An Estuary - June 2014

PERSONALIZED
By Dr. Mary Ellen Beaty OFerrall, Sara Henschell, Margaret Roth

Personalized learning is an instructional philosophy intended to address the distinct learning needs,
interests, aspirations, and cultural backgrounds of individual students to create an environment and
experience that best facilitates their learning (Glossary of Ed Reform, 2014). Personalized learning
can be implemented with many techniques, through a combination of different methods, and
successfully achieved through a variety of approaches. It can be implemented in ways that are
fundamentally disruptive to the traditional classroom model, in ways that are within the traditional
classroom model, with the use of technology, and without the use of technology. This paper will
outline a philosophy and method for designing personalized learning in the classroom that when
realized will result in the creation of a personalized learning ecosystem.
RATIONALE ::
The aim of this paper is to provide educators
teaching students of any grade level, content
area, ability level, or school format, with an
immediate access point, resource guide, and
evidence necessary to initiate the transition to
personalizing their classroom environments and
experiences.
As former and current high-needs classroom
educators and teacher educators, we have
sought ways of using the structure of education
as a means of getting past the pain points of
skill level disparities, disengagement, poor
attendance and low family involvement. We
have implemented radical changes successfully
in our classroom practices, but understand the
limitations of classroom teachers working inside
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An Estuary - June 2014
larger systems. Our framework is designed as a
way to start sustainable change that coexists
with current content and standards.
FOUNDATIONS ::
The concept of personalized education is not
new; but although a century has passed since it
was conceived, it remains revolutionary. Helen
Parkhurst first developed her educational
theory in 1914. [Parkhurst] conceives of
schools as sociological laboratories where
community life and community situations
prevail. The children are the experimenters.
The instructors are observers, who stand ready
to serve the community as their special talents
are needed (Dewey, 1914). Forms in which
this concept has manifested include: open
classrooms, differentiation, special education,
blended learning, gifted education, student-
centered learning, bring-your-own-device,
flipped classrooms. The iterative process
through which student-centered education has
evolved forms the basis that allows modern
education to begin the creation of genuine
personalized learning ecosystems.
A recent equity study conducted by the Center
for Research on Education Equity, Assessment,
and Teaching Excellence investigated the role
that in-person human support took on in
blended learning environments. Analyzing
patterns of interaction throughout the study
revealed seven varieties of in-person human
support that were frequent and notable
(Pollock et al., 2014)
Humans as fixers and explainers of
technology
Humans as digesters of content
Humans as explainers of content
Humans as extenders of content, towards
application
Humans as providers of feedback and
assessment
Humans as regulators of behavior
Humans as peer supporters
A core value of personalized learning is prizing
the human interactions the learner experiences
both inside and outside of the classroom
environment in a way that facilitates and
inspires higher level thinking and deeper
understandi ng. By val ui ng connecti ons
between humans over quantitative measures,
personalized learning builds the capacity for
critical thought and agency in students, and
redefines the role of the teacher as an active
learner alongside them.
ASSESSMENT OF NEED ::
Typical classrooms are built to enforce the
concept of the teacher as sole arbiter of
knowledge - chairs in rows, desk at front, the
eyes of the inhabitants of the chairs forward -
the perfect format for traditional education,
but perhaps not for meaningful learning.
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This format puts a premium on formal learning;
however only 20% of learning is done formally;
the rest is done informally through personal
experience and exploration (Chatti et al., 2010).
If we are keeping that personal experience out
of the classroom, we are limiting the expanse
of what can be taught and what can be
learned.
This format of education has led to a culture
plagued by teachers as answer machines and
checklists, as opposed to thought provokers,
learning facilitators, and advocates for
independent thought. It has stifled student self-
reliance, capacity for critical thought, curiosity,
and creativity, and ultimately has degraded the
humanity of our students and our teachers.
FRAMEWORK FOR
PERS ONAL I ZAT I ON OF
LEARNING ::
Personalization of learning is dependent on the
creation of a student centric ecosystem within
the classroom. This is established through
equitable communication, increased flexibility
and accessibility, positive integration of tools,
and focus on the humanity of students and
teachers of the community. The suggested
framework minimally relies on institutional
hardware or technology, but rather focuses on
the use of tools that are native to students and
their environment and that encourages student
to teacher, teacher to student, and student to
student communication.
We are not abandoning the response to
intervention model, as most classroom teachers
cant realistically get away from this model as
they are held accountable to the standards and
systems their wider communities have put in
place. Nor are we stating that all standards
should be thrown away. Rather we are insisting
that the scope of these standards can be
expanded to include how students really learn,
in and out of class, through the personalization
of learning.
