning models to best meet the unique needs of each student and prepare all students for a lifetime of success (simultaneously).<\/p>\n<p>Good teachers have always sought to match their teaching to the unique needs of each student \u2013 by offering options to dig deeper into an assignment for advanced learners or by offering additional support or a modified assignment to struggling learners.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, doing so for a class of 20 to 30 students has been simply impossible for every student, in every lesson, every day with a single teacher and a single textbook.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s time for empowering educators to personalize learning. Now, thanks to new designs, tools and approaches, teachers can provide every student with powerful, personalized learning experiences. Teachers find this empowering and motivating.<\/p>\n<p>In personalized learning models, educators\u2019 roles are more important than ever as they design customized approaches, their professional expertise is valued and respected. In fact, many teachers explain that one of the biggest benefits of personalized learning is that they can \u201cget back to the reason I became a teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Teachers prefer personalized learning for these reasons:<!--more--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Teachers form stronger relationships with students because they spend more time getting to know each student and his\/her strengths, goals and interests.<\/li>\n<li>Teachers focus on research around how students learn best.<\/li>\n<li>Teachers have more time each day where they can communicate and collaborate with one another, asking questions and figuring out what\u2019s working and not working.<\/li>\n<li>Teachers get to be more creative in how they design curriculum and instruction.<\/li>\n<li>Teachers can spend more time working individually and in small groups with students.<\/li>\n<li>Teachers spend less time preparing students for high-stakes tests and more time acting as guides and mentors to students as they are learning.<\/li>\n<li>Teachers help students better understand themselves and their goals for the future.<\/li>\n<li>Teachers have more opportunities to develop their own skills as teachers and to work in collaboration with other teachers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>What Does Personalized Learning Look Like For Teachers?<\/b><\/h3>\n<h5><b>Connecting with Students<\/b><\/h5>\n<p>James Rickabaugh highlights the potential of personalized learning to dramatically improve student outcomes. In his book, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ascd.org\/Publications\/Books\/Overview\/Tapping-the-Power-of-Personalized-Learning.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>Tapping the Power of Personalized Learning<\/i><\/a>, teachers share their perspectives in their own words:<\/p>\n<p><i>\u201cBy teaching in a personalized learning community, we realize that our shift in teaching has greatly helped our students. We provide students with choice and voice while they work to achieve their personalized goals. We have moved education \u2018beyond textbooks\u2019 by taking necessary steps into 21st century learning personalized using technology. Through professional collaboration and planning, teachers work together in teams to focus on using technology in our everyday teaching and learning. Students are introduced to concepts that are current, relevant and interesting to each individual learner. These opportunities allow us as teachers to connect with and appreciate our students not only on an academic level, but on a social and emotional level as well. From there, we are able to individualize to their academic and social needs, such as public speaking, organization and self-motivation. Learning these skills helps students to become self-confident, productive and aware of what it takes to be successful.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<h5><a href=\"https:\/\/www.competencyworks.org\/understanding-competency-education\/this-isnt-what-i-learned-in-school-teachers-share-learnings-from-new-competency-based-high-schools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b>Reflecting on New Approaches to Teaching and Learning<\/b><\/a><\/h5>\n<p>Personalized learning requires teachers to really shift the way they think about teaching and learning in a way that allows teachers to learn and grow as professionals alongside their students. At the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.inacol.org\/symposium\/attend\/past-symposium-highlights\/symposium-2016-highlights\/\">iNACOL Symposium 2016<\/a>, four teachers and Springpoint \u2014 a national organization that supports educators creating new and innovative high school models \u2014 shared lessons learned from teaching in personalized schools. (<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/QZeeGeylfnY?t=9m15s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Watch the video here<\/a>.) In reflecting on many high schools across America, the teachers explained, \u201cThe way we\u2019ve been \u2018doing high schools\u2019 has not been working very well,\u201d and asked, \u201cWhat can we do differently?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Teachers explored questions like:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How can I meet the needs of each of my kids?<\/li>\n<li>How can I adjust and learn and continue learning myself to better approach the needs of my kids?<\/li>\n<li>How will I give students voice and choice in how they learn and what they learn?<\/li>\n<li>How will I know what is mastery, and how will they be able to show it?<\/li>\n<li>How will I take into account my students\u2019 input in the process of learning?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>One teacher recounted his initial struggles of letting go of control and allowing his students to set their own course. Another shared a strategy for communicating with parents who may be unfamiliar with this kind of system. Throughout the discussion, teachers reflected honestly on how they\u2019ve grown alongside their students in these new and innovative models.