Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Foreword

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Introduction

Chapter 1: Making the Case for Personalized Learning

Disconnect between Traditional School and Preparation for a

Postsecondary World

The Power of a Student-Driven Model

Contemporary Issues of Control

Personalized Learning Evolution

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

Works Cited

Chapter 2: The Aims of Contemporary Schooling

Element 1: Disciplinary Outcomes

Element 2: Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes

Element 3: Mindsets

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

Works Cited

Chapter 3: The Design of a Student-Driven Learning Experience

Element 4: Task

Element 5: Audience

Element 6: Feedback

Element 7: Evaluation

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

Works Cited

Chapter 4: Tasks That Demonstrate Personalized Learning Evolution

in Practice

Inspiration for Task Designs

How the Role of the Teacher Shifts

How the Role of the Student Shifts

Needed Systems and Supports beyond the Classroom

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

Work Cited

Chapter 5: What Personalized Learning Looks Like at the

Instructional Level

Element 8: Process

Element 9: Environment

A Day-in-the-Life Narrative

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

Work Cited

Chapter 6: What Personalized Learning Looks Like at the Systems

Level

Element 10: Demonstration of Learning

Element 11: Time

Element 12: Advancement

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

Works Cited

Chapter 7: Leading the Change for Personalized Learning

Clearly Articulating and Creating Urgency for Personalized

Learning (the “Why”)

Giving Back the Work to Teachers (the “How”)

Managing Change as It Is Occurring (the “What”)

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

Works Cited

The Conclusion of the Era of “One-Size-Fits-All Schooling”

Appendix A: Additional Resources for Chapters 1–3

What Is Personalized Learning?

Development of Disciplinary Outcomes

Development of Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes

Five Steps to Develop Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes

Connecting Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes and Task Frames “by

Design”

Strategies and Tools to Support Growth and Development in

Metacognition

Strategies and Tools to Support Growth and Development in

Questioning

Mindsets: What Motivates Students to Meet a Challenge?

Works Cited

Appendix B: Additional Resources for Chapter 4

Templates and Illustrative Examples to Generate Ideas

Generating a Task Frame Based on an Illustrative Example:

Commentary on “Butterfly Story” by Michael Fisher

Generating a Task Frame Based on an Illustrative Example: Laws

of Motion by Scott Houston, an Aveson Physics Teacher/Advisor

in California

My Vision-to-Action Project Planner

Appendix C: Additional Resources for Chapters 5 and 6

Sample of Developing Unit or Project Ideas from an Intersection of

Theme and Topic

Day-in-the-Life Examples for Middle School and High School

Student-Driven Project Model

Appendix D: Additional Resources for Chapter 7

Index

End User License Agreement

List of Illustrations

Figure 1.1

Figure 1.2

Figure 5.1

Figure 7.1

Figure 7.2

Figure AC.1

List of Tables

Table 1.1

Table 1.2

Table 2.1

Table 2.2

Table 2.3

Table 2.4

Table 2.5

Table 2.6

Table 2.7

Table 3.1

Table 3.2

Table 3.3

Table 3.4

Table 4.1

Table 4.2

Table 4.3

Table 4.4

Table 4.5

Table 4.6

Table 4.7

Table 4.8

Table 4.9

Table 4.10

Table 4.11

Table 4.12

Table 4.13

Table 5.1

Table 5.2

Table 5.3

Table 5.4

Table 5.6

Table 5.7

Table 5.5

Table 5.8

Table 6.1

Table 6.2

Table 6.3

Table 6.4

Table 6.5

Table 6.6

Table 7.1

Table AA.1

Table AA.2

Table AA.3

Table AA.4

Table AB.1

Table AB.2

Table AB.3

Table AB.4

Table AB.5

Table AC.1

Table AC.2

Table AD.1

Table AD.2

Praise for Learning Personalized

“Everyone talks about personalization as a goal but few people have

visualized what it can realistically mean. Allison Zmuda, Diane

Ullman, and Greg Curtis have done a masterful job of helping us

move beyond platitudes toward schooling that really honors learners’

right to a personalized education.”

—Grant Wiggins, president, Authentic Education

“This important book helps educators go beyond ‘personalized

learning’ as a buzzword to make it a reality in every classroom. An

essential tool for every teacher.”

—Tony Wagner, author of The Global Achievement Gap and Creating Innovators

“What a timely book! Educators are struggling with how to make a

jump from the more traditional curriculum to one that fosters

innovation, collaboration, and rigorous thinking. The authors offer

practical strategies, case studies, and numerous charts to help

teachers make that transition.”

—Bena Kallick, educational consultant; cofounder and director, Institute for Habits of Mind

“In the 21st Century, every student needs to be self-directed and self-

managed. That’s why the time for ‘personalized learning’ has finally

come. Unfortunately, people use the phrase ‘personalized learning’

without having a common understanding of its elements and

milestones. My suggestion: Do not use this term again until you read

this book!”

—Ken Kay, chief executive officer, EdLeader21; founding president, Partnership for 21st Century Skills; coauthor, with Valerie Greenhill, of The Leader’s Guide to 21st Century Education: 7 Steps for Schools and Districts

“For educators who want to invest in personalized learning to more

deeply engage and challenge students, this book offers a balanced

overview of the terrain, as well as clear and helpful definitions,

structures, and strategies. It rejects the all-or-nothing dichotomy of

individualized versus collaborative learning and shares multiple

pathways for personalized learning to be woven into the fabric of

schools.”

—Ron Berger, chief academic officer, Expeditionary Learning

LEARNING PERSONALIZED

The Evolution of the Contemporary Classroom

Allison Zmuda

Greg Curtis

Diane Ullman

Foreword by Heidi Hayes Jacobs

Cover image: © iStockphoto/perepelova

Cover design: Lauryn Tom

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FIRST EDITION

To Jay McTighe—a connector of people and ideas. You open the door and show the vision of what schools can be and welcome people to join you in that pursuit.

Foreword

A learning rush of digital media and global access is seeping into our

classrooms, bringing remarkable possibilities and genuine challenges.

Certainly most teachers and school leadership are attempting to adjust to the reality that this is a new time requiring new approaches. Yet, without doubt, it is our learners who have already made the transition and in

many ways are actually waiting for school to catch up with them.

It seems reasonable to assume that educators throughout the world

acknowledge that our teaching approaches are in need of an upgrade.

Curriculum and assessment design must reflect contemporary choices if

they are to be relevant; otherwise, our students are mired in the past. The question is, How do we make a shift that is responsive to new kinds of

learning?

Personalized learning is a viable and dynamic answer. As a burgeoning

field of practice, personalized learning has also been in need of

operational definition. The term personalized learning has been used perhaps too broadly to cover a whole host of strategies and values. You

have in your hands a book providing the very definition we need.

Learning Personalized: The Evolution of a Contemporary Classroom

provides clarity, insight, and direction for educators committed to

implementing programs that engage students in directing their own

learning. Three exceptionally talented and experienced educators, Allison Zmuda, Greg Curtis, and Diane Ullman, have collaborated brilliantly in

generating new concepts that can inform our actions.

They begin the book with a logical and provocative case for employing

personalized learning as an antidote to the inherent boredom of

disengaged learners. What is more, they have generated a genuine

breakthrough in their detailed analysis of differentiated instruction,

individualized instruction, and personalized learning. By extracting the

distinctions between these three concepts and the significant implications for implementation of each, the authors have contributed to program

decision making. As readers, we see what is possible when learners

become self-navigators in determining problems for investigation and

projects.

With the potential of becoming a curriculum classic, the authors’ design model is based on six elements: disciplinary outcomes, cross-disciplinary outcomes, mindsets, task design, audience, and feedback. They detail

how each of these elements “evolves” from the old-style teacher

determined and controlled to student-driven direction with the

thoughtful guidance of teachers. Strategies and essential questions to

garner creative input and involvement are laced throughout the chapters.

It is here that we see a genuine revolution afoot.

The questions the authors ask us to pose when designing tasks will

directly engage learners in determining demonstrations of their own

learning: What is the challenge? Who is the audience? How does that

affect communication? How do students use feedback? What is more, they lay out how the implementation of this design model can and should

shift the roles of teacher and student. There is emerging and refreshed

pedagogy on these pages.

Grounded in the reality of school life, the authors have provided

abundant examples of effective personalized learning. Whether it is a unit on the laws of motion in a physics class or primary-level children

researching different types of insects, the revision to personalization is clearly illustrated with specificity. The implications for instructional

strategies and delivery are examined through the elements of

environment and process with insightful “day-in-the-life” narratives. Not only in the curriculum and instruction chapters of the book but

throughout is the extensive use of accessible tables to quickly inform the reader about the critical points regarding practice. These charts are

anchors in particular as the authors ask us to consider the big picture of implementing on the school and district levels.

In a very real sense, the authors are asking institutions to shift

significantly to sustain personalized learning beyond the initial euphoria and excitement of a genuinely new direction for education. Central to the examination of the challenges of this new movement is the critical

chapter of the book focused on personalized learning on the systems

level. The issues of how to liberate teachers and support their roles in

shaping learning are akin to the issues raised about our students. In a

very real way, a school needs to undertake its own form of personalized

learning as an institution. It is why the concluding section resonates as

“the end of one-size-fits-all schooling.” Inspired and insightful, Learning

Personalized: The Evolution of a Contemporary Classroom supports the evolution of the individual educator and the learning organization

committed to breaking new ground for now and the future.

January, 2015

Heidi Hayes Jacobs

Heidi Hayes Jacobs has served as an education consultant to thousands of schools nationally and internationally. She works with a wide range of educational organizations, schools, and districts K–12 on issues and practices pertaining to curriculum mapping, digital media

learning, vertical alignment, and modernizing school programs.

Acknowledgments

This work not only represented the collaboration of the three authors but also was greatly informed by our friends and colleagues who took the

time to provide feedback and offer contributions. Our heartfelt thanks to Marie Alcock

Christine Loughlin

Mary Kay Babyak

Tom March

Kate Bean

Janelle McGann

Peyton Brick

Erin McMahon

Sebastian Cognetta

Allison Rodman

Linda Croushore

Donna Rusack

Kathleen Cushman

Jill Thompson

Susan Epstein

Grant Wiggins

Michael Fisher

Chris Winters

Edward Fuhrman

Paul Wright

Lorena Kelly

Cuda Zmuda

Robert Kuklis

Zoe Zmuda

David Loertscher

Special thanks to our thought partners who were a sounding board

throughout the development of the manuscript: Jay McTighe, Grant

Wiggins, Michael Fisher, Marie Alcock, Lorena Kelly, and Jill Thompson.

Larry Schaefer, Janet Garagliano, and the Connecticut Association of

Public School Superintendents collaborated with two of the authors to

propose state policy in support of personalized learning. We also had the good fortune of working as thought partners with staff who tested out key elements in the book and refined our thinking as well as offered quality

examples: Avon Public Schools, Connecticut; Charlotte-Mecklenberg

School District, North Carolina; Learn4Life Charter Schools, California;

Newport News Public Schools, Virginia; Prosper Independent School

District, Texas; and ThunderRidge High School, Colorado. Aveson

Charter School students and staff, who are already doing so much of what we described here, opened their doors to one of the authors to see what

daily work can look like in a student-centered model; they continue to

evolve based on ideas in the book.

