When asked \u201cwhat is your working definition of personalized learning?\u201d Charlie Herzog, an educator at Flood Brook replied: <\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>Relevancy is the essence of personalized learning. It\u2019s about giving students voice & choice regarding content, and offering multiple pathways to explore\/learn the chosen content. It\u2019s about students reflecting on their learning journeys; considering where they\u2019ve come from, and where they desire to take their learning next.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n We think this definition works equally well for the adult learners doing the hard work of designing and orchestrating personalized learning. Once Herzog launched this year\u2019s crew at Flood Brook School with the intention of putting his working definition into practice, he too found time to reflect on his learning journey and consider where to take his learning next. Here\u2019s Herzog\u2019s candid and courageous reflection, which reminds us how vulnerable and thrilling this journey can be.<\/span><\/p>\n –Susan Hennessey & Bill Rich<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n I never-endingly wrestle with our integrated studies endeavor at Flood Brook. We integrate science and social studies around compelling questions while employing a \u201cproject-based\u201d approach, in multiage fashion, grades 6-8.<\/span><\/p>\n Among the students the reviews are mixed. If we offered them a thumbs up or down poll I fear the results. What then? In the name of personalization do we end it? If they don\u2019t want it, and what they want is science and social studies completely separate, why not do it? Hell, it would be easier for me to end it.<\/span><\/p>\n No, I\u2019m not ready to end it. The reason is I haven\u2019t done project-based learning right. I haven\u2019t personalized it enough.<\/span><\/p>\n I trapped myself. Under the burden of urgency I fell into the comfortable: deliver content, provide graphic organizers, require Cornell note-taking, check all the boxes…and now start the project and be excited about it. Sure, be excited by it after I sucked all the air out of it. I understand why students might feel integrated studies is a slog.<\/span><\/p>\n I was about to do it again. Oh, the content is always delivered with a certain flair. It wouldn\u2019t have been boring, but there would be graphic organizers to fill out.<\/span><\/p>\n My partner, Joey Blane, snapped me out of it. Turns out, her spirit for integrated studies needed a jump start too. Weren\u2019t the kids supposed to like this? Weren\u2019t we?<\/span><\/p>\n We changed the entire <\/span>plan we wrote at MGI<\/span>. Now we\u2019re going to build a monument that\u2019s going to address, \u201cWhy should we care about human rights?\u201d We have zero idea what it\u2019s going to look like because the kids are going to design and build the whole thing.<\/span><\/p>\n This is really scary. What if it\u2019s a disaster? It\u2019s beyond my comfort zone. But doesn\u2019t project-based learning push all teachers beyond their comfort zone?<\/span><\/p>\n The root of our problem with integrated studies is we haven\u2019t personalized it enough. Yes, we offer a slew of project options. Yes, we give students choice of compelling questions to pursue. Yes, we give students a voice in the planning of the units. But we haven\u2019t put the project at the front of the experience. <\/span><\/p>\n This New Tech Network image graphically represents what I\u2019m getting at here.<\/span><\/p>\n New to #PBL<\/a>? This image breaks down the difference between project based learning & "doing projects." #PBLChat<\/a> #k12ed<\/a> #edchat<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/9bzlAg7X4z<\/a><\/p>\n — New Tech Network (@newtechnetwork) October 19, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nBut There Will Be Graphic Organizers<\/span><\/h1>\n
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