Title: Personalized Learning in the K-12 Setting: Are the Strategies Effective?
Author Name: Sumayyah France
Introduction
In the field of education, there are many buzzwords that you may hear as it relates to teaching. Words like “student achievement”, “growth”, “differentiation”, or “inclusion” are a sure way to catch the attention of anyone who has interests in education. These types of people can range from parents to principals to even students. But with each of those words, what do they all have in common? Each word is a key component to a current trend happening globally within the field of education. With COVID-19 still having effects on learners, education needs a desperate change. This change can come in the form of personalized learning.
In education, the term personalized learning is used frequently. But for novices to education, what exactly is personalized learning? Personalized learning is a teaching model that focuses on each student’s individual needs. In this model, different strategies and approaches are utilized to support, individual, self-directed learning goals. This approach typically involves having students use their own pace and demonstrate their knowledge in unique ways. Some of the most common approaches to personalized learning include engaging students in blended learning environments, establishing individualized college and career readiness learning plans, and integrating competency-based models of instruction for students.
Overview
Some of the issues within the field of education include large classroom sizes, socioeconomic status of students, lack of social and emotional support for students, and lack of technology and resources to name a few. For some educators, teaching today can be so stressful that their mental and physical health is affected. In fact, Greenburg et al. (2016) state, “Today, teaching is one of the most stressful occupations in the U.S. This stress not only has negative consequences for teachers, but it also results in lower achievement for students” (p. 02). One way to mitigate this stress for both teachers and student is to implement programs that fall in the category of personalized learning. This way, the program can assist with remediation for lower students and learning extensions for those who are above grade level or ready for new concepts. Teachers will be able to assist those students who need help the most while allowing other students to take control of their own learning. “In a personalized learning environment, we can develop students’ skills in collaboration, communication, independence, and the ability to find what they need to know instead of simply having it provided by an adult” (Future Ready Schools & Friedman, 2021).
For a closer look into personalized learning in the K-12 setting, I interviewed middle school math teacher, Mrs. Seantel Cunningham. She was able to provide more insight on the strategies and platforms that she uses in her classroom. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, I was unable to observe her physically in her classroom while teaching her students. However, I was able to join a live session and see how she interacted with her students.
For context, Mrs. Cunningham teaches in a middle school within the Dekalb County School District. She teaches 6th grade math. Here is what she had to say when asked about personalized learning: “Personalized learning is essential today more than ever. With so many of my students having extreme deficits due to being at home for over a year, differentiation is key in my classroom. It can be extremely difficult and frustrating at times, but I know it’s necessary. In my classroom, many of my students are doing math on 2nd and 3rd grade levels. Even more alarming, my ‘gifted’ students are also performing well below grade level. For this reason, it is extremely important to implement platforms that provide students with opportunities for personalized learning. The district provides some resources like Khan Academy, Sumdog, Classworks, and Study Island. These are adaptive platforms that analyze students’ grade level performances in math through a diagnostic exam. From there, students can work during free time or during station learning to fine tune those below average skills necessary to be successful in middle school.” Mrs. Cunningham provided valuable insight to the concerns that she has for her students. Additionally, she mentioned several times how each platform provided remediation and enrichment for each of her unique learners.
Solutions Implemented
One of the biggest solutions that personalized learning will provide is purposeful instruction that will adapt and adjust to the needs of each student. All teachers know that differentiation is not a “one-size fits all” approach, and each students has different needs. When implemented in classrooms and properly supported by teachers, students learn independence and gain confidence in their own abilities. From my own personal experience as an educator, I remember using some of these platforms with my students. One of my favorites was Istation, an adaptive platform that provided interventions and enrichments for my 2nd grade students. I found the resource to be valuable for not only my students, but myself as an educator. It provided a much-needed solution to many of the issues that I was facing in my classroom. Before using Istation, students were used to waiting for me and afraid to move forward. However, throughout the year, I noticed my students were excited to learn and move at their own pace with the resources.
Outcomes
Many of the outcomes have yielded positive results as it relates to personalized learning in K-12 settings. In fact, in a study conducted by Pane et al. (2017), “the results suggest that personalized learning benefits students of all levels of prior achievement.” In an earlier study by the same individuals, it was found that “that 11,000 students at 62 schools trying out personalized-learning approaches made greater gains in math and reading than similar students at more traditional schools. The longer students experienced “personalized-learning practices,” the greater their achievement growth” (Herold, 2016). With research still being conducted on the effectiveness of personalized learning, many are hopeful that it can continue to provide strides in the positive direction as it related to teaching and learning.
Implications
From the research in personalized learning, it is obvious that this is a viable solution to many of the issues facing the field of education today. Most teachers use data to drive their instruction, and data supports the conclusion that personalized learning tools can be effective. When used as supplemental tools in conjunction with an experienced educator, schools could see gains in any field of concern within said school. There are many success stories of personalized learning in the classroom around the world. Overall, I believe that if all schools had the proper resources to implement personalized learning, the field of education could change drastically and provide great gains after so much loss of learning during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
References
Classworks. (2020, February 13). Introduce students to Classworks [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/KqmLXmIi5nk
Education Week. (2019, November 6). Personalized learning in K-12 schools, explained [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd22P4RDmtg
Future Ready Schools, & Friedman, M. (2021, July 23). Personalized learning in a post–covid-19 world. All4Ed | Equity. Justice. Education. https://all4ed.org/blog/personalized-learning-in-a-post-covid-19-world/
Great Academy Ashton. (2021, February 1). How to use Sumdog, a personalised maths and spelling website [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5lqYpvFDGo
Greenburg, M. T., Brown, J. L., & Abenavoli, R. M. (2016). Teacher stress and health effects on teachers, students, and schools. Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State University.
Herold, B. (2016, October 16). Personalized learning: What does the research say? Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/technology/personalized-learning-what-does-the-research-say/2016/10
Herold, B. (2019, November 5). What is personalized learning? Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/technology/what-is-personalized-learning/2019/11
Hoffman, T. A. (2020, April 20). How to use StudyIsland [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/hiyrtIEjBT0
ISIP™ Early Reading – YouTube. YouTube. (2018, November 16). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d23ZCt-fnKQ.
Khan Academy. (2018, August 3). Khan Academy classrooms has a new mastery system that makes personalized learning easier than ever! [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/JV2sKtbOKsg
Pane, J. F., Steiner, E. D., Baird, M. D., Hamilton, L. S., & Pane, J. D. (2017). How does personalized learning affect student achievement? RAND Corporation Provides Objective Research Services and Public Policy Analysis | RAND. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9994.html
Wisconsin DPI. (2017, April 7). What is personalized learning? – YouTube. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfpmhmPira4.
WOSU Public Media. (2020, May 22). Personalized path and pace: Personalized learning in an elementary classroom [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/b-PUhd48zpI