Personalizing 21st Century Education

Notes from:

Personalizing 21st Century Education: A Framework for Student Success
Dan Domenech, Morton Sherman, John L. Brown
Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Brand. 2016


Personalizing Learning - the vision

- reviewing notes at home
- in school - no grades
    - director of learning gives them activities
    - independent, small groups, one-on-one, larger sessiions
    - mastery learning; lessons
    - ongoing evaluation, adaptive learning

Driverless cars

What is a personalized 21st century education
    - personalized education plan (developed by teacher)
    - adaptive learning via assessment
    - grouping by proficiency, not age
    - teacher = director of learning
    - cf Kettering Foundation, Individually Guided Education

Ten Building Blocks
    - creating a vision for personalization
    - dealing with diversity (SD: vs embracing diversity)
    - identifying benchmarks and exemplars of schools already personalizing
    - transforming curriculum and programs of study
    - personalizing teaching ang learning, focus on needs and strengths
    - accountability - making assessment meaningful
    - maximize impact of technology
    - personalizing leadership and governance - new approaches for decision-making
    - personalizing health, social and psychological services
    - cultivating paret, community, institutional partnerships

Demographics
    - minority needs
    - preparing students for the world of work
    - is the best education for the high achiever the best education for all?
    - making multilingualism a resource
    - low socioeconomic status students - special needs

Personalized Curriculum
    - Discoverty Elementary School in Arlington:
        - idea of curriculum as an immersive experience
        - physical plant reflects this - classrooms named for environment
    - Innovations Early College High School in Salt Lake City
        - no bells, no schedules
        - curriculum based on proficiency
    - curriculum vs standardization
        - today - curriculum defined as what students should know, based on test-prep
        - but research speaks against this - five points:
            - learning is holistic - all authetic learning is experiential (Dewey)
            - transmission approach inadequate and misinformed (Friere)
            - learning is brain centered, need to emphasize executive function
            - creativity and self-expression as a biological necessity
            - we express our intelligence differently and personally
    - vision for 21st century curriculum - organic and integrated system, aligned to achieve maximum learning outcomes, not just cognitive, created collaboratively, focused and realistic but ambitious, student-centered

Teaching and Learning
    - PISA, TIMNS - suggest great teaching is mediated by instructor, not presented through lecture
    - need for instructors to employ research-based principles of learning
    - case studes - a few top picks:
        - curriculum compacting - acceleration where possible, coaching where needed
        - tiered lesson and learning centers
        - complex instruction - variety of learning structures
        - learning contracts
        - orbital studies - student-generated extension projects
        - independent study options
        - interest centres and interest groups
        - reflective journals and think logs (SD: tlogs?)
        - RAFT assignments - roles, audiences, formats, topics
        - capstone projects
        - cooperative learning structures eg. peer teaching

Assessment
    - be clear about what tey are expected to learn and why
    - create a roadmap or visual organizer
    - personal goal setting and strategic planning
    - metacognition

    Some recommended changes for consideration:
    - select big-idea and conceptually challenging standards or goals
    - organize outcomes around concepual bands or themes
    - outcomes should reflect full range of student development
    - comprehensive K-12 delineation of what students are expected to learn
    - staff become true data experts
    - move beyond traditional data collection
    - build a data management platform
    - students take on active and ongoing role in their own data management
    - personalize data management and assessment
    - involve all stakeholders

    Meaningful, authentic and lifelong learning outcomes
    - work ethic, integrity, teamwork, self-representation, diversity awareness
        conflict resoltion, creativity
    - professional knowledge skills - speaking and listening, job acquistion
        customer service

    See also: www.wiley.com/go/personalizing21