WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.919 Okay, so we're gonna dive into this idea of personalized 00:00:03.919 --> 00:00:06.419 learning today. I think we've all heard that 00:00:06.419 --> 00:00:08.500 term thrown around, especially when we're talking 00:00:08.500 --> 00:00:12.080 about education. Oh yeah, absolutely. It's a 00:00:12.080 --> 00:00:14.380 big buzzword these days. It is, it's a huge buzzword, 00:00:14.859 --> 00:00:17.420 and it always sounds good in theory, but then 00:00:17.420 --> 00:00:19.899 it's like, what does it actually look like in 00:00:19.899 --> 00:00:24.350 a classroom? Right, it can be tricky. We're looking 00:00:24.350 --> 00:00:26.850 at this piece by Gary Ackerman. He's a really 00:00:26.850 --> 00:00:28.710 experienced educator. And he wrote this really 00:00:28.710 --> 00:00:30.989 interesting article for hackscience .education. 00:00:31.589 --> 00:00:35.869 And it's all about cutting through the jargon 00:00:35.869 --> 00:00:38.130 and really getting to the heart of what personalized 00:00:38.130 --> 00:00:41.229 learning can be. So we should start by just kind 00:00:41.229 --> 00:00:44.189 of acknowledging, even Ackerman himself in the 00:00:44.189 --> 00:00:46.869 piece, he's really frustrated with how much we 00:00:46.869 --> 00:00:49.079 just. Flapped this term personalized learning 00:00:49.079 --> 00:00:51.920 onto things without really changing much about 00:00:51.920 --> 00:00:53.840 you know, the approach. Yeah, that's that's a 00:00:53.840 --> 00:00:55.200 really good point I think that's something he's 00:00:55.200 --> 00:00:57.740 trying to get us to think about like are we really 00:00:57.740 --> 00:01:00.820 doing personalized learning or we just kind of 00:01:00.820 --> 00:01:02.659 Putting a label on something that's already been 00:01:02.659 --> 00:01:05.959 done exactly. And so he really breaks it down 00:01:05.959 --> 00:01:08.680 Into these four types of personalized learning 00:01:08.680 --> 00:01:10.879 and he says, you know Like the way to understand 00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:13.319 the differences between these types is to ask 00:01:13.319 --> 00:01:18.379 two key questions one is Who decides the product? 00:01:19.079 --> 00:01:20.900 Okay. So meaning like, you know, what is the 00:01:20.900 --> 00:01:23.420 student actually creating to show their learning? 00:01:23.519 --> 00:01:25.799 Right. So the deliverable, like the thing they 00:01:25.799 --> 00:01:27.780 make. Exactly. Yeah. And then the second question 00:01:27.780 --> 00:01:30.500 is who decides the content? So what are they 00:01:30.500 --> 00:01:33.200 actually, you know, learning about? Oh, that's 00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:34.840 a really interesting way to break it down. I 00:01:34.840 --> 00:01:37.040 like that. Yeah. So let's let's jump into the 00:01:37.040 --> 00:01:39.140 first type that he talks about, which is critical 00:01:39.140 --> 00:01:41.879 explorations. So this is where the teacher kind 00:01:41.879 --> 00:01:44.739 of introduces a topic. OK, it could be a historical 00:01:44.739 --> 00:01:47.019 event, a scientific concept, something like that. 00:01:47.099 --> 00:01:49.980 And then basically says to the students are now 00:01:49.980 --> 00:01:52.840 go find your own like point of entry, like your 00:01:52.840 --> 00:01:55.760 own angle into this topic and explore. That's 00:01:55.760 --> 00:01:57.599 cool. So it's like giving them a general area 00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:00.359 and then saying, OK, you find your own passion 00:02:00.359 --> 00:02:02.900 within that. Exactly. Yeah, find your own passion, 00:02:03.299 --> 00:02:05.200 find your own little niche within this, and then 00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:08.479 you're going to create something. OK. To show 00:02:08.479 --> 00:02:11.139 you know what you've learned. And that could 00:02:11.139 --> 00:02:13.240 be anything. That could be like a research paper. 00:02:13.319 --> 00:02:15.780 It could be a podcast. Right. It could be a video. 