Pathways to Personalization

“[Personalization] means teachers proactively plan varied approaches to what students need to learn, how they will learn it, and/or how they will show what they have learned in order to increase the likelihood that each student will learn as much as he or she can, as efficiently as possible.”

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Carol Tomlinson

Pathways

• Time, Place, Pace and Process
• Student/Teacher Reciprocity (Mutual Benefit)
• Improving Access and Instruction with Technology

Pathway: Time Place, Pace & Process

Time, Place, Pace, Process

• Planning for flexibility
• Tailor learning experiences
• Culture of diversity

Learning Management Systems and Portfolios

LMS/Websites/Portfolios

• When, where, how
• Safe personal learning space
• Low risk
• ***

Centers

Centers

• Deepen, develop, collaborate
• Dynamic/student choice
• Observations and data
• ***

'Classroom Remote'

'Classroom Remote'

• Pause, rewind, fastforward
• Opportunities to:
• Team teach, peer coach, intervene, enrich

Varying Product and Process

Product and Process

• Foster deeper learning
• Abilities, interests, and learning preferences
• Designing for engagement

“I will vary my assessment strategies from unit to unit, spreading it out, trying to balance students’ readiness with students’ interest. For instance, I implemented a process where students were allowed to pick and choose what assessments they did for each unit of study . . . not all students were required to do the same assessment at the same time, however, by the end of the semester, they all had to ensure that they had one assessment of each type in all the categories of the gradebook.”


Nathan Crosby, English Language Arts Teacher

Pathway: Student/Teacher Reciprocity

Student/Teacher Reciprocity

• Inform and guide our practice
• Student agency
• Feedback loop
• Reveals the value in personalization

Gathering Opinions, Information, and Perspectives

Gathering from Students

• Beyond 'get to know you'
• Do their perspectives matter?

Formative Assessments

Quick Formative

• Worthwhile regardless number attached
• Transparent course design
• Assessment capable learners
• ***

Informal Check-ins

Check-ins

• Creating structures to connect
• How does it inform

Reflective Planning

Reflective Planning

• Guided by successes and struggles
• Rigid or fluid course plans

Pathway: Improving access and Instruction with Technology

Access and Tech

• Access to supportive systems
• Removal of barriers
• Safe and low risk spaces

Bring Your Own Device

BYOD

• Tech is challenging at the school level
• Capitalize on student preoccupation

Accessibility

Accessibility

• Remove barriers
• Explore preferences
• ***

“As we worked to shift the focus onto students and how they learn, teaching conversations began to change from what to teach to how to teach.”





Michelle Blair, Principal, Grande Prairie

Composite School

If there is a focus on personalization, what should drive your course?

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