We also want to acknowledge Susan Epstein and Donna Rusack for their

attention to detail in service to the bigger picture.

Thank you to Heidi Hayes Jacobs for writing our foreword; you have been

an education visionary for decades, and we are grateful that you see the

promise of this book as a clear framework for personalized learning.

We appreciate the expertise of the staff at Jossey-Bass/Wiley, most

notably Kate Gagnon, Tracy Gallagher, and Robin Lloyd. Your direction

and helpful feedback kept us on schedule and added tremendous value to

the collaborative process.

Finally, thanks to our families, who endured and supported countless

hours of crafting, tweaking, and agitating: Tom, Cuda, and Zoe Zmuda;

Cindy, Ethan, and Max Curtis; Peter, Rebecca, Steve, and Sarah Ullman.

About the Authors

Allison Zmuda is an author and independent consultant based in

Virginia who works with schools and districts to create dynamic learning

environments for like-minded educators, parents, and kids. Allison

received her undergraduate degree at Yale University and graduated with

her teaching certification. She then became a public high school social

studies teacher for eight years and earned National Board Teaching

Certification during that time. Allison went directly from the classroom to being a consultant and author. She collaborates with school staff on

curriculum assessment and instructional practices to make learning more

purposeful, relevant, and engaging for students. She has written seven

books, most notably The Competent Classroom (2001), Transforming Schools (2004), and Breaking Free from Myths about Teaching and Learning (2010). Her latest project is the founding and curating of a website, learningpersonalized.com—a community where students, parents, and educators can view blog posts, share stories, contribute

resources, and pose questions for further discussion. Allison can be

reached at zmuda@competentclassroom.com. Her Twitter handle is

compclass.

Greg Curtis is an author and independent consultant. He is currently based in Beijing and has spent much of his career working with

international schools around the world. He began his teaching career in

Canada, receiving his teaching degree at Queen’s University (Kingston,

Ontario) and his postgraduate degree at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (University of Toronto). Greg has been a technology

director, a curriculum and professional learning director, and a strategic planner for schools in Europe and Asia. He currently works with such

organizations as EdLeader21 and New England Association of Schools

and Colleges, and with several schools around the world. The focus of this work is on long-term, systems-based change in schools and districts,

starting with futures visioning and the alignment of all systems with a

forward-looking mission focused on powerful impacts for students. He is

currently cowriting a book with Jay McTighe on this process for

education reform. He can be reached at http://gregcurtis-consulting.ca.

Diane Ullman, PhD, has been an educator for forty years, as a

classroom teacher, principal, and superintendent. She served as chief talent officer at the Connecticut State Department of Education and as

director of the principal preparation program at the Neag School of

Education at the University of Connecticut. Diane is now senior director

at the District Management Council, a Boston-based consulting firm that

partners with public school district leaders to improve student outcomes.

Diane loves to travel and has worked with schools and organizations

abroad (China, Nepal, Africa, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Guatemala) to

improve principal preparation, teacher effectiveness, and student

learning, and she is currently working with the Queen Rania Teacher

Academy in Amman, Jordan. She is vice chair of the NEASC Commission

on American and International Schools Abroad. Diane earned her PhD at

the University of Colorado in Boulder, her MA at Northeastern University

in Boston, and her undergraduate degree at Regis College in Weston,

Massachusetts.

Introduction

Learning between grown-ups and kids should be reciprocal. The

reality, unfortunately, is a little different, and it has a lot to do with trust, or a lack of it Kids need opportunities to lead and succeed. Are

you ready to make the match? Because the world’s problems shouldn’t

be the human family’s heirloom.

—Adora Svitack, age twelve (excerpt from her TED Talk)

Imagine a student you know and care about. Imagine that student

bubbling over with excitement about what she is doing in school. How

she can’t wait to tell you the latest details of how she spent her day.

Notice how she buries herself in her work, which spills over into every

aspect of her life. Notice how it becomes the lens through which she sees the world, how it brings urgent questions, wonderings, and insights into

her thinking.

Imagine a teacher who walks into the classroom filled with energy for the day ahead, a teacher who can’t wait for students to walk through the door so that they can resume the learning journey, a teacher who moves from

group to group, individual to individual eager to hear the latest in her

students’ thinking and see their progress. This is a classroom where

learning is personalized; where students learn that they are powerful

forces in their environment and where teachers see their work as a

fascinating collaboration with students; where students learn to become

competent, knowledgeable, and compassionate individuals and where

teachers rediscover the excitement that comes from unleashing human

potential.

Learning Personalized: The Evolution of a Contemporary Classroom

offers guidance for educators eager to begin the evolution to personalized learning. Certainly personalized learning is not a new idea, but many

contemporary leaders are embracing this model in conjunction with

technology purchases and policies that render “anytime, anywhere

learning” an attainable reality. The power of personalized learning stems from the integrated approach and commitment to disciplinary, cross-disciplinary, and mindset development for our students. These are not

separate goals, nor do they represent a hierarchy. None are simply “nice

to haves”: they are integrally tied to achievement in the twenty-first century, and each contributes to a richer notion of success in learning and in life. They are not just connected; they are inseparable.

In chapter 1 of this book, we make the case for personalized learning by

discussing the disconnect between traditional school and postsecondary

life and the level of customization that our children have grown up with

and expect from the organizations they frequent. We then define and

clarify our conception of personalized learning in relation to other design models and debates on what personalized learning is and isn’t. Finally,

we introduce a framework for the design of a student-centered learning

experience that is the organizing structure for the remainder of the book.

In chapter 2, we describe the goals of contemporary schooling:

disciplinary outcomes (based on established local, state, or national

standards) as well as key cross-disciplinary outcomes and academic and

behavioral mindsets.

In chapter 3, we focus on the task design elements: task, audience,

feedback, and evaluation to produce work worthy of accomplishment.

In chapter 4, we share illustrative examples and ideas to make a shift to greater student-driven learning an accessible idea with the resources you have on hand. We also describe how the roles of teachers and students

shift with personalized learning. When we expect students to move from

a passive to an active role, teaching, too, needs to adapt, such that

student-teacher partnerships cocreate learning experiences through the

design of authentic problems, projects, and possibilities that can impact the broader community.

In chapters 5 and 6, we explore key elements on the classroom and

system levels that also evolve to support a student-driven model: process, environment, assessment of learning, time, and advancement. A

personalized learning system transforms schooling by providing voice and choice on what, where, and how students learn in relation to

disciplinary and cross-disciplinary outcomes.

In chapter 7, we talk about personalized learning as an adaptive change,

fraught with conflict, uncertainty, excitement, possibility, or some

combination of these—depending on your perspective and your vision of

the broader aim of schooling. For leaders to navigate through this change, we encourage collectively articulating a vision for a better school and

giving the work back to teachers to figure out how to realize that vision.

The text, illustrative examples, and reflective questions throughout this book are designed with you, the reader, in mind regardless of your level of familiarity or experience with personalized learning. We want to create a guiding set of elements to initiate collective conversations in which

students are no longer bystanders in their own education. As a reader, all you need to do is start—the evolution and implications may seem

daunting at times, but we believe that the successes you and your

students will experience will also make it an exciting and rewarding

journey.

Chapter 1

Making the Case for Personalized Learning

I’m constantly going through the motions down a path that has been

chosen for me by others. When is it going to be my turn?

—Grade 7 student

From a typical student’s point of view, schooling is a series of required experiences. Students move from one topic to another, one classroom to

another, one grade to another as part of a larger design to accomplish…

what, exactly? As educators, we typically spend most of our time focusing on what is covered and how it is delivered. We, and the systems that

guide us, tend to reduce and compartmentalize learning into a linear,

step-by-step process. We break standards or topics down into small parts

and hope that if we simply move through the components of our design,

students will master the material. The result? Students experience

sanitized assignments designed more for efficiency than for deep

learning. Students move through the pacing guide we establish for them,

despite the reality that different people learn at different rates and in different ways. They grow accustomed to their role as compliant,

“direction-following” learners who arrive at a predictable response rather than confront messy problems fraught with ambiguity, complexity, and

unknown answers. Rather than simply moving through school as

consumers of a lockstep system of lessons, units, courses, and grades,

every student needs to be invested in his learning—to see school and learning as a way of acting on his interests and passions.

Disconnect between Traditional School and

Preparation for a Postsecondary World

There is a disconnect between the traditional school model and the

challenges and opportunities of today’s world. How do we

reconceptualize learning to move beyond passive student roles of

recording and recalling, because the world beyond the school walls

demands adaptive, creative problem solvers? How do we reconceptualize

teaching to move beyond a “sage on the stage” mentality, because

knowledge is no longer scarce? Heidi Hayes Jacobs frames the problem this way in her book, Leading the New Literacies: “Breaking through the barriers of a 19th century schedule with a 20th century curriculum

designed for 21st century learners will be inherently uncomfortable. Just because we are used to something does not mean we should be

comfortable with it. Education is disruptive” (5). We can reconceptualize learning if we move from a compliance-oriented structure to a passion-filled learning structure; if learners are intrinsically committed to a given topic, problem, or profession, they will learn. Many educators talk about the bigger picture, but they do it in the language of “someday” rather than

“right now.” Students deserve clarity on the long-term aims of school—

Why do I have to do this?— and how those aims are connected to challenges in the world. When we defer their dreams to a couple of years

down the road, most students (and adults) struggle to stay engaged. We

have a structural design problem that can be ameliorated by empowering

ourselves and our students to navigate problems, discern truth, create

texts, contribute knowledge, and become invested in community and

global problems. We can do this by

Designing customized learning experiences around what learner(s)

are fascinated by, rather than marching through predetermined topics

and texts

Creating a collaborative classroom and school culture where students

own the learning process because they set a goal, do the work, seek out feedback, improve their performance, and document their

accomplishments

Breaking down traditional classroom walls to connect learners to

experts and audiences far beyond the schoolhouse door

Increasing our focus on contemporary literacies (digital, media, and

global) and ways to work (social production, social networks, media

grids, semantic web, nonlinear learning), integrating them into our

design and instructional practices

Persisting when obstacles interfere with progress and providing

additional time to produce quality work

The Power of a Student-Driven Model

We propose the following as a definition of personalized learning: Personalized learning is a progressively student-driven model in which students deeply engage in meaningful, authentic, and rigorous

challenges to demonstrate desired outcomes.

Our major premise is twofold, and it guides the structure of this book:

personalized learning is a better way to attain current learning outcomes, and personalized learning is a better way to grow children.

Personalized learning is a better way to attain current

learning outcomes. We’re well aware that teachers and schools are

surrounded by a host of expectations focused on attaining content.