The creation of a personalized learning
ecosystem in the classroom is dependent on
the implementation of systems that remove
teacher-centri c structures and transfer
ownership to students thus increasing the
capacities for agency, responsibility, control,
and empowerment, and fundamentally change
the experience of learning for the student as
no matter how solid and thought provoking
the curriculum may be, when the voice of the
student is deemphasized or forgotten, learning
suffers (Powell, 2014).
There is no one-sized-fits-all model for this and
it depends more on state-of-mind and
intention to be successful. A teacher must want
to teach to the specific needs and desires of
the students in their classroom, and the
students must be sufficiently supported and
empowered to want to learn in this ecosystem.
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In order to do this, we have constructed a basic
framework for implementing personalized
learning that focus on five elements of
framework design to effect change.
PRINCIPLES OF
PERSONALIZED LEARNING
DESIGN ::
The elements of classroom practice that must
be changed to create a personalized learning
ecosystem in any classroom model or learning
environment are:
Roles of People in the Classroom
Communication
Content Decentralization
Feedback
Data and Evaluation

ROLES OF PEOPLE IN THE CLASSROOM ::
The roles of people in the classroom must be
designed through attention to both physical
structure and emotional structure. Deliberate
thought needs to be put into the construction
of space and purpose in space in order to
eff ecti vel y create an envi ronment f or
personalized learning (Reich 2014). Changes
can be made to each of these aspects through
decentralization.
Roles can be changed physically by simple
alterations in classroom setup. The classroom
should not have a single fixed focal point but
rather spaces for different learning objectives
including spaces for collaboration, spaces for
focus, and spaces for thought and process.
Elements of distraction and unnecessary visuals
should be removed. Elements that enhance
focus and encourage creativity should be
included. The environment must be flexible for
reconfi gurati on. Organi zati on must be
maintained in the space at all times.
Focus on alterations that flatten classroom
structure will enhance the positive emotional
experiences of teachers and students. All
members of the classroom ecosystem must be
able to access knowledge, learn from each
other, teach each other, feel valued as learners,
take responsibility for their learning, and hold
value in the knowledge they are gaining and
the experiences they are sharing with others.
Questions to consider when designing the
roles of people in the classroom to personalize
learning include:
What are the role of all members in a
classroom?
How is the space being deliberately
designed to support the roles of people in
the room?
How can the classroom focus more on
students and student choice?
How are you going to facilitate different
types of learning happening at one time in
the same room?
Where is the teachers desk?
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Where are the students focal points
directed?
There are many factors that affect how the
relationships and roles of the people in the
room are going to work and it is essential that
they are each evaluated for their physical and
emotional impacts on learning.
COMMUNICATION ::
Communication must have aspects that are
quanti tati ve, such as shared data and
standards, and qualitative, such as explanation
of why tasks are important, what will be gained
from lessons, and an understanding for the
expectations of product outcomes.
Modern methods of communication must be
employed to ensure clear expectations of
students, communication with families, and in
peer groups within the in the learning
ecosystem. Tools such as mobile applications
make regular communication to parents and
students viable on a mass scale.
Classroom communities will have to place a
premium on students and teachers asking
questions and finding answers. Modeling is key.
Some students will need direct instruction on
how t o ask quest i ons and addi t i onal
frameworks set up to help foster their student
to student interactions.
With reflection on the process, teachers can
design changes that will result in greater
accountability through increased knowledge.
Examples of changes that can be made are as
easy as putting lesson plans online or making a
student calendar that lists what reading,
assignments, and concepts are covered in a
unit.
Questi ons to consi der when desi gni ng
communication to personalize learning in the
classroom include ::
How are you managing communication in
your classroom?
How often are you communicating?
How is it effective ?
How can you make is more effective?
What tools are you going to use to simplify
this routine and create process?
The more simple, accessible, convenient,
frequent, and consistent the communication
process is between all members of the learning
ecosystem is, the greater success personalized
learning can have.
CONTENT DECENTRALIZATION ::
Adding supports and extension to classroom
content are the keys to making sure that
students have the information that is relevant
to their needs as learners. The process of
decentralizing content will require the teacher
to gradually release power until the teacher is
more of a coach, providing feedback and
pushback, getting students to improve the
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quality and depth of thought, writing, and
conversation over time (Pollock, et al., 2014).
By decentralizing content, students can help
t hemsel ves i nf or mal l y t o exper i ence
i nformati on and further thei r l earni ng.
