Personalized Learning: Preparing High School Students to Create Their Futures

When it comes to learning, is smaller really better? There is a growing body of evidence to support the notion that smaller, more personalized schools are better for both students and teachers. Bringing together the combined knowledge and experience of more than two dozen teachers, administrators, and researchers, this book provides a roadmap for educators embarking on the journey to create a more personalized environment for high school students. Features include: · Highlights of current initiatives aimed at personalizing learning for high school students. · Description of Personal Learning Plans that tie the learning to the talents and aspirations of the student. · Exploration of classroom teaching that allows individuals to gain knowledge while pursuing their own hopes. · Description of high school designs that engage students in democratic processes and systemic changes that must accompany and support personalized learning for all students. Written by practitioners with practical interest in moving high schools toward personalization, this book will excite others to initiate reforms that enable ALL young adult learners to meet common standards while designing and pursuing a unique pathway toward adult roles. That's what personal learning and this book are all about.

Table of Contents:
Part 1 Editor's Foreword Part 2 Introduction: Honors Night Part 3 Section 1: Personalized Learning Plans Chapter 4 1 When Learning Matters: Using Learning Plans to Educate One Student at a Time Chapter 5 Appendix to Chapter 1 Chapter 6 2 Assessing to Engage: Developing Personal Profiles for Each Student Chapter 7 3 Personalization and Secondary School Renewal Chapter 8 4 Personalized Learning and Personalized Teaching Part 9 Section 2: Personalized High School Teaching Chapter 10 5 The Path to Personalized Learning: A Teacher's Perspective Chapter 11 6 Democracy and Equity in the Classroom: A Team Design Chapter 12 7 Service at the Heart of Personalized Learning: Developing Relationships between Self and Other Chapter 13 8 Community-Connected Learning: Personalization as a Vehicle for Reform Chapter 14 9 Preparing Teachers for Personalized Student Learning through Teacher Training Part 15 Section 3: Designing Schools That Engage Each Student Chapter 16 10 Making Learning Personal: Educational Practices That Work Chapter 17 11 Toward the Creation of a Personalized High School Chapter 18 12 Putting Student Performance Data at the Center of School Reform: New Expectations for Student Achievement and School Accountability Chapter 19 13 Using Breaking Ranks to Engage a School Community in Cooperative Reform Part 20 Section 4: Adapting the Systems That Shape High School Learning Chapter 21 14 High School Capacities for Systemic Change Chapter 22 15 Making Personalization a State-Wide Priority: Maine's Promising Future's Movement Chapter 23 16 Focused Thinking: Aiming School Accreditation toward Improved Learning Chapter 24 17 Growing High School Reform: Change as Organic Adaption Chapter 25 18 Conclusion: Gathering Momentum for High School Personalization Part 26 About the Contributors

About the Author :
Joseph DiMartino is the director of the Student Centered Learning Program at the Education Alliance at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. John Clarke is professor emeritus, University of Vermont in Montpelier. Denise Wolk is program assistant, Student Centered Learning with the Education Alliance at Brown University.

Review :
For those who seek exemplars and exposition of working, sustainable, systemic innovations, this book is an essential reference for personalization of learning in an organizational setting. For those who seek hope in a sometimes dim view of the future of public education, this book is a must read from cover to cover...If our vision of public education is to liberate the genius and goodness of children and their teachers, Personal Learning moves the work one giant step forward. I think this is an important book on a very important subject...I really enjoyed reading it, was often inspired, and usually completed a chapter having learned something important. For those attempting personalized learning for the first time, or for those who want to gain an understanding of what it means, this is an acceptable primer. The book can be used as designed-by teachers, administrators, researchers, and/or policymakers-who are beginning the journey toward personalized learning. By documenting the personalization process and highlighting real life examples that have been implemented in schools, the authors give voice to students, teachers, parents, and administrators who have begun the journey of changing American education...This thought-provoking book provides examples combined with knowledge and experience that can be used as a guide as teachers and administrators work toward helping ...Students Create their Futures. By documenting the personalization process and highlighting real life examples that have been implemented in schools, the authors give voice to students, teachers, parents, and administrators who have begun the journey of changing American education...This thought-provoking book provides examples combined with knowledge and experience that can be used as a guide as teachers and administrators work toward helping ...Students Create their Futures.