This is reality; we can’t wish it away. We simply start with the premise

that personalized learning is a sound and effective way to learn.

Compared to the outdated approaches of transmission, retention, and

recall, personalized learning allows for deeper, more lasting learning

in an engaging and relevant environment. But personalization is not

just a better mousetrap to achieve the same goals as past models of

teaching and learning, nor is it simply a new delivery vehicle that

achieves the same goals.

Personalized learning is a better way to grow children. We

believe that education must strive to achieve more transformational

outcomes alongside the achievement of existing or more traditional ones. We don’t teach subjects—we teach children and young adults.

Personalized learning is the best way we know to grow these people

into the best versions of themselves, with all of the skills and mindsets needed to succeed and contribute to our shared future.

Personalized learning has deep roots in education. Susan Yonezawa,

Larry McClure, and Makeba Jones trace the concept back to the 1700s,

when Jean-Jacques Rousseau advocated for schools that “built on

individual capacities and choices to capitalize on inherent motivations”

(4). In the early 1900s, John Dewey “promoted the idea of building on

students’ interests and incorporating outside experiences to meet

students’ individual needs” (Yonezawa et al. 4). In 1919, inspired by the progressive ideology of John Dewey and Maria Montessori, Helen

Parkhurst developed the Dalton Plan, a new model of schooling designed

to tailor each student’s program to her needs, interests, and abilities; to promote both independence and dependability; and to enhance the

student’s social skills and sense of responsibility toward others. She published Education on the Dalton Plan to describe her idea to address significant structural and policy school challenges: “Not until school

machinery is reorganized and the energies of the pupils released from the time-table and the class-tent will they begin to develop that initiative, resourcefulness, and concentration which are the indispensable

preliminaries to the process of learning.” This model became the basis of the Dalton School and was embraced by many Montessori schools around

the world. In the 1980s, Theodore Sizer launched the Coalition of

Essential Schools predicated on nine common principles: learn to use

one’s mind well; less is more, depth over coverage; goals apply to all

students through personalization (creating smaller classrooms); student-

as-worker, teacher-as-coach; demonstration of mastery through

performance on real tasks; a tone of decency and trust; commitment to

the entire school; resources dedicated to teaching and learning; and

democracy and equity. In an issue of Education Leadership devoted to the theme of personalized learning, Sizer promotes his vision of a very

different secondary education grounded in freedom and cooperation: “At

its heart, ‘personalization’ implies a profoundly different way of defining formal education. What is here is not the delivery of standard

instructional services. Rather, it is the insistent coaxing out of each child on his or her best terms of profoundly important intellectual habits and

tools for enriching a democratic society, habits and tools that provide

each individual with the substance and skills to survive well in a rapidly changing culture and economy…It can be done. It is being done, however

against the traditional grain.” As educators, we cannot design

instructional experiences regardless of who the students are; they are vital and relevant to the creation process.

Personalized learning has become popularized of late for many reasons,

most notably proliferation of technology to create shared networking

platforms, a documented and pervasive lack of student engagement,

significant changes in the global economy, an abundance of information,

and an increased desire to care about something much larger than

oneself. In 2010, a national symposium was hosted by the Software &

Information Industry Association, ASCD, and CCSSO on “the need for the

systemic redesign of our K–12 education system to one that is centered

on the personalized learning needs of each student” (Wolf 5). Three

assumptions were confirmed in the report (6):

Today’s industrial-age, assembly-line educational model—based on fixed time, place, curriculum, and pace—is insufficient in today’s

society and knowledge-based economy. Our education system must

be fundamentally reengineered from a mass production, teaching

model to a student-centered, customized learning model to address

both the diversity of students’ backgrounds and needs as well as our

higher expectations for all students.

Educational equity is not simply about equal access and inputs, but

ensuring that a student’s educational path, curriculum, instruction,

and schedule be personalized to meet her unique needs, inside and

outside school. Educational equity meets each child where she is and

helps her achieve her potential through a wide range of resources and

strategies appropriate for her learning style, abilities, and interests,

as well as her social, emotional, and physical situation.

Personalized learning requires not only a shift in the design of

schooling but also a leveraging of modern technologies.

Personalization cannot take place at scale without technology.

Personalized learning is enabled by smart e-learning systems, which

help dynamically track and manage the learning needs of all

students, and provide a platform to access myriad engaging learning

content, resources and learning opportunities needed to meet each

student’s needs everywhere at anytime, but which are not all

available within the four walls of the traditional classroom.

What remains timeless is meeting students where they are and growing

their capacities in a way that is respectful and inclusive of their voices, aspirations, and interests. That also is why personalized learning is a bit amorphous—it sounds very similar to other delivery models that tailor or

customize for the student.

See table 1.1 to compare personalized learning with other delivery models that you may be more familiar with: individualization and differentiation.

Table 1.1 Distinctions between Personalized Learning, Individualization, and Differentiation

Delivery Model

How Student

Teacher’s Illustrative

Owns the

Role

Examples

Learning

Experience

Personalized

Student actively

Teacher

Student

Learning

pursues

facilitates

develops and

authentic,

learning

uses playlists

complex

through

(e.g., curation of

problems that

questions,

texts,

inspire

conferences,

experiences) to

cocreation in the and

inform.

inquiry, analysis, feedback.

Student leads

and final

teacher-parent

product.

conferences to

evaluate

performance

and determine

next steps.

Student moves

through

learning

experiences at

his own pace to

demonstrate

desired

outcomes or

competencies in

ways designed

by him.

Individualization Student controls Teacher

Teacher

the pace of the

drives

develops

topic as well as

instruction

playlists.

when to

through

Teacher assigns

demonstrate

teacher-

or student

mastery.

created

independently

tasks and

uses a digital

related

tool to focus on

lesson

fluency (e.g.,

plans.

Khan Academy).

Teacher assigns

online

independent

study or

intervention

program (e.g.,

Dreambox or

Compass

Learning).

Differentiation

Student assesses Teacher

Teacher creates

and chooses

tailors

literature circles

instruction

instruction

around different

around content,

based on

texts but same

process, product, individual

theme.

and learning

student

Student

environment.

need and

develops a

preference

learning

contract with

the teacher.

Teacher

develops choice

board or menu

to provide

student choice.

Individualization. The student is in charge of the pacing rather than the content or product. Students can replay videos, take practice problems or questions, and receive instant feedback on their work. Individualization

typically uses technology to provide a self-paced instructional path for a given topic. Personalized learning, in contrast, requires students to take charge of not only the pace but also the nature of the challenge itself and the active direction they take. Engagement does not come from how

quickly a student races through the material; it comes from how relevant, interesting, and worthy the topic is.

Differentiation. Differentiation requires teachers to tailor content, process, product, and/or the learning environment for individual

students in the classroom to make it more likely that each student will succeed. Carol Tomlinson describes the hallmark of differentiated

classrooms: “teachers begin where students are, not the front of a

curriculum guide. They accept and build upon the premise that learners

differ in important ways” (2). Personalized learning has students envision the investigation, idea, or challenge, and allows them to have a significant influence on the “what” and the “how.” The larger aims of a given course

or program are fixed, but the content of the exploration is shaped by the individual tasks.

Many secondary and postsecondary schools are designing blended

learning experiences. The Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Education (“Blended Learning Model Definitions”) describes blended

learning by referring to its three core attributes: “(1) at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time,

place, path, and/or pace; (2) at least in part in a supervised brick-and-

mortar location away from home; (3) and the modalities along each

student’s learning path within a course or subject are connected to

provide an integrated learning experience.” Typically, blended learning is implemented through a rotation model (regular combination of online

learning, small-group teaching, and individual conferences); a flex model (individually customized to the student, where online learning is the

primary delivery structure); an à la carte model (online courses that

students can take to supplement a traditional course model); or an

enriched virtual model (primarily an online learning model, where

students appear infrequently on campus). Although blended learning can

be a component of any of the three delivery models we’ve explored here,

it does not, in itself, equal personalized learning. This is a classic example of confusing ends and means. Blended learning is a vehicle. It is an approach that can help us achieve something. It can liberate us from

using the classroom as a delivery platform and allow us to engage in

other, deeper learning enterprises. But, by itself, blended learning is not personalized. In fact, it can be a delivery platform for very standardized

“box sets” of learning content and assessments. This is true whether we’re speaking of Khan Academy modules or the growing sources of massive

open online courses (MOOCs). These are very standardized content

packages delivered to a crowd of largely faceless consumers via the web.

It is in how students and teachers use blended learning as a contributor to (and not synonymous with) a personalized learning approach that is

important.

If blended learning allows us, in its simplest form, to remove a certain

amount of content transmission and skills practice from the classroom,

how can it change our face-to-face interaction to support personalized

learning? This idea is much bigger than education technology products

and platforms, which are marketed promising “customization.” Although

we agree that technology is a powerful tool to aid in the consumption and production of knowledge, it is not a substitute for the deep thinking,

problem solving, and reflection that are at the heart of every powerful

learning environment.

Contemporary Issues of Control

In the effort to improve student achievement, we have pushed the

existing system of schools into hyperdrive, asking students and staff to

work at a speed that negatively affects learning in the long run. Despite intentions to ensure that all learners can be successful, educators seem to be working harder than ever but accomplishing less, while students seem

to be more disengaged than ever but longing for more. Peter Greene, self-

proclaimed “grumpy old teacher trying to keep up the good classroom

fight in the new age of reformy stuff,” surmised: “Every educated person

needs—and deserves—an education that is built around the student.

Everything else must be open to discussion.” The real issue centers

around control: who sets the parameters (for example, inquiry, pace,

process, product, quality) of the learning experience. Figure 1.1 offers a simple continuum: the far left side represents a teacher-directed, wholly prescribed learning experience; the far right side is a student-initiated and designed experience that is not bound by established standards and

outcomes.

Figure 1.1 Who Controls the Experience?

On one end of the personalized learning spectrum is the power of the

student to shape the learning experience. Education journalist Valerie

Strauss of the Washington Post featured Sam Levin, the founder of the Independent Project at a public high school in western Massachusetts

where eight students experimented with full autonomy to design their school experience. Levin advocates for “a blank sheet that says

curriculum at the top.” Will Richardson pushes the conversation to be

more in line with other institutions that have been revolutionized by the role of the consumer and citizen who demands responsiveness. In a blog

post titled “‘Our’ Curriculum vs. ‘Their’ Curriculum,” he rails against an

“institutional curriculum [that] almost necessarily denies students agency over their own learning. And this is especially damaging when most kids

now have the ability to create a personal curriculum around the things

they truly care about learning out of the abundance of information,

people, and tools they now have access to.” On the other end of the

personalized learning spectrum is the power of teacher-led instruction to deliver and assess content. In response to Richardson’s blog post, Dan

Meyer questions,

A blank sheet of paper seems very much like “throwing all

curriculum out.” If you’d like to keep /some/ curriculum, I’m sure

you’ve anticipated my next questions and maybe already written

about them:

1. What curriculum should we keep?

2. Should /every/ student learn that curriculum?

3. How would you assess whether or not they learned it?

4. How are we not now in the realm of nationalized curriculum and

assessment?

