Okay, so we're gonna dive into this idea of personalized
learning today. I think we've all heard that
term thrown around, especially when we're talking
about education. Oh yeah, absolutely. It's a
big buzzword these days. It is, it's a huge buzzword,
and it always sounds good in theory, but then
it's like, what does it actually look like in
a classroom? Right, it can be tricky. We're looking
at this piece by Gary Ackerman. He's a really
experienced educator. And he wrote this really
interesting article for hackscience .education.
And it's all about cutting through the jargon
and really getting to the heart of what personalized
learning can be. So we should start by just kind
of acknowledging, even Ackerman himself in the
piece, he's really frustrated with how much we
just. Flapped this term personalized learning
onto things without really changing much about
you know, the approach. Yeah, that's that's a
really good point I think that's something he's
trying to get us to think about like are we really
doing personalized learning or we just kind of
Putting a label on something that's already been
done exactly. And so he really breaks it down
Into these four types of personalized learning
and he says, you know Like the way to understand
the differences between these types is to ask
two key questions one is Who decides the product?
Okay. So meaning like, you know, what is the
student actually creating to show their learning?
Right. So the deliverable, like the thing they
make. Exactly. Yeah. And then the second question
is who decides the content? So what are they
actually, you know, learning about? Oh, that's
a really interesting way to break it down. I
like that. Yeah. So let's let's jump into the
first type that he talks about, which is critical
explorations. So this is where the teacher kind
of introduces a topic. OK, it could be a historical
event, a scientific concept, something like that.
And then basically says to the students are now
go find your own like point of entry, like your
own angle into this topic and explore. That's
cool. So it's like giving them a general area
and then saying, OK, you find your own passion
within that. Exactly. Yeah, find your own passion,
find your own little niche within this, and then
you're going to create something. OK. To show
you know what you've learned. And that could
be anything. That could be like a research paper.
It could be a podcast. Right. It could be a video.
It could be a piece of art. Like it's really
up to the student to decide how they want to
express their learning. Oh, I see. So it's really
personalized in the sense that like. Their expression
of it is unique to them. Yes, exactly And I think
that's so powerful because you're you're really
letting them connect with the material in a way
that's meaningful to them Yeah, it's not just
about memorizing facts. It's about you know,
actually digging in and making discoveries Yeah,
and then the second type is personal performance
projects personal performance projects, okay,
what's that? So this one is really interesting
because it takes student agency meaning the student's
ability to make choices about their learning.
It takes that to a whole other level because
in this case, the student is deciding both the
topic and the product. Oh, wow. So they're really
driving the whole thing. They are. They're driving
the whole thing. And so Ackerman gives the example
of maybe a student is really into coding, so
they decide they want to learn how to code, and
then their project is to create an app. Oh, wow.
That's cool. Right. Or maybe they were super
passionate about graphic design and they want
to build a website for a local nonprofit or something.
I see. So the key here is that the product should
be something that would actually be valuable
to a real world professional in that field. Oh,
that's interesting. So it's not just a fake project.
It's something that has real world application.
Exactly. And these projects are long term, too.
They span months. Wow. OK, so it's not just a
little week -long thing. No, no, they really
dive in and develop their skills over a longer
period of time. And I think that that's one of
the criticisms that Ackerman has about the way
we do things now, is that we're so focused on
standardized testing. Right. And it's like, how
do you actually show what you know and can do
on a standardized test? Yeah, you're just kind
of filling in bubbles. Right, exactly. And so
this leads us to his third type, which is alternatives
to tests alternatives to tests all right I like
that and this is a much broader category because
it basically encompasses any kind of project
-based learning that allows students to show
their understanding beyond a traditional test
so we're talking presentations videos okay models
even podcasts oh cool right like anything where
they can actually demonstrate their knowledge
and skills in a way that you know maybe plays
to their strengths or their learning style Yeah,
that makes a lot of sense because not everybody's
good at taking tests. I mean, I know I wasn't
the best test taker. Right. And that doesn't
mean you're not intelligent or you don't know
the material. It just means that you might need
a different way to express it. I see. And then
the fourth type is research papers. And this
one might sound a little bit more traditional.
OK. But there's a key element here that Ackerman
points out, which is student agency. So even
though the teacher might be You know setting
some parameters like maybe there's a specific
style guide They have to follow right the student
actually gets to choose their research question
Oh, that's cross is a really powerful thing because
they get to tap into their curiosity They get
to explore something they genuinely care about
and then they have to you know develop the skills
of like crafting an argument and presenting information
for a specific audience. Yeah, that's huge because
that's something you need no matter what you're
doing, whether you're writing a report for work
or presenting to your boss or whatever. That's
a really important skill. It is. It's super important.
And so looking at these four types, what's the
main takeaway that Ackerman wants us to get about
personalized learning? I think he's saying that
like, a lot of good teachers are already doing
a lot of this stuff. They might not be calling
it personalized learning, but they understand
that students need choice and they need to feel
like they have some ownership over their learning.
Exactly, and so it's not about following a rigid
formula or anything. It's really more of a philosophy.
It's a way of approaching teaching that puts
the learner at the center. That makes sense.
And I think understanding these four types kind
of gives us a framework for thinking about how
we can create those more effective, more engaging,
more meaningful learning experiences. Yeah. I
think that's really valuable. So here's a thought
for all of you listening out there. Think back
on your own education. OK. Can you spot examples
of these types of personalized learning? Did
you have a teacher who did something like this?
And if so, which one resonated with you the most
and why? Yeah, that's a great question to reflect
on. Right, because I think we can all learn something
from thinking about those experiences. Absolutely.
And maybe even advocate for those kinds of experiences
for our own kids or for ourselves, even if we're
continuing to learn. Yeah, I like that. So yeah,
thanks for joining us on this deep dive into
personalized learning. This was really interesting.
I'm glad. And we'll catch you next time. Sounds
good. See you.