A real-world action plan for educators to create personalized learning experiences Learning Personalized: The Evolution of the Contemporary Classroom provides teachers, administrators, and educational leaders with a clear and practical guide to personalized learning. Written by respected teachers and leading educational consultants Allison Zmuda, Greg Curtis, and Diane Ullman, this comprehensive resource explores what personalized learning looks like, how it changes the roles and responsibilities of every stakeholder, and why it inspires innovation. The authors explain that, in order to create highly effective personalized learning experiences, a new instructional design is required that is based loosely on the traditional model of apprenticeship: learning by doing.
Learning Personalized challenges educators to rethink the fundamental principles of schooling that honors students' natural willingness to play, problem solve, fail, re-imagine, and share. This groundbreaking resource:
- Explores the elements of personalized learning and offers a framework to achieve it
- Provides a roadmap for enrolling relevant stakeholders to create a personalized learning vision and reimagine new roles and responsibilities
- Addresses needs and provides guidance specific to the job descriptions of various types of educators, administrators, and other staff
This invaluable educational resource explores a simple framework for personalized learning: co-creation, feedback, sharing, and learning that is as powerful for a teacher to re-examine classroom practice as it is for a curriculum director to reexamine the structure of courses.
Table of Contents:
Foreword xi
Acknowledgments xv
About the Authors xvii
Introduction 1
1 Making the Case for Personalized Learning 5
Disconnect between Traditional School and Preparation for a Postsecondary World 6
The Power of a Student-Driven Model 7
Contemporary Issues of Control 12
Personalized Learning Evolution 15
Conclusion and Reflective Questions 21
Works Cited 21
2 The Aims of Contemporary Schooling 23
Element 1: Disciplinary Outcomes 25
Element 2: Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes 30
Element 3: Mindsets 47
Conclusion and Reflective Questions 55
Works Cited 56
3 The Design of a Student-Driven Learning Experience 59
Element 4: Task 60
Element 5: Audience 63
Element 6: Feedback 67
Element 7: Evaluation 70
Conclusion and Reflective Questions 72
Works Cited 73
4 Tasks That Demonstrate Personalized Learning Evolution in Practice 75
Inspiration for Task Designs 76
How the Role of the Teacher Shifts 95
How the Role of the Student Shifts 103
Needed Systems and Supports beyond the Classroom 104
Conclusion and Reflective Questions 107
Work Cited 108
5 What Personalized Learning Looks Like at the Instructional Level 109
Element 8: Process 110
Element 9: Environment 119
A Day-in-the-Life Narrative 124
Conclusion and Reflective Questions 128
Work Cited 129
6 What Personalized Learning Looks Like at the Systems Level 131
Element 10: Demonstration of Learning 132
Element 11: Time 143
Element 12: Advancement 145
Conclusion and Reflective Questions 147
Works Cited 147
7 Leading the Change for Personalized Learning 149
Clearly Articulating and Creating Urgency for Personalized Learning (the ‘‘Why’’) 150
Giving Back the Work to Teachers (the ‘‘How’’) 152
Managing Change as It Is Occurring (the ‘‘What’’) 155
Conclusion and Reflective Questions 160
Works Cited 161
The Conclusion of the Era of ‘‘One-Size-Fits-All Schooling’’ 163
Appendix A: Additional Resources for Chapters 1–3 165
Appendix B: Additional Resources for Chapter 4 181
Appendix C: Additional Resources for Chapters 5 and 6 193
Appendix D: Additional Resources for Chapter 7 203
Index 209
About the Author :
ALLISON ZMUDA is an international consultant who works with schools and districts to create dynamic learning environments and author of seven books. She is founder and curator of the online community LearningPersonalized.com
GREG CURTIS has worked with international schools around the world as a technology director, a curriculum and professional learning director, and a strategic planner. He currently consults on strategy, systems-based change and approaches to deep learning in private and public schools and districts.
DIANE ULLMAN is Senior Director with the District Management Council, a firm that partners with educational leaders to improve student outcomes and operational efficiency. She formerly served as Superintendent in Simsbury, Connecticut schools and was the 2012 Connecticut Superintendent of the Year.