On his own blog post titled “Don’t Personalize Learning,” Meyer cites

Benjamin Riley’s argument that by giving control over to students to

determine path and pace, that level of autonomy will lead to “large

knowledge deficits” in many students, especially those that are at risk.

According to Riley, “The only way to prevent this slow downward spiral

for these students is to push them harder and faster. But they need to be pushed, which means we should not cede to them control of the pace of their learning.” Riley concludes, “the problem is not the seating

arrangement or lack of smartphones, it’s the pedagogy.” Daniel

Willingham, an academic mentor of Riley, participated in another blog

where he referred to his 2012 article, “Teaching to What Students Have in Common,” in which Willingham and David Daniel contend that every

student must have factual (domain-specific) knowledge, practice (a focus

on automaticity or immediate recall), and feedback from a knowledgeable

source (to improve thinking or performance). “Pointing out cognitive

needs ( must haves) does not dictate pedagogical methods or lesson plans ( could dos)—just as listing protein as essential to maintain health, for example, does not prescribe which protein-rich foods to prepare, much

less specific recipes.” The research clearly is much stronger in the area of the teacher-driven learning experience, but contemporary personalized

learning is appealing to students and their families who want to have a

curriculum that is designed or at the very least responsive to them, one

that opens up space in the schedule, the topic, the audience, and the

development of meaningful work.

What are we advocating for? A balanced approach through which the

teacher and student collaborate in the design of the learning experience.

Figure 1.2 indicates how personalized learning is situated between the two endpoints on the continuum.

Figure 1.2 Who Controls the Experience? Where We Are As with many educational models, personalized learning exists along a

continuum or as part of a spectrum of approaches, environments, and

relationships. As is the case with most polarities, the ideal state lies

somewhere in between. Neither end of the spectrum is really a desirable

place to be. Our contention is that we must deal with a segment of the

spectrum that challenges us to meet the needs of the future yet is still

achievable. We must articulate a desired future state, focus on achieving it, and work backwards to plan to do so.

Personalized learning requires a series of pedagogical and policy shifts

that are rooted in classic ideas, but with a modern twist. In 1922,

Parkhurst proposed that the beacon lights of schooling should be making

students “industrious, sincere, open-minded, and independent” through

the establishment of student freedom and responsibility to tackle real

problems. This nearly hundred-year-old sentiment has resonance today.

Students develop capacities in setting goals, designing tasks, persevering through challenges, providing feedback and encouragement to others,

and creating and using knowledge that go beyond the classroom walls.

The teacher is more relevant than ever to build trusted relationships,

demonstrate steadfast belief in students’ potential competency, provide

timely and high-quality feedback, and approach new learning with a

proactive and reflective attitude.

Personalized Learning Evolution

In this section, we identify twelve elements in our Personalized Learning Evolution (see table 1.2) to advance the design of learning experiences that invite students to expand their ownership of what they learn, how

they learn, and how they demonstrate learning. Before we unveil these

elements, consider the following examples that illustrate the reason we

are doing this in the first place and demonstrate the gray area between

the extremes of a fully teacher-driven or student-driven environment.

Imagine two kindergarten girls at work. They are extending an

investigation the class did on buoyancy, testing new objects that

visitors to the class website suggested to see whether each one will

sink or float. They will make predictions, record findings, and post the

results on the class website.

Imagine a fourth-grade student at work. He carefully examines

personal writing samples produced during the past four weeks to look

for patterns of performance in relation to objectives that were

mutually agreed on by the teacher and himself. This is in preparation

for his student-led conference, in which he will present his goals,

performance patterns, and selected artifacts and create consensus on

next steps with conference participants (teacher, parent).

Imagine a room of sixth graders at work. They are collaborating with

another classroom at a school in Madrid to create a virtual art gallery

to honor the work of Picasso. Currently, they are on a video call,

where the students from Madrid are describing the emotions and

ideas they experienced when they saw Picasso’s paintings at the local

museum that week. The students in both classrooms will continue to

work together on both the creation of the pieces and critiques of one

another’s work.

Imagine two groups of ninth graders at work. They are designing a

solution in response to an IDEO (an innovation and design firm)

challenge to make low-income urban areas safer for women and girls.

One group focuses on how to make the pathways from school to local

transit safer through the design of an inexpensive streetlight. Another

group researches neighborhood policing, both locally and globally, to

propose guidelines on how to look out for one another based on

accepted cultural practices.

Imagine a group of tenth graders at work. They are predicting how

long the potable water supply will last for their town given the cost,

population density, and existing water infrastructure (the age of

treatment plants, the projected need for repair, and so on). Their local

data are part of a larger project, with five other schools from around

the world, to identify what government policies may need to change in

response to water scarcity.

Table 1.2 Personalized Learning Evolution

Elements

Minimal

Some

Student

Student

Student

Driven

Input

Input

Chapter Disciplinary

Established

Student has

Student

2

Outcomes

standards

some choice

determines

What are the

dictate the

to focus on

the content

subject-specific

content and

particular

and skills he

goals of

skills to be

topics,

or she wishes

learning?

learned.

concepts, or

to learn

skills within

within

established

established

standards.

standards.

Cross-

Cross-

Student has

Student

Disciplinary

disciplinary

opportunities identifies

Outcomes

outcomes

to develop

cross-

What learning

have been

based on

disciplinary

goals cut across

established.

explicit

outcomes

subject areas?

teaching and

from a

assessment.

common set.

Mindsets

Teacher

Teacher

Student uses

What mindsets

creates a

guides

mindsets to

are necessary for classroom

students to

work harder,

success?

culture that

use the four

engage in

uses the four

mindsets to

more

mindsets

strengthen

productive

(relevance,

performance

behaviors,

growth

and

and persevere

mindset, self- development. to overcome

efficacy, sense

obstacles to

of belonging).

success.

Chapter Task

Teacher,

Teacher

Student

3

What is the

curriculum, or guides

independently

challenge?

computer

definition and defines and

generates the articulation of articulates the

problem, idea, the problem,

problem, idea,

design, or

idea, design,

design, or

investigation. or

investigation.

investigation.

Audience

Teacher is

Student has

Student

Who is the

primary

input into or

engages with

audience? How

audience for

choice of

authentic

does that shape

student

audience.

audience to

communication? product or

demonstrate

performance.

learning and

to add value

through

contribution.

Feedback

Teacher

Teacher and

Student seeks

How is feedback provides

others (e.g.,

and uses

provided, and

formal and

peers, experts feedback from

how is it used?

informal

in the field)

teacher and

feedback on

provide

others to

the task to

feedback to

guide

help student

help student

performance.

revise and

revise and

refine the

refine the

task.

task.

Evaluation

Teacher

Student rates Student and

How is

generates a

performance

teacher

performance

score and

based on

interpret

evaluated on a

provides

given

evidence of

given task?

explanation of outcomes to

achievement

performance. inform

in relation to

teacher

key outcomes

evaluation.

and goals.

Chapter Process

Learning

Learning

Learning

5

Who controls the sequence and sequence and sequence and

sequence and

pace are

pace are

pace are

pace of learning? specified by

specified but

developed

the

somewhat

based on

curriculum,

flexible based student

teacher,

on student

interest and

and/or

interest and

need and

resource.

need.

flexible based

on assessment

of progress.

Environment

There is a top- The

Teacher and

Where does the

down

environment

student work

learning take

environment

is more

together as

place?

in which

collaborative; learning

teacher

teacher

partners to

instructs and

considers

design and

assesses

student voice assess

disciplinary

and choice in learning for

and cross-

the

disciplinary

disciplinary

instruction

and cross-

outcomes.

and

disciplinary

assessment of outcomes.

disciplinary

and cross-

disciplinary

outcomes.

Chapter Demonstration Teacher and

Student

Student

6

of Learning

district

chooses

proposes or

What constitutes assessments

among a set of shapes way(s)

evidence of

specify the

options to

that both

learning?

way(s) in

determine

disciplinary

which

how

and cross-

disciplinary

disciplinary

disciplinary

and cross-

and cross-

outcomes will

disciplinary

disciplinary

be

outcomes will outcomes will demonstrated

be

be

and will

demonstrated. demonstrated. provide

evidence of

learning (e.g.,

personalized

portfolio).

Time

Schooling is

Schooling is a Schooling can

When can/does

defined by

more variable take place

learning occur?

“seat time”—

blend of time- 24/7, 365

prescribed

based and

days a year

number of

outcome-

and be

school days

based

determined

(e.g., 180

measures.

by outcome-

days, Carnegie

based

units)

measures.

Advancement

Student is

Promotion or Advancement

How does a

advanced

retention at

is based on

student progress based on age, the end of the demonstrated

through the

irrespective of year is based

competency

system?

achievement. on

whenever that

achievement

is achieved.

in the course

or grade level.

These scenarios can exist within current structural parameters (in terms

of how we group students, organize courses, indicate mastery, and report

progress) or innovative ones. For example, the tenth graders in the last

example could be in an Algebra II class; a multidisciplinary course that

involves environmental science, public policy, and mathematics; or an

independent project where students collaborate once a week for two

hours. As educators, we sometimes get stuck in trying to change school

structures (for example, block scheduling, competency-based systems, 1:1

technology) instead of focusing on change in instruction (for example,

student-driven inquiry, progress monitoring, focus on revision for authentic audiences). In Five Levers to Improve Student Learning, Tony Frontier and James Rickabaugh contend that the key to education reform

is doing the right work and making the right changes: “Education is

littered with well-intended transactional solutions to problems that, in

reality, require transformational changes in practice. Too often, the

surface-level changes that were implemented resulted in neither

improved organizational capacity nor improved student learning” (17).

There are four noteworthy points to provide context to the evolution:

1. There is a column to the left of Minimal Student Input that has

intentionally been left off of the Personalized Learning Evolution

chart. The descriptors in the Minimal Student Input column represent

a traditionally hierarchical model, but a nonetheless effective

professional practice. These descriptors represent good schools where

the common expectation is that the job of a teacher is to design,

develop, and deliver instruction and the job of a student is to receive

and then recall or represent learning. In this column, the teacher is

positioned in the active role, and the student is relegated to a passive

role. To the left of this column (again, which does not exist) are

descriptors of the absence of an element—for example, “Cross-

disciplinary outcomes have not been identified” or “Feedback is only

given in the form of a grade or on summative assessments.” For many

teachers and leaders, the aspiration is the achievement of the

descriptors in the Minimal Student Input column. The power of the

evolution is in describing how each element becomes more

personalized so that you can use the tool to reflect on where you are,

where you want to be, and how you intend to grow there.

