Personalizing Learning
August 2019
Vol. 40 No. 4
The movement to personalize learning is growing. What does this mean for students and educators, and how is it changing professional learning? This issue tackles how to build educators’ capacity for personalizing to students’ needs and how teachers can benefit from experiencing personalization themselves.
In This Issue
FOCUS
Authors clarify what personalized learning is - and what it can do
In this issue of The Learning Professional, we embrace the current dialogue about what personalized learning is and can be to meet all students’ needs.
Make the most of the momentum
A review of the current personalized learning landscape illuminates the successes, challenges, and implications for professional learning.
Personalized learning in action
School districts in South Carolina and Ohio have strong visions for personalized teaching and learning that drive every decision.
What does personalized learning mean?
Five experts share their perspective on what it means to personalize learning for students and what role professional learning should play in these efforts.
What do educators think about personalized learning?
Infographic shows educators’ opinions and beliefs.
Tech unlocks teachers' capacity
Software is a teaching tool, not a teacher replacement.
Bridging the gap
A study reveals supports teachers need to move from understanding individualized learning to implementing it.
Student-led learning takes well-prepared educators
The Met school in Rhode Island is using improvement science to test changes that are small enough to learn from quickly but foundational to potentially larger solutions.
Students take ownership of learning
A pilot program in 18 Tennessee schools develops agency through competency-based education.
Want to personalize learning for students?
In Parkway School District in Missouri, leaders overcame bumps in the road to put educators in charge of their learning.
One vision, many paths
Personalized professional learning need not be individualized. Instead, it should blend teacher interests with a collective purpose.
What teachers need to reach at-risk students
Rodney Robinson, CCSSO teacher of the year, shares his insights and advice about how professional learning can support teachers of at-risk students.
Micro approach, major impact
With microcredentials, educators can tailor their learning to their specific needs.
TOOLS
Speak up for professional learning policy
Tell your story to advocate for professional learning.
Through the Lens
Many of the articles in this issue of The Learning Professional demonstrate Learning Forward’s Standards for Professional Learning in action.
IDEAS
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Tiered learning for teachers
Job-embedded support maximizes individual effectiveness while strengthening collective efficacy
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Microcredentials prepare all teachers to work with English learners
ExcEL Leadership Academy’s approach prepares general education teachers to work with English learners.
RESEARCH
Writing instruction study benefits from teachers' insights
Understanding both the specificity and generalizability of studies like this one helps build awareness about the benefits of professional learning.
Essentials
Recent reports on modernizing the teaching workforce, improving physics teaching, and rethinking “achievement gap” terminology.
VOICES
UPDATES
Recent Issues
RESILIENT LEADERSHIP
October 2019
For education leaders, stress and challenges are part of the job – but resilience can be, too. This issue highlights how professional learning enables leaders to manage stress, navigate competing priorities, and maintain focus on instructional leadership. Building resilient leadership helps everyone in schools thrive.
PERSONALIZING LEARNING
August 2019
The movement to personalize learning is growing. What does this mean for students and educators, and how is it changing professional learning? This issue tackles how to build educators’ capacity for personalizing to students’ needs and how teachers can benefit from experiencing personalization themselves.
LEARNING BETTER BY LEARNING TOGETHER
June 2019
Collaboration is at the heart of effective professional learning. But collaborative learning isn’t as straightforward as getting people together in a room. This issue highlights what makes true collaborative learning work and why we learn better when we learn together.
ENGLISH LEARNERS
April 2019
Nearly five million students come to U.S. schools speaking over 400 home languages. Are educators prepared to help them succeed? In this issue, experts share professional learning strategies for working more intentionally and inclusively to meet English learners’ needs.