The essentials:
All the planning in the world won’t be enough to create personalized learning environments if you don’t have some support systems in place!
Common planning time
Teachers need time to work with each other– the research is clear on the WHY here. Planning integrated, dynamic, and rich learning experiences takes time for collaboration and needs to be purposeful. Consider how to make meetings more effective.
Flexible scheduling
Engaging learning doesn’t necessarily happen in content-specific, 40-minute blocks. Students also need more time. Flexible schedules are key to promoting hands-on, collaborative, engaging learning experiences.
Regular check-ins
Along the way, you’ll want to develop strategies for checking in regularly with students. At Edmunds Middle School, in Burlington VT, educator Laura Botte set up a way to regularly check in with her students — even when she was out of the classroom. She created a Google Form where students could tell her about their socioemotional state, and privately request a one-on-one with her. The form asks students to spend some time evaluating their emotional state, as well as taking stock of the resources around them for support.
Food for thought
Consider how these teachers and students are making the most of teams and flexible schedules:
- Changing the who, the what, and the when
- Rethinking the traditional school schedule
- 5 lessons learning from an integrated middle school PBL unit
Now tell us
- How does the schedule support or hinder personalization in your classroom or school?
- How might you make meetings more effective?
Show your fancy new knowledge from this section by taking a non-personalized quiz!
Laying the groundwork for personalized learning
Let’s go
In the next chapter, we will tackle how to set up a learner profile with students.