2. We are not advocating that the goal is always to be in the Student Driven column for every element. (Many innovative or democratic

schools would struggle to classify themselves this way.) We are

suggesting, however, that educators ask themselves the question

“How can we create and sustain an environment where students

believe they have a substantive role in the development of their own

learning?” Yes, there are times when minimal student input has a role,

but if we live only in this column, how are students going to be self-

driven, independent learners outside school? There must be a better

balance in how we design school if we are serious about ensuring that

students are truly prepared for college, careers, and global citizenship.

As you start looking at the Some Student Input descriptors, are you

seeing missed opportunities to grow student-teacher partnerships?

3. Personalized learning shifts the role of the teacher but in no way

makes the teacher an “endangered species.” Diane facilitated a

Connecticut task force charged with creating a policy paper to support

and encourage personalized learning (PL) in school districts across

the state (Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents).

In the paper, the authors described six essential roles that teachers

play in a PL model (3) (references in brackets are connected to the

twelve elements in Table 2.1):

Curriculum planner: What is essential for students to learn? [1, 2]

Classroom facilitator and coach: How can I structure learning so

that students can explore interests, pose questions, and discover

their own answers? [1, 2, 3, 8, 9]

Assessor: How do I collect evidence of learning as an ongoing

process? [4, 6, 7, 10, 12]

Advisor: How do I ensure that students are on track in relation to the goals? [1, 2, 7, 10, 12]

Communicator: How do I ensure that students have clarity about

their progress as learners? [3, 6, 8, 12]

Connector: How can I use my professional network to create

opportunities for students? [4, 5, 6, 11]

The underlying theme among the six roles is the vision of a learning

partnership between teacher and student where both play an active role

in the design and development of the experience.

4. There may be a huge “Yes, but” in your head after reading the

descriptions of the twelve elements and anticipating what they ask of

you. In a profession where burnout is rampant, where teachers feel as

though their opinions don’t count (Hargreaves and Fullan 2012), this

is not only one more change but an adaptive, messy change that

requires considerable investment of time, effort, and resources. Many

educators are resigned about what schooling has to be because they

cannot see it for what it is: a set of habits that feel permanent but do

not have permanence. We were not predestined for a system of

Carnegie units, standardized tests, and grade-level expectations. For just a little while, turn your back on your certainty and instead make

space for the possibility that there must be a better way to “do” school, a way that requires—but also creates—tremendous energy.

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

Most educators, parents, community leaders, and students are deeply

concerned with what schooling has become. Although many insist that

the “one-size-fits-all” model is ineffective, there is limited consensus on what school can be. In this book, we have made a conscious effort not to

delineate how schools are failing our children, but rather to focus on a

reimagined vision of schooling based on timeless and contemporary

elements. Every educator can pursue a learning partnership with

students to develop tasks around problems, challenges, texts, and ideas

that are both meaningful to the student and aligned with expected

outcomes. Students become entrusted with greater responsibility and

freedom in shaping the “what” and the “how” of learning. Yet this is a

balanced approach, shaped by the needs of the school community, by

local and state/ministry policy, and by collective conversations about

contemporary schooling. In chapters 2 through 6, we will explore each

element of the Personalized Learning Evolution—describe what it is,

provide illustrative examples, and offer recommendations for growth in

this particular element.

Before we leave this chapter, consider the following reflective questions: 1. To what extent does your school have a “one-size-fits-all” curriculum with little space for students to pursue ideas and inquiries of their

own choosing?

2. To what extent do teachers in your school have latitude to pursue

“interesting” in the classroom—space with students to explore

questions, events, and ideas that arise from diverse student

backgrounds, news events, and experts in the field?

3. To what extent do state, ministry, and national assessments help and

hurt the case for personalized learning?

4. To what extent are technological platforms and devices being viewed

or used as a replacement for teaching rather than as powerful

enhancements?

Works Cited

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CAPSS, 2014. Print.

Frontier, T., and Rickabaugh, J. Five Levers to Improve Learning: How to Prioritize for Powerful Results in Your School. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2013. Print.

Greene, P. “An Educated Person.” Curmudgucation, 5 May 2014. Web. 1

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educated-person.html>.

Hargreaves, A., and Fullen, M. Professional Capital: Transforming

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Chapter 2

The Aims of Contemporary Schooling

I think the reason why is because they actually had some connection to

their own learning. They weren’t just learning facts. They were

learning the facts for a reason. They had a goal. A mission, or however

you want to say it. An objective. And, I think that helped. I think that

helped a lot.

—Teacher quoted in Pederson and Liu (70)

As a society, we want our children to use their knowledge to investigate, analyze, and create in a thoughtful manner. We want them to attend to

details: laboring over language, numbers, evidence, and techniques to

ensure the veracity of their statements. We want them to not give up, to

have faith in themselves, and to access the abundant resources around

them. The first three elements of the Personalized Learning Evolution—

disciplinary outcomes, cross-disciplinary outcomes, and mindsets—are

aims of contemporary schooling. Disciplinary outcomes delineate the

broader goals of a subject area (for example, mathematics, history, art).

Cross-disciplinary outcomes indicate skills that are essential to be

successful, but are not bound by one subject area (for example, critical

thinking, problem solving, communication). Mindsets describe academic

and behavioral dispositions (relevance, growth mindset, self-efficacy, and sense of belonging) that impact how students feel about the possibility of success given the environment and the assignment. Personalized learning

is a means to achieve those ends: a way to grow our children so that they are better equipped to handle the uncertainty, complexity, and

excitement of the world.

Before we explore each element individually, it is important to establish how the cross-disciplinary and mindset aims of schooling differ from the

disciplinary aims.

They are not acquired in the same ways. Acquiring content

knowledge is something we are very familiar with. However, we can’t

treat the acquisition of cross-disciplinary outcomes and mindsets in

the same way. For example, on entrance to school, students already

have a “starter set” of skills and aptitudes related to cross-disciplinary

outcomes (such as creative thinking) and mindsets (such as a growth mindset). We do not “transmit” these to students in the same way that

we transmit new knowledge—nor will they acquire these by simply

being exposed to them. The impact of this is that we need to

consciously attend to these goals in ways that differ from how we

attend to the acquisition of disciplinary outcomes.

They are not developed in the same ways. Cross-disciplinary

outcomes and mindsets are developed through experience, awareness,

reflection, and conscious attention to the roles they play in our

success. Although some of the related subskills can be practiced (for

example, one can practice strategies for more effective collaboration),

this process is much more experiential than practicing solving

mathematics problems. The impact of this is that learning experiences

must also be designed with an opportunity for students to make use of

these cross-disciplinary elements and mindsets and reflect on their

own related performance.

They are not demonstrated in the same ways. Cross-disciplinary

outcomes and mindsets are demonstrated in the “doing” of

something. A student, or anyone for that matter, brings them to the

fore in a variety of situations as needed and as the student decides is

appropriate to succeed at a task or in a situation. They are not

demonstrated on demand, but in situ. The impact of this is that we need to design experiences that explicitly require students to access these skills and aptitudes as part of the process and in overt ways.

They cannot be assessed in the same ways. We cannot assess cross-

disciplinary goals and mindsets in the same way as we can assess

more cognitively discrete disciplinary outcomes. For example, we

cannot assess a student’s critical thinking abilities by asking her to list six different types of critical thinking and reasoning approaches (for

example, comparison and contrast, inductive, deductive). This is not

an authentic way to assess the level to which a student can bring her

critical thinking skills into the process of successful learning or

achievement of a goal. The impact of this is that we need to design

assessments and interpret performance based on a very different set

of criteria (such as performance indicators) than we would apply to

assessing the attainment of disciplinary outcomes.

Personalized learning allows us to intentionally attend to these different

types of learning together. But it is important that we consciously design the learning environment, learning experiences, and performance tasks

to deal with each in an appropriate and authentic way.

Element 1: Disciplinary Outcomes

The first element is perhaps the most familiar one: articulation of

disciplinary outcomes specified in national, state, and provincial content standards (see table 2.1). Many new and revised standards articulate disciplinary goals that are compatible with personalized learning.

However, we can get a bit lost in how we use standards to design and

evaluate student learning experiences. If we see the value of broader

goals, how do we stay true to the purpose of schooling in our daily work?

Table 2.1 Personalized Learning Evolution: Disciplinary Outcomes Elements

Minimal

Some Student

Student Driven

Student

Input

Input

Disciplinary Established

Student has some

Student determines

Outcomes

standards

choice to focus on

the content and

What are the dictate the

particular topics,

skills he or she

subject-

content and

concepts, or skills

wishes to learn

specific goals skills to be

within established

within established

of learning?

learned.

standards.

standards.

Standards are not curriculum. Standards delineate what students are expected to know, be able to do, and understand; curriculum is a path to

the achievement of those standards. Essentially, curriculum is a design

issue that can and should evolve. In his blog, Granted, and…, Grant Wiggins made the case: “Suppose knowledge is not the goal of education.

Rather, suppose today’s content knowledge is an offshoot of successful ongoing learning in a changing world—in which ‘learning’ means

‘learning to perform in the world.’ Only blind habit keeps us from

exploring this obvious logic. The point is to do new things with content, not simply know what others know—in any field.” To that end, key

stakeholders in any education system can ignite conversations and

pursue actions to describe the “what” (goals of schooling and disciplinary outcomes) and the “how” (organization and delivery of curriculum).

Let’s pause for a moment and engage in a thought exercise. Imagine a roomful of elementary school classroom teachers trying to make sense of

reading content standards and how they impact daily instruction. The

teachers are immersed in specific learning objectives, comprehension

strategies, and consideration of multiple texts. In the midst of this

analysis, someone raises the question “What are we after, anyway? What

does a good reader do?” This question sends people into a tailspin for a

moment: some become disgruntled because they see this as a tangent,

outside of what they were asked to do, rather than the heart of the matter.

But after a robust conversation, they settle in on the larger goal: we want students to independently comprehend and engage with any text to analyze how what is being said impacts thinking. This is an example of a long-term transfer goal that gets to the heart of the demonstration of

learning desired, regardless of grade level or teacher personality. There is a coherent focus now from a student’s point of view:

I can read and understand any text by using appropriate strategies.

I can figure out the author’s purpose.

I can make meaning and draw conclusions from any text by using

evidence.

In any given subject area, disciplinary outcomes provide the reason we

care deeply about certain skills, concepts, or topics—how a particular area of focus connects to student capacity. Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins (9)

assert, “In the real world, no teacher is there to direct and remind you

about which lesson to plug in here or there: transfer is about intelligently and effectively drawing from your repertoire, independently, to handle

particular contexts on your own.” Long-term disciplinary outcomes have

the following characteristics:

They emphasize independent application when the student faces new

challenges both in and outside of school.

They establish purpose and relevance for students (that is, they

answer common student questions: “Why should I learn this?” or

“How/where/when will I use this?”).

They create coherence across grade levels within the subject-area

program.

Disciplinary outcomes are generated from the wisdom and expertise of

the teaching staff in grades PreK–12. The starting question is as simple as What are the handful of priorities that I want students to learn? After the list is delineated, pose a follow-up question: How is that grounded in the core tenets of my subject area? These questions are essential to answer as standards are viewed and revised and aligned to the larger

aims of the school; they are not seen in isolation, which results in

disciplinary outcomes that are either loosely coupled or a forced fit.