Additionally, this provides the teacher with
seamless opportunities to address skill deficits
and provide extension for students who require
more information for deeper investigation of
content.
This can come in the form of office hours,
structured student study groups, cloud based
content resources, and student and teacher
curated wikis. Selecting several ways of
decentralizing content is the best way of
providing for the varying needs of different
learners.
Questions to consider when decentralizing
content to personalize learning in the
classroom include ::
Where does the content live?
Who has access to it?
When do they have access to it?
How is the content scaffolded to meet
student needs?
What tools are you using to share and curate
content?
The decentralization of content should provide
all members of the personalized learning
ecosystem, teachers and students, with
opportuni ti es for personal expl orati on,
engagement in peer to peer interaction, with
any necessary direct instruction being prepared
and delivered by varying members of the
community.
FEEDBACK ::
The key to effectively creating a personalized
learning ecosystem is providing students with
regular, varied and meaningful feedback that
promotes and pushes student growth.
Feedback must come from all members of the
classroom community and be facilitated
between all members of the classroom
community - student to student, student to
teacher, and teacher to student.
The process becomes natural once all
members of the classroom community have
learned to give and receive feedback. This
capacity can be built through students giving
feedback in peer groups and through self
reflection. Students can learn how to use
feedback to create positive growth in their
work.
Questi ons to consi der when desi gni ng
feedback methods to personalize learning in
the classroom include ::
How are you providing feedback?
How often are students getting feedback?
Who is providing it?
What tools are you using to manage
feedback?
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Feedback must be meaningful in that it can be
acted on, reflected on, and achievable, and it
must hold value within the community.
DATA AND EVALUATION ::
T h e l a s t k e y e l e me n t t o e f f e c t i v e
implementation of personalized learning in the
classroom is the ability to collect and show
documentation of the process of learning
through the shared collection of data and
evaluation.
It is key to capture the process from start to
finish, saving drafts, comments, conversations,
and revisions in a place that is accessible by
student, teacher, family and school leadership.
This can be accomplished through the
collection of artifacts of effective student
feedback, reflection and communication, and
other elements of qualitative data and
quantitative data including student project
portfolios, electronic folders taking screenshots
of student interactions on message boards.
Students must be included in this process and
understand the value of documenting their
learning over time. By involving students in the
collection of data and the process of evaluating
that data over time, ownership, agency, and
self-worth of students is increased.
Quantitative data is a part of most standard
classroom curriculums, and is still relevant to
personalized learning environments. Students
should have access to these measures, be
included in the design of evaluation metrics
and assignments, and in the evaluation
process.
Questions to consider when designing data
and evaluation methods to personalize learning
in the classroom include ::
What qualitative measure are you tracking?
What quanti tati ve measures are you
tracking?
Who has access to the data?
What tool s are you usi ng to track,
communicate and collect data?
Who is involved in the creation of evaluation
methods?
Ultimately, students deserve access to their
own data. If it is to mean anything at all, they
need to understand where they are at and
where they need to be, which will enable
teachers as facilitators to empower them to
take responsibility for their own learning and
continue to strengthen the the personalized
learning ecosystem.
CONCLUSION ::
When framing the way in which teaching and
learning will and can occur, we must remember
at the very root what it is that we are trying to
do.
Teach means to show how. You can teach
someone, or someone can teach you. Learn
means to find out about something. A person
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An Estuary - June 2014
must learn things for himself. Someone else
may teach him, but he must do the learning for
himself (Stoddard, 1952).
At the end of this current school year, a student
who participated in this framework wrote a
letter reflection on the experience.
He said, I didnt know that I was allowed to
have opinions and thoughts about so many
things. I have all these ideas that go through
my head and now I know I can think about
them and do something about them for
myself.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS ::
Mary Ellen Beaty-OFerrall, Ph.D, is an associate clinical
professor in the School of Education at Johns Hopkins
University. Her teaching and research focuses on literacy,
urban school partnerships, and service learning.
Sara Henschell is an urban educator in Baltimore City
focused on school reform. The current theory focus she is
exploring is individualized education and the tech tools
that can help effectively facilitate it. Currently, she teaches
Journalism, Advanced Placement Literature and a project-
based English remediation course and is dual-certified in
the state of Maryland to teach Secondary English and
Special Education.
Margaret Roth is the COO and of An Estuary. She is the
former Director of Operations for the Johns Hopkins
University Office of Experiential Education. Additionally,
Margaret is the Co-founder of EdTechWomen, organizer
of Edcamp Baltimore, and member of the Edcamp
Foundation Partners Program Committee.

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