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor teachers, personalized learning helps us learn how to evolve, listen to students\u2019 input on the process of learning, and focus on moving to a competency-based model.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A competency-based approach challenges every member of a school community to develop trusting relationships focused on learning.<\/p>\n<h5><a href=\"https:\/\/www.competencyworks.org\/resources\/supporting-student-agency-through-student-led-conferences\/#more-14150\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b>Empowering Students<\/b><\/a><\/h5>\n<p>Jamie Pekras-Braun is a first-grade teacher at Thrive, a personalized and blended learning school in California. At the end of each grading period, students from grades K-12 lead collaborative meetings where they review their individualized goals around literacy, numeracy and social emotional growth; examine their work as indicators of progress toward goals; and set next steps.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15613 size-medium alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GS2-300x235-300x235.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"235\" \/>Parent-teacher conferences were replaced by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.competencyworks.org\/resources\/supporting-student-agency-through-student-led-conferences\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Student Led Conferences (SLC)<\/a>. The teachers prepare framing documents: agenda, goal setting tools and reflection, and they work with students who will lead the conversations with their parents and teachers. In an SLC, students lead the discussions with parents and teachers and share with their parents about how they choose their own goals and have a chance to be thoughtful about their strengths and weaknesses.<\/p>\n<p>In allowing students to lead the conversation about learning, and equipping them to lead those conversations successfully, Jamie describes her students\u2019 progress as they begin to self-monitor and reflect on their progress using the language of owning their own learning.<\/p>\n<p>Jamie talks about one of her shyest students at the beginning of the year in his first parent-teacher student led conference:<\/p>\n<p><i>\u201cIt was clear that he was extremely nervous and uncomfortable. He mumbled and read without clarity. He needed teacher support in order to complete the conference. By his third SLC a few short months later, he ran the meeting completely independently. His parents teared up when listening to his confident speaking. Every student is capable of acquiring the skills to speak about their own learning.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>For more information on what personalized learning looks like for schools, families and communities, follow this blog series, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.inacol.org\/resource\/whats-possible-personalized-learning-overview-personalized-learning-schools-families-communities\/\">download our recent report<\/a> and review the following resources.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Video: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QZeeGeylfnY&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;t=9m15s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Springpoint Chain Reaction Panel with Teachers in Competency-Based Schools<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Book: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ascd.org\/Publications\/Books\/Overview\/Tapping-the-Power-of-Personalized-Learning.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>Tapping the Power of Personalized Learning: A Roadmap for School Leaders<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n<li>KnowledgeWorks Report: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.knowledgeworks.org\/sites\/default\/files\/u1\/teacher-conditions.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i>The Shifting Paradigm of Teaching: Personalized Learning According to Teachers<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><i>This is the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.inacol.org\/news\/what-does-personalized-learning-mean-for-teachers\/\">third blog<\/a> in a series on What\u2019s Possible with Personalized Learning? Read the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.inacol.org\/news\/what-does-personalized-learning-look-like-in-schools\/\">first post<\/a><\/i><i>, <\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.inacol.org\/news\/what-does-personalized-learning-mean-for-students\/\"><i>second post<\/i><\/a><i>, or <\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.inacol.org\/resource\/whats-possible-personalized-learning-overview-personalized-learning-schools-families-communities\/\"><i>download the entire report<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>See also:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.competencyworks.org\/insights-into-implementation\/classroom-practice\/why-teachers-should-free-up-their-time\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"bookmark noopener noreferrer\">Why Teachers Should Free Up Their Time<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.competencyworks.org\/uncategorized\/teachers-are-managers-so-lets-give-them-the-tools-to-manage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"bookmark noopener noreferrer\">Teachers are Managers \u2013 So Let\u2019s Give Them the Tools to Manage<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.competencyworks.org\/resources\/competency-based-learning-centers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"bookmark noopener noreferrer\">Competency-Based Learning Centers<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","mapsvg_location":""},"legacy_category":[417],"issue":[396,368],"location":[],"class_list":["post-7234","cw_post","type-cw_post","status-publish","hentry","legacy_category-insights-into-implementationclassroom-practice","issue-how-to-get-started","issue-issues-in-practice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Does Personalized Learning Mean for Teachers? 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