Let’s look at three illustrative examples: the first in mathematics, the

second in science, and the third in English (for English as a Second

Language).

Seven mathematics high school teachers/curriculum writers from

Learn4Life worked with Allison to articulate disciplinary outcomes that

appropriately encompass a range of courses.

Disciplinary Outcomes for Mathematics: Content

Use functions or equations to model relationships among quantities.

Compose, transform, and decompose mathematical objects to

establish relationships through properties and laws.

Represent, summarize, and interpret data.

Infer properties of graphed functions and objects from their shape,

location, and measurements.

Disciplinary Outcomes for Mathematics: Process and

Communication

Make sense of a problem, initiate a plan, execute it, and evaluate the

reasonableness of the solution.

Apply a variety of methods to accurately and efficiently solve

problems.

Use appropriate tools to make mathematical concepts more concrete

and visible.

Recognize how mathematical concepts relate to one another in the

context of a problem or abstract relationships.

Represent mathematical objects and data verbally, symbolically,

numerically, and graphically.

Communicate effectively based on purpose, task, and audience using appropriate academic vocabulary and medium.

The second example comes from Avon Public Schools in Connecticut. As

part of a multiyear effort to revise all curricula to make them more

powerful and coherent from a student’s point of view, leaders assembled

a vertical team to establish disciplinary outcomes and related

understandings, essential questions, and performance tasks to anchor the

subject-area K–12 curriculum.

Disciplinary Outcomes for Science

Integrate knowledge from a variety of disciplines and apply it to new

situations to make sense of information, formulate insightful

questions, and/or solve problems.

Design an investigation or model using appropriate scientific tools,

resources, and methods.

Collect, analyze, and evaluate the quality of evidence in relation to a

question.

Develop a valid scientific conclusion, assess its validity and

limitations, and determine a future course of actions to inspire further

questions.

Communicate scientific information clearly, thoroughly, and

accurately.

The third example comes from Newport News, Virginia, where English as

a Second Language curriculum designers framed disciplinary outcomes

specifically for audiences of students and teachers. Here is an excerpt

from their work on comprehension of text (encompassing reading,

viewing, and listening).

Disciplinary Outcomes for English as a Second Language

Student outcome: I can read any text on my own with confidence

because I have the necessary strategies.

Teacher outcome: Comprehend any text by inferring and tracing

the main idea, critically appraising use of language and imagery,

and making connections (text to text, text to self, text to world).

Teacher outcome: Analyze an author’s/speaker’s/artist’s theme(s)

through examination of figurative language, sentence structure, and tone.

Teacher outcome: Analyze textual evidence to make predictions,

draw conclusions, or establish generalizations.

Student outcome: I can find information that is trustworthy.

Teacher outcome: Evaluate claims and analyze motivations to

verify the credibility of that point of view.

Student outcome: I can see how culture influences the texts I

experience.

Teacher outcome: Develop insight into the nature of language and

the concept of culture and realize there are multiple ways of

viewing the world.

For more information on how to create disciplinary outcomes and to see

more examples, see appendix A.

When learning experiences are anchored to such larger learning goals,

teachers and students have a wide range of choices of content and

methods for personalizing the learning experience. Even when specific

content or topics are prescribed, the larger learning goals serve as a North Star for each student’s learning path. Imagine what the student’s

experience is like when not only one teacher but the whole school takes

this approach. You create what Ron Berger ( An Ethic of Excellence) coined an “ethic of excellence”: “students whose work is strong, accurate, and beautiful” (1). The challenge that educators face today is not the

quality of the national, state, or provincial standards we have, but how to leverage them to design meaningful, personalized experiences for our

students while still preparing them for standardized assessments.

In fact, a number of education boards and ministries are encouraging

personalized learning innovations. The Ministry of Education in British

Columbia has been actively pursuing personalization of learning to

achieve rigorous standards. In a report titled Enabling Innovation:

Transforming Curriculum and Assessment, the ministry commits to

focusing on a clear goal: a more “flexible curriculum that prescribes less and enables more.” One of many notable highlights of the report: “Going

forward, the task for the Ministry as it develops new curriculum and

assessment guidelines is to remove barriers to personalizing instruction

so that the curriculum is optimally manageable for teachers and allows them more freedom to find approaches that work for schools and

students alike.” In the United States, an increasing number of legislatures and departments of education have created pilot programs or full-blown

initiatives to move beyond Carnegie units or seat time to certify credit-

and classroom-based assignments as the sole indicator of mastery. To

date, a total of thirty-six states have policies that provide school districts and schools with some flexibility for awarding credit to students based on mastery of content and skills as opposed to seat time. As policy continues to open up space for personalized learning, the challenge may lie in

opening up local practices where educators conceive of their job as

teaching and testing discrete knowledge and skills. This is

understandable, given the narrowing effect of textbooks and high-stakes

tests, but to support personalized learning, teachers need to conceive of curriculum more broadly and appreciate that retention of desired

knowledge and skills improves when students actively use and apply

them, rather than being “taught them” and soon forgetting.

Personalized Learning Recommendations

You can use content standards to develop long-term disciplinary

outcomes to shape curriculum paths based on students’ talents,

aspirations, and ideas.

1. Unpack the standards to describe the broader aims of

the subject. Use the key criteria listed earlier in the chapter: Emphasize independent application when facing new

challenges both in and outside of school.

Establish purpose and relevance for students, answering

common student questions: “Why should I learn this?” or

“How/where/when will I use this?”

Create horizontal (across-classroom) and vertical (across-

grade-level) coherence within the subject-area program.

2. Make the language accessible to students and families.

To remain engaged (and to reengage) when faced with a challenge,

people need to be clear about what they are aiming for. When the

disciplinary outcomes are paired with illustrative examples of

quality work, students are inspired to aim high and can perceive the relevance of their learning experiences. Accessible disciplinary

outcomes can also be the basis for student-led teacher (or parent-

teacher) conferences as well as an organizational structure for

portfolios.

Element 2: Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes

The second element is cross-disciplinary outcomes: broader skills (for

example, collaboration, problem solving) that are essential to

postsecondary success (see table 2.2). Demographer Richard Florida (104) described how the labor market has fundamentally changed:

“People don’t stay tied to companies anymore. Instead of moving up

through the ranks of one organization, they move laterally from company

to company in search of what they want…Americans now change jobs on

average every 3.5 years—a figure that has been declining steadily for

every age group; and workers in their twenties switch jobs on average

every 1.1 years, according to 2001 figures from the Bureau of Labor

Statistics.” In addition, the rise of freelancers indicates that people want to exercise more control of their own paths, but with that comes more

pressure to be continuous learners (Florida; Godin; Pink; Richardson).

Although there is significant uncertainty about what postsecondary

futures will hold, there are several seminal quotations that make the case for why cross-disciplinary outcomes must also be aims of contemporary

schooling.

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read

and write. The illiterate will be those who cannot learn, unlearn, and

relearn.

—Herbert Gerjoy (as cited in Richardson)

There’s no competitive advantage today in knowing more than the

person next to you. The world doesn’t care what you know. What the

world cares about is what you can do with what you know.

—Tony Wagner (video, unknown title)

People have to learn to adapt. I can guarantee that the job I hire

someone to do will change or may not exist in the future, so this is

why adaptability and learning skills are more important than

technical skills.

—Clay Parker (as cited in Wagner, Global Achievement Gap [30])

Table 2.2 Personalized Learning Evolution: Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes

Elements

Minimal

Some Student

Student Driven

Student

Input

Input

Cross-

Cross-

Student has

Student identifies

Disciplinary disciplinary

opportunities to

cross-disciplinary

Outcomes

outcomes

develop based on

outcomes from a

What

have been

explicit teaching and

common set.

learning

established.

assessment.

goals cut

across subject

areas?

To train students to be truly “college and career ready” requires regular opportunities for students to apply learning wisely and strategically in

novel situations. The Council of Chief State School Officers (6) offered

states and local municipalities the following definition of what college

and career readiness requires: “Students must graduate having mastered

rigorous content knowledge and demonstrated their ability to apply that

knowledge through higher-order skills including but not limited to

critical thinking and complex problem solving, working collaboratively,

communicating effectively, and learning how to learn. Students must also

be prepared to navigate the pathways and systems that will allow them to

gain access to positive postsecondary opportunities.” Therefore, students need to experience problems with no clear solution paths, questions that

require an investigation rather than a straightforward answer, and tasks

that inspire students to collaborate and persist because they see the larger contribution to a community.

The set of cross-disciplinary outcomes shown in table 2.3 is based on our analysis of several twenty-first-century learning frameworks (most

notably Tony Wagner’s Seven Survival Skills, Bena Kallick and Art Costa’s Habits of Mind, Partnership for 21st Century Skills’ 4 C’s, and Michael

Fullan’s 6 C’s). Before you become immersed in the descriptions and

examples, a couple of key points. First, the intention of this set is to

model what a draft could look like. Each cross-disciplinary outcome is broken down into a small set of related skills or performance indicators.

The intent is to make these manageable to integrate into the classroom.

Second, this set demonstrates the expansive nature of the cross-

disciplinary outcomes and related skills. To emphasize this point, we

provide illustrative examples from a range of content areas and grade

levels to inspire new ideas or to aid you in identifying them within your current practice.

Table 2.3 Illustrative Examples of Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes Cross-Related Skills

Disciplinary

Outcomes

Creative

Assemble raw material and let the collection

Thinking

define the purpose and intent

Take a different perspective on the same

problem, topic, idea, or object

Sample, mix, and repurpose information into

new forms

Critical

Apply a questioning eye

Thinking

Make predictions, articulate patterns, and draw

conclusions

Examine messages and stories presented

Problem

Frame a question to identify what you don’t know

Solving

Pursue knowledge and conduct research to find a

viable solution

Manage information effectively and ethically

Draw conclusions and define next steps

Communication

Use mode(s) of communication to share

information and ideas for a specific purpose,

task, and audience

Frame and present a point of view in a way that is

compelling and engaging

Listen to a point of view to verify, deepen, or

disagree

Collaboration

Build consensus around a shared goal and

approach

Take individual responsibility for a shared goal

and common task

Attend to the cohesiveness and quality of the

common task

Metacognition

Know what you don’t know and use mechanisms

(tools, strategies, context) to figure it out

Think about your thought process

Analyze performance along the way

Seek and use feedback

Creative Thinking

Assemble raw material and let the collection define the purpose and

intent.

