What Is Personalized Learning?
I had a conversation today about personalized learning with an education reporter. It is not something we’ve focused on here, but it is part of the next wave of education reform, so it is something that I know I need to keep my eye on. Some initial thoughts….
My first thought is that it sounds good because who would not want to tailor education to the particular learning style of a student. That is what my wife and I (mainly my wife) do as homeschooling parents.
Second, what does it mean? Here we have another catchphrase bandied about where the true meaning is not what most people think of. Remember “rigor” and “college-and-career-ready” these sound good, but what is meant? We’ve discovered that “rigor” is a meaningless term as applied to Common Core, and “college-and-career-ready” is a catchphrase for the workforce development shift in public education that has moved us further away from classical education.
Third, who benefits the most from this change in education? Students or curriculum developers?
Fourth, is this something that can realistically be accomplished within public education? What are the consequences?
Underground Parent has a primer on personalized learning that I think is helpful.
They bring up some concerns that we should consider like its current dependence on technology:
Big data demands, adaptive learning software use, the move to mobile device use, and embedded assessments all come into play with Personalized Learning, requiring andWhat Is Personalized Learning? | Truth in American Education: