| Personalization of instruction
and learning is the effort on the part of a school to
take into account individual student characteristics and
needs, and flexible instructional practices, in organizing
the learning environment. Teachers committed to personalizing
instruction help their students develop personal learning
plans, assist in diagnosing their cognitive strengths
and weaknesses and other style characteristics, help adapt
the learning environment and instruction to learner needs
and interests, and mentor authentic and reflective learning
experiences for their students.
In the past, antecedents of personalization have been known under different names: nongraded education, continuous progress
education, individualized instruction, individually guided or prescribed
education, and so forth. Each of these concepts is concerned with
personalized education but in a limited way. Personalization is broader
in scope, more systematic in organization, and more authentic
in its goals and strategies.
Several current systematic approaches
to instructional improvement, such as style-based instruction
and differentiated instruction, do border on the truly
personalized. The former typically draws on individualized
instruction for it roots and the latter tends to restrict
itself to the individual classroom, but both can be
highly personalized when implemented in a comprehensive,
organic and dynamic fashion.
What, then, are the basic elements of
a personalized approach to instruction? If we consider
the implications of historic efforts to renew schooling,
and take into account the most flexible of recent efforts
to individualize learning, a direction begins to emerge....
These trends do not provide a model to be imposed on
schools but rather a broad blueprint for ongoing improvement
in school organization and good practice. Keefe and
Jenkins (2000) propose six basic elements of personalized
instruction (see below) that should be present
if a school wishes to develop powerful teaching and
learning for student success. These elements or structures
produce a challenging, integrative, but child-centered
learning environment, one that is interactive and meaningful,
but with reasonably structured learning activities,
flexible use of time and space, and authentic, performance-based
assessment of student progress.
Keefe and Jenkins think of these six basic
elements as constituting the culture and context of
personalized instruction. The cultural components--teacher
role, student learning characteristics, and collegial
relationships -- establish the foundation of personalization
and ensure that the school prizes a caring and collaborative
environment, student diversity, and individual development.
The contextual factors--interactivity, flexible scheduling,
and authentic assessment--promote and support student
engagement, thoughtful growth, and proficient performance.
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BASIC ELEMENTS OF PERSONALIZED INSTRUCTION
1. A dual teacher role of coach and adviser.
2. The diagnosis of relevant student learning
characteristics, including:
~ Developmental level;
~ Cognitive /learning style;
~ Prior knowledge/ skills.
3. A culture of collegiality in the school,
characterized by:
~ A constructivist environment;
~ Collaborative learning arrangements.
4. An interactive learning environment
characterized by:
~ Small school or small group (class)
size;
~ Thoughtful conversation;
~ Active learning activities;
~ Authentic student achievement.
5. Flexible scheduling and pacing, but
with adequate structure.
6. Authentic assessment.
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(Excerpted from Personalized Instruction: Changing
Classroom Practice by James W. Keefe and John M.
Jenkins, Eye on Education, Larchmont, New York, 2000).
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