00:02:16.060 --> 00:02:18.539 It could be a piece of art. Like it's really 00:02:18.539 --> 00:02:20.840 up to the student to decide how they want to 00:02:20.840 --> 00:02:23.120 express their learning. Oh, I see. So it's really 00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:25.840 personalized in the sense that like. Their expression 00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:28.900 of it is unique to them. Yes, exactly And I think 00:02:28.900 --> 00:02:30.800 that's so powerful because you're you're really 00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:33.800 letting them connect with the material in a way 00:02:33.800 --> 00:02:35.740 that's meaningful to them Yeah, it's not just 00:02:35.740 --> 00:02:37.740 about memorizing facts. It's about you know, 00:02:37.939 --> 00:02:42.080 actually digging in and making discoveries Yeah, 00:02:42.099 --> 00:02:44.099 and then the second type is personal performance 00:02:44.099 --> 00:02:46.419 projects personal performance projects, okay, 00:02:46.520 --> 00:02:48.099 what's that? So this one is really interesting 00:02:48.099 --> 00:02:52.349 because it takes student agency meaning the student's 00:02:52.349 --> 00:02:54.270 ability to make choices about their learning. 00:02:54.370 --> 00:02:57.169 It takes that to a whole other level because 00:02:57.169 --> 00:03:00.610 in this case, the student is deciding both the 00:03:00.610 --> 00:03:03.210 topic and the product. Oh, wow. So they're really 00:03:03.210 --> 00:03:05.289 driving the whole thing. They are. They're driving 00:03:05.289 --> 00:03:07.650 the whole thing. And so Ackerman gives the example 00:03:07.650 --> 00:03:10.770 of maybe a student is really into coding, so 00:03:10.770 --> 00:03:12.930 they decide they want to learn how to code, and 00:03:12.930 --> 00:03:15.509 then their project is to create an app. Oh, wow. 00:03:15.569 --> 00:03:18.060 That's cool. Right. Or maybe they were super 00:03:18.060 --> 00:03:20.719 passionate about graphic design and they want 00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:23.080 to build a website for a local nonprofit or something. 00:03:23.259 --> 00:03:27.360 I see. So the key here is that the product should 00:03:27.360 --> 00:03:29.379 be something that would actually be valuable 00:03:29.379 --> 00:03:33.400 to a real world professional in that field. Oh, 00:03:33.400 --> 00:03:36.939 that's interesting. So it's not just a fake project. 00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:39.599 It's something that has real world application. 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:41.599 Exactly. And these projects are long term, too. 00:03:41.659 --> 00:03:44.020 They span months. Wow. OK, so it's not just a 00:03:44.020 --> 00:03:46.699 little week -long thing. No, no, they really 00:03:46.699 --> 00:03:49.639 dive in and develop their skills over a longer 00:03:49.639 --> 00:03:53.099 period of time. And I think that that's one of 00:03:53.099 --> 00:03:55.379 the criticisms that Ackerman has about the way 00:03:55.379 --> 00:03:57.879 we do things now, is that we're so focused on 00:03:57.879 --> 00:04:00.180 standardized testing. Right. And it's like, how 00:04:00.180 --> 00:04:02.860 do you actually show what you know and can do 00:04:02.860 --> 00:04:04.539 on a standardized test? Yeah, you're just kind 00:04:04.539 --> 00:04:07.240 of filling in bubbles. Right, exactly. And so 00:04:07.240 --> 00:04:11.000 this leads us to his third type, which is alternatives 00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:13.560 to tests alternatives to tests all right I like 00:04:13.560 --> 00:04:16.060 that and this is a much broader category because 00:04:16.060 --> 00:04:18.980 it basically encompasses any kind of project 00:04:18.980 --> 00:04:22.259 -based learning that allows students to show 00:04:22.259 --> 00:04:25.259 their understanding beyond a traditional test 00:04:25.259 --> 00:04:28.040 so we're talking presentations videos okay models 00:04:28.040 --> 00:04:31.399 even podcasts oh cool right like anything where 00:04:31.399 --> 00:04:33.560 they can actually demonstrate their knowledge 00:04:33.560 --> 00:04:36.540 and skills in a way that you know maybe plays 00:04:36.540 --> 00:04:38.699 to their strengths or their learning style Yeah, 00:04:38.699 --> 00:04:40.620 that makes a lot of sense because not everybody's 00:04:40.620 --> 00:04:43.259 good at taking tests. I mean, I know I wasn't 00:04:43.259 --> 00:04:45.279 the best test taker. Right. And that doesn't 00:04:45.279 --> 00:04:46.759 mean you're not intelligent or you don't know 00:04:46.759 --> 00:04:49.339 the material. It just means that you might need 00:04:49.339 --> 00:04:52.199 a different way to express it. I see. And then 00:04:52.199 --> 00:04:55.420 the fourth type is research papers. And this 00:04:55.420 --> 00:04:56.800 one might sound a little bit more traditional. 