Although many have mythologized creative thinkers as being eccentric,

with little connection to the real world, this is rarely the case. Creative thinkers do not simply chase an idea that came to them like a bolt from

the blue. They find excitement in capturing raw material (ideas, artifacts, sketches, and the like) and allow their collection to shape an

investigation, performance, text, or design. To develop this skill, creative thinkers periodically step back from collection to

Separate themselves from ideas and view them dispassionately,

critically, and deeply

Determine how to move forward (for example, continue the search for

more material, focus on an intriguing set of ideas, develop a

prototype)

Seek out applications that would allow their ideas to add value to the world

Example: In a second-grade classroom, each student is given a shoe box to collect and document objects found outside (for example, in a

playground, park, or apartment building) for two weeks. The only

limitations are that the objects must fit inside the box and may not be

stinky, dangerous, gross, or alive. Every few days, the teacher prompts

students to review their individual collections and reflect on “what they noticed” and “what they wondered about” as part of a running log. One

student drew a picture of cigarette butts scattered outside his front door (putting a cigarette butt in the box would have violated the dangerous or gross limitation), several weeds that he pulled out of the sidewalk, and an empty can that was tossed aside. The student “notices” that this is typical of where he lives and “wonders” about how to get people to be more

respectful of the natural world. Another student fills her box with every autumn leaf she can find because she loves the color. Yet over the course of the two weeks, she “notices” that the color has faded and the leaves are more brittle, and “wonders” if there is a way to capture the beauty of the leaves when she first found them. At the end of the two weeks, students

are given an opportunity to create based on their collection. The first

student spends an afternoon cleaning up the area in front of his home

and writes a poem about how the natural world that surrounds the

neighborhood affects the people who live there. Working with her art

teacher, the second student experiments using different techniques to

preserve the color and avoid the brittleness of autumn leaves.

Take a different perspective on the same problem, topic, idea, or object.

Creative thinking is not about grabbing ideas from thin air, but is

typically inspired by seeing a problem or situation from a different

vantage point. To do that, this skill requires creative thinkers to

Examine the problem to determine current issues from current

practice or design

Develop a prototype, design, or idea to address identified issues

Example: To prevent the spread of malaria, students from the Denver Montessori School reached out to students in Zambia to discuss

fundraising efforts to provide mosquito netting. The students in Zambia

told them that the mosquito nets they had received didn’t work well for

them because they took up a lot of space in their small homes, were less effective at preventing mosquito bites in children, and were difficult and time consuming to put up and take down. The Montessori students raised

funds to design and test a collapsible mosquito spring net that was based on a child’s toy or a collapsible laundry basket. (For more information on this project, visit http://www.connectallschools.org/node/132163.) Sample, mix, and repurpose information into new forms.

Remixing is a viable creative thinking skill: a compilation that builds on the great ideas that have come before you. Contemporary students have

been remixing content they find online into their own artistic creations, informational reports, and design ideas. In Remix Culture, Erin Reilly asserts, “By remixing texts, teens re-create and redefine them to share

with others. In the process, they are acquiring new habits of expectation, meaning, and credibility; new ways of acting, interacting, and doing; and gaining the competencies to become part of this digital world” (144). But this is nothing new—inventors, musicians, scientists, and authors have

been doing it for centuries. Henry Ford once said, “I created nothing new.

I simply assembled the discoveries of other men behind whom were

centuries of work…Progress happens when all the factors that made for it

are ready and then it is inevitable” (quoted in Ferguson). In a 1996

interview, Steve Jobs matter-of-factly described what Apple does:

“Picasso had a saying: Good artists copy, great artists steal. And we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas” (quoted in Ferguson).

This skill requires creative thinkers to

Repurpose or remix content through copying, transforming, and

combining to design, produce, and/or communicate a perspective,

idea, relationship, or narrative

Examples: Common Sense Media

(https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/lesson/rework-reuse-

remix-6-8) offers lesson materials to create an original text through

remixing and reusing other texts. A no-tech option is to have students

make a new image using a collage of other images from magazines. A

higher-tech option is to have students take excerpts from various film

clips to make a new piece (or to take musical beats/lyrics and remake

them into a new song).

Critical Thinking

Apply a questioning eye.

Critical thinkers suspend judgment and resist the desire to jump to

simple conclusions. This skill requires critical thinkers to

Label information and ideas by category (for example, fact from truth,

main idea from supporting detail, relevant from irrelevant data)

Examine claims of others and the evidence supporting those claims

Question existing assumptions

Review their reasoning and conclusions for bias

Example: Students in Paul Wright and Carl Rosin’s eleventh-grade

Viewpoints on Modern America class engage in at least seven Socratic

seminars throughout the year. These are structured, student-led

conversations during which multiple groups of six or seven students take

on different aspects of a similar topic, such as a specific novel or

historical event. The expectation is that students will engage in

collaborative discussion driven not only by the question but also by their research into the novel or event. They demonstrate this by making

connections and using multiple quotations, and submitting their prep

notes afterwards. Because the expectations for the seminars increase in

rigor (but do not technically change from the beginning of the year),

students show their skills as they develop. Quiet kids say more, talkative kids learn to share the spotlight, and research becomes more extensive.

Students also learn to offer constructive criticism, knowing they’ll be

receiving it in their own seminar. Group members are never the same, so

they are constantly in front of a different audience, both in their group and the larger class.

Make predictions, articulate patterns, and draw conclusions.

The nature of “critical thinking” changes depending on the discipline;

each involves different content, levels of “objectivity,” and lines of

inquiry. These differences require students to be agile in the ways they

think and act. The ability to bring all that one has learned into a cohesive and accessible “end” helps provide value for others from the process. This skill requires critical thinkers to

Make predictions based on data and understanding of context

Recognize patterns in nature, objects, and systems

Determine which of several possible conclusions is most strongly supported by evidence or which should be rejected

Draw conclusions that reflect clear and logical links between the

information or observations and the interpretations

Example: An Algebra II teacher designed the following problem for students to analyze: “Starbucks opened its first store in Seattle’s Pike

Place Market in 1971. It seems as though there’s one on almost every

corner these days. You have to wonder what effect, if any, the economic

changes over the past forty-plus years have had on their retail presence. If you were offered the opportunity to invest in a brand new Starbucks

store, would you? Justify your response using data.”

The main jumping-off point for this problem was a study of regression

analysis, particularly linear. The choice of Starbucks may seem random,

and, in fact, any company could have been used. Past experience

indicated, however, that the years from 1971 to 2005 present a relatively good linear pattern. The students are not presented with any specific

instruction or algorithm to execute. They must create their own set of

algorithms (or describe the process behind the regression analysis done

with a calculator or Excel) and present their findings graphically and

numerically. The inclusion of the line “You have to wonder what effect, if any, the economic changes over the past forty-plus years have had on

their retail presence” is an intentional red herring, as the changes may, in truth, not have had any effect. The other intent of that line is to encourage students to look at smaller increments of time, where appropriate, and to comment on why that particular point or set of points may be either

above or below the best-fit line. (This allows for a discussion of residuals.) The question posed about whether or not to invest may not be able to be

answered conclusively from just the data.

Examine messages and stories presented.

Reading, viewing, and listening to texts can be quite powerful if students are trained to evaluate the literal and figurative messages. This skill

requires critical thinkers to

Seek to make sense of messages, not just passively absorb them

Evaluate a communication product based on aesthetic knowledge and

sensibilities

Identify their own reactions and interpretations to images and the reasons behind these responses

Example: In a Film Studies class, every student selects a favorite film and isolates a memorable moment or sequence. The student then needs to

dissect that moment through the lens of special effects, color, lighting, symbolism, music, and set design to understand that moment’s

communicative power. Each student shows the featured clip and the

related explanation at a local film festival.

Problem Solving

Frame a question to identify what you don’t know.

Problems are not always self-evident; we are often presented with

symptoms of a problem rather than the root cause. Effective problem

solvers do not target the symptoms, but dig down to find the real cause(s) of a problem. This skill requires problem solvers to

Clearly define a problem and what it will take to resolve it

Formulate question(s) to drive inquiry or investigation

Example: Philadelphia high school students worked to design a system that could identify the most efficient and safest travel route to and from school. Personal safety when traveling through Philadelphia was a

concern for students at the Academy at Palumbo, particularly those who

came early or stayed late for extracurricular activities. Due to recent

budget cuts in Philadelphia, a number of schools were closed. This

displaced students and resulted in longer walks to school. Students

sought to design a system that could evaluate travel routes for relative

safety, and thereby enable students (and community members) to

identify the most efficient and safest travel route. Students worked with their Algebra II and Physics teachers to collect data from students on

their current travel routes, develop an algorithm, and communicate the

results to the student body. (For more information, please see table 4.7.) Pursue knowledge and conduct research to find a viable solution.

A powerful problem solver can dig deep into the heart of a problem

through research, investigation, and analysis. In his book Personalized Learning, John Clarke advocates, “Because solving problems may be the defining activity in adult life, students have to learn to see the term

essential to gaining control over their lives” (99). Throughout their schooling, students should wrestle regularly with asking open-ended

questions, investigating sources or materials, and developing workable

answers, and should view trial and error as part of the problem-solving

process. Frequently, these open-ended questions lead to more focused

questions, which in turn lead to the heart of the issue(s) and parameters involved. This skill requires problem solvers to

Formulate and refine a range of questions to frame the investigation

Design and conduct an investigation based on a defined strategy

Explore new topics/questions as inquiry or investigation progresses

Example: A sixth-grade student desperately wants to play football, but his father refuses to sign the release form because he is worried about his son getting concussions. The sixth grader tries to persuade him by

explaining that the football rules have changed, which should keep people safer. But is that true? How do rule changes at the professional level

affect how youth football games are played? And to what extent have

those rule changes reduced the number and seriousness of concussions?

The sixth grader tackles this personalized inquiry as part of a

multidisciplinary research project (Math, Science, ELA) and presents the

findings to his father.

Manage information effectively and ethically.

Problem solvers work to evaluate every source to verify whether the

information, ideas, and images are relevant and whether the author and

content can be trusted. If the source passes the test, problem solvers use appropriate formatting to cite it. This skill requires problem solvers to Make basic determinations of source reliability

Identify evidence and judge its merits and strength for providing an

explanation

Apply ethical judgment to the use and citation of resources and

information

Example: A fifth-grade project asks students to consider scooter safety: Whose job is it to protect the child? According to the National SAFE KIDS

Campaign and US Consumer Product Safety Commission, approximately

217,000 children are treated at hospital emergency rooms for toy-related

injuries, and riding toys, such as tricycles and nonpowered scooters, are the leading cause of toy-related injuries.

Students locate and sift through injury statistics, news reports,

manufacturer warnings, and parent advice blogs to figure out reliable and relevant scooter safety information to draft a reasonable set of guidelines from a child’s point of view. Students then communicate their guidelines

to a broader audience (for example, in a response to a parent blog on the subject, an email to the consumer division of a particular manufacturer, a starting point to a dialogue with a parent at home, a school news report).

Draw conclusions and define next steps.