00:04:56.839 --> 00:05:00.560 OK. But there's a key element here that Ackerman 00:05:00.560 --> 00:05:03.620 points out, which is student agency. So even 00:05:03.620 --> 00:05:06.420 though the teacher might be You know setting 00:05:06.420 --> 00:05:08.300 some parameters like maybe there's a specific 00:05:08.300 --> 00:05:10.899 style guide They have to follow right the student 00:05:10.899 --> 00:05:13.199 actually gets to choose their research question 00:05:13.199 --> 00:05:15.540 Oh, that's cross is a really powerful thing because 00:05:15.540 --> 00:05:18.300 they get to tap into their curiosity They get 00:05:18.300 --> 00:05:20.839 to explore something they genuinely care about 00:05:20.839 --> 00:05:23.860 and then they have to you know develop the skills 00:05:23.860 --> 00:05:28.410 of like crafting an argument and presenting information 00:05:28.410 --> 00:05:31.129 for a specific audience. Yeah, that's huge because 00:05:31.129 --> 00:05:33.170 that's something you need no matter what you're 00:05:33.170 --> 00:05:36.050 doing, whether you're writing a report for work 00:05:36.050 --> 00:05:39.310 or presenting to your boss or whatever. That's 00:05:39.310 --> 00:05:42.189 a really important skill. It is. It's super important. 00:05:42.449 --> 00:05:47.230 And so looking at these four types, what's the 00:05:47.230 --> 00:05:49.970 main takeaway that Ackerman wants us to get about 00:05:49.970 --> 00:05:52.490 personalized learning? I think he's saying that 00:05:52.490 --> 00:05:55.240 like, a lot of good teachers are already doing 00:05:55.240 --> 00:05:57.100 a lot of this stuff. They might not be calling 00:05:57.100 --> 00:05:59.480 it personalized learning, but they understand 00:05:59.480 --> 00:06:01.939 that students need choice and they need to feel 00:06:01.939 --> 00:06:03.800 like they have some ownership over their learning. 00:06:04.180 --> 00:06:06.860 Exactly, and so it's not about following a rigid 00:06:06.860 --> 00:06:09.800 formula or anything. It's really more of a philosophy. 00:06:10.079 --> 00:06:12.699 It's a way of approaching teaching that puts 00:06:12.699 --> 00:06:15.000 the learner at the center. That makes sense. 00:06:15.180 --> 00:06:18.259 And I think understanding these four types kind 00:06:18.259 --> 00:06:21.339 of gives us a framework for thinking about how 00:06:21.339 --> 00:06:24.120 we can create those more effective, more engaging, 00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:27.199 more meaningful learning experiences. Yeah. I 00:06:27.199 --> 00:06:29.399 think that's really valuable. So here's a thought 00:06:29.399 --> 00:06:33.300 for all of you listening out there. Think back 00:06:33.300 --> 00:06:36.800 on your own education. OK. Can you spot examples 00:06:36.800 --> 00:06:40.490 of these types of personalized learning? Did 00:06:40.490 --> 00:06:42.550 you have a teacher who did something like this? 00:06:42.790 --> 00:06:45.129 And if so, which one resonated with you the most 00:06:45.129 --> 00:06:48.250 and why? Yeah, that's a great question to reflect 00:06:48.250 --> 00:06:50.350 on. Right, because I think we can all learn something 00:06:50.350 --> 00:06:52.529 from thinking about those experiences. Absolutely. 00:06:52.649 --> 00:06:55.610 And maybe even advocate for those kinds of experiences 00:06:55.610 --> 00:06:59.069 for our own kids or for ourselves, even if we're 00:06:59.069 --> 00:07:01.889 continuing to learn. Yeah, I like that. So yeah, 00:07:01.889 --> 00:07:03.790 thanks for joining us on this deep dive into 00:07:03.790 --> 00:07:05.310 personalized learning. This was really interesting. 00:07:05.329 --> 00:07:08.110 I'm glad. And we'll catch you next time. Sounds 00:07:08.110 --> 00:07:09.269 good. See you.