A rich problem-solving process should require a student to present to an

audience everything she has learned, the solution she has devised, and

the conclusions she has drawn. Good solutions, and the thinking that

leads to them, should be communicated in an accessible and compelling

manner. This skill closes the circle for a student in the problem-solving process and helps elevate the value of her work. This skill requires

problem solvers to

Connect the solution or conclusion directly with the original problem

Articulate how the conclusion adequately addresses the problem or

issue

Document and justify a position through appropriate inferences,

generalizations, and opinions

Identify (and perhaps take action on) the next steps or growth

applications

Example: As a Health, ELA, and Foods project, students redesigned meals in the school cafeteria to make them nutritionally balanced, cost-effective to produce, and attractive to kids. One student wondered

whether students were dependent on cafeteria meals as a primary source

of nutrition, because that made the stakes for improving the quality of

cafeteria food even higher. Her next step was to write a letter both to the cafeteria manager and to the principal to advocate for the experience to

become a permanent project whereby students could be involved in

collecting data on food preferences, offering suggestions for new recipes, and writing customer reviews to provide feedback.

Communication

Use mode(s) of communication to share information and ideas for a

specific purpose, task, and audience.

These modes of communication are intended to go beyond a focus on the

teacher as audience. This skill requires communicators to

Communicate beyond the boundaries of a normal classroom

Add effectiveness and impact to communication through the inclusion

of graphics and multiple media

Example: The Journal of Emerging Investigators

(http://www.emerginginvestigators.org/) is run by a nonprofit group established by graduate students at Harvard University to inspire middle

and high school students to conduct research, submit scientific papers

based on a clearly stated scientific question, and receive critical feedback from Harvard-trained scientists. The group’s mission is “to engage

students in inquiry-based science with the intent to publish their high-

quality work in a prestigious national journal.” Papers for submission

must comprise an abstract, introduction, results, discussion, methods,

references, and acknowledgments. Recently published articles include

“Friend or Foe: Investigating the Relationship between a Corn Crop

and a Native Ragweed Population”

“Is Cloud Cover One of the Effects of Climate Change?”

“What Can You See in the Dark? The Effects of Contrast, Light and

Age on Contrast Sensitivity in Low Light”

“Development of Two New Efficient Means of Wastewater Treatment”

“A Simple Printing Solution to Aid Deficit Reduction” (This article

made national headlines this past year; students projected that by

switching to the Garamond typeface, US federal agencies would lower

printing costs by a minimum of $62 million and a maximum of $394

million.)

Frame and present a point of view in a way that is compelling and

engaging.

Narrative provides a context and relevance to ideas and allows us to

engage with them in a social-emotional context. Many of the most

popular digital games involve complex and engaging narratives. The TV

programs that younger learners love (such as The Simpsons, South Park, and Sesame Street) last for years because we become engaged with the characters. Narrative involves more than enjoying a story; it’s also about creating one. Those who can create a compelling narrative out of ideas,

issues, dilemmas, and choices can entertain, call attention to important

causes, and mobilize people to create a better world. This skill requires communicators to

Sequence ideas and events to move the audience smoothly through

the communication from beginning to end

Use images and other media elements to tell a story effectively

Communicate with empathy and caring that connect to audiences

Example: High school students in the greater Pittsburgh area in

Pennsylvania had an opportunity to be the reporters for the One Young

World Summit. They were first trained and mentored by professionals

through a “reporter boot camp” and then had the opportunity to pitch an

idea; once it was approved, they worked in small teams to produce the

story from beginning to end. Students shared their reporting through

social media, open-source blogging, and the group’s website. Evan, a boot camp alumnus from Northgate High School, said, “It gave us very

interesting insight into the process media undertake to organize coverage of a major event. We watch the news every day, but to learn what it takes to put something like this together, how you need to work together and

what you need to be looking for to produce a news story is really

fascinating.” (For more information, please see table 4.8.) Listen to a point of view and respond to verify, deepen, or disagree.

Students are confronted with carefully constructed messages when they

engage in real-world issues and sources. Their ability to extract meaning from them and to find the meaning behind the meaning supports

independent thought. This skill requires communicators to

Use features, conventions, and etiquette appropriate for the mode of

communication

Use open, probing, and clarifying questions to heighten

understanding

Observe and interpret multiple modes of information to draw logical

inferences and conclusions

Example: In a humanities class, students are paired with senior citizens to gain insight into how technology has fundamentally changed the

seniors’ lives. They develop questions and elicit stories from the senior citizens about technological advancements, personal impact, and societal

change. Segments of the interview inspire the research and collection of

photographs to paint a picture of the change. These are paired in a photo essay capturing the experience, and presented to the senior citizens as a gift.

Collaboration

Build consensus around a shared goal and approach.

Productive groups, and the individuals within them, formulate a unified

set of goals, determine what is required to achieve each goal, and assess the existing knowledge within the group as a whole. This skill requires

collaborators to

Brainstorm and sift through ideas to approach the task/problem

Ask questions to clarify their understanding of others’ ideas

Engage in back-and-forth dialogue

Act on others’ perspectives to broaden their understanding and

approach

Example: In a Materials and Design course in Wesley College, Australia, students spend half the year making projects to donate to various

community organizations. The class splits itself into groups of three or

four students, researches a variety of community organizations, and

contacts them directly to negotiate a project that the group makes and

then delivers to the organization. Each individual researches

organizations and produces an object (or part of an object) that fits the agreed-on design. Examples of delivered products include toy boxes for

the Foster Care Association and raised garden beds for a community

house. (For more information, please see table 4.6. ) Take individual responsibility for a shared goal and common task.

Teams are made up of individuals, and the skill of being a good team

member must be nurtured. This skill requires collaborators to

Work independently on a given task in relation to the shared goals of the group

Explain their own thinking and ideas clearly

Listen to someone’s view on a problem, challenge, and idea

Offer feedback and guidance to others on the team

Demonstrate respect and recognize the feelings of others

Example: Elementary school students and teachers work together to create “edible gardens,” participating in “a complete seed-to-table

experience.” Students become more connected to the food they eat

through cultivating, harvesting, and preparing their plantings. Each

individual has a job to do to make the edible garden thrive—planting,

composting, recycling water, and creating recipes. The students (as well

as community experts and staff) also offer support to others on the team, such as feedback on the health of the plants and the flavor of the dishes.

Attend to the cohesiveness and quality of a common task.

Collaboration is not just a way to complete a task; it is also an

increasingly common way to learn in the world outside of school. Yet

most groups don’t start as a naturally cohesive unit; no one can

reasonably enter a team environment without bringing “themselves”

along. Productive teams discover and harness the talent that exists within the group, develop norms to help navigate the process, and use tools to

break down the task at hand into smaller chunks. These are not difficult

challenges for experienced collaborators, but students need to learn how

to use specific tools and processes to maximize the talent and efficiency within the team. This skill requires collaborators to

Structure tasks to maximize the talents and experience of individual

team members

Adjust plans as needs arise

Use tools and processes to aid work (for example, norms, use of a

timekeeper and project planner)

Example: At the International School of Beijing, grade 7 students worked in small groups to devise best-case scenarios for their city around certain essential areas, such as education, infrastructure, health, and

employment. Before they started this task, students engaged in a series of

activities to strengthen teamwork and created group norms to help guide their collaboration. They also developed team member talent and skill

profiles to better understand how to maximize their group’s division of

tasks and to take advantage of their group’s makeup. Students self-

assessed collaborative skills throughout the project and reported their

processes and experiences as part of their final presentations.

Metacognition

Know what you don’t know and use mechanisms (tools, strategies,

context) to figure it out.

At the heart of metacognition is identifying what you don’t know and then leveraging resources to work through the related problem. Metacognitive

learners regularly ask, “What don’t I know? How do I figure it out?” as a natural part of any robust learning experience. This skill requires

metacognitive learners to

Ask questions or identify areas where more information or

development is needed

Identify needs and context for a new learning challenge

Develop a plan to help solve the problem or answer the question

Example: Students in a world language class visit a cultural marketplace in a city (for example, Little Havana in Miami, Chinatown in San

Francisco) to produce descriptive writing that makes the marketplace

compelling to tourists. Students must determine the size of the market

and the cultural food items and wares that can be found there, and

identify common cultural practices (for example, bartering, slurping soup with a spoon). The descriptive writing is submitted to the local Chamber

of Commerce so that it can use excerpts from student writings on its

website.

Think about your thought process.

Students’ beliefs about themselves as learners have a direct impact on

their attitudes and achievement. If students believe that learning should be easy, they are more likely to shut down when they face a difficult

challenge. If students feel that they are overcome by stress or anxiety,

they are more likely to go through the motions of the assignment rather

than striving to become more skillful. Educators can make a significant

difference if they ask students to reveal their beliefs about learning, teach them about mindsets, and loosen their ingrained restrictions on “what I

can and can’t do” as a learner. This skill requires metacognitive learners to

Understand their own learning style and effective modes of learning

Advocate for what they need to feel more confident and capable

Example: While coming to terms with the realities of her Asperger’s syndrome diagnosis, a fifth grader at Aveson Charter Elementary School

saw a project on developing a philanthropic business model as a unique

opportunity to help children with similar diagnoses. Ten years old at the time, and increasingly aware of what worked to regulate herself when

experiencing some of the complications of Asperger’s, such as anxiety

attacks, she set out to change the lives of students grappling with the

similar issues. Frequent “Bugsy breaks” helped significantly lower the

rate and severity of the anxiety attacks that would all too often disrupt her learning. Bugsy was the class pet rabbit she would visit and hold in

order to calm herself and reintegrate into the classroom. Bugsy breaks

were overwhelmingly effective. Her philanthropic entrepreneurial vision

was clear. She was going to help put class pets like Bugsy into classrooms all over the world. In such classrooms, students like her didn’t just like the idea of Bugsy breaks; their academic and social well-being depended

on them. (For more information on this project, see table 4.3. ) Analyze performance along the way.

When students have increased responsibility and choice in their learning, they need to apply their growing sense of self-awareness to the task at

hand. In a lesson titled “Thinking about Thinking” Linda Darling-

Hammond and her coauthors describe metacognition as “becoming an

audience for your own performance…Typically, we do not know what we

are doing when we do it, but it is very hard to improve a process that we are engaged in if we do not have a sense of what we are doing in the

moment.” Metacognitive learners regularly ask themselves, “What

strategies do I need to apply? Am I skilled in those strategies, or do I need to develop them? When and where might I need help or feedback?” This

skill requires metacognitive learners to

Step back to evaluate the task (for example, design, text, solution)

Determine the next step(s) and make adjustments based on goals

Example: Eighth-grade math and science teacher Bryan Harms from High Tech High School designed the following project for his students:

What is Motion and how do we create and control it?…

Working in teams, you will design and build rockets powered by

water and pressurized air. Using what you learn about the

fundamentals of force and motion, you will design and build a fully

functional rocket including: payload compartment, propulsion

system, recovery system and guidance system…

You will compete and be assessed on how high your rocket goes, the

effectiveness of guidance and recovery systems of your rocket, and

overall creativity, aesthetic and thoughtful design of the final

product.

Seek and use feedback.

Metacognitive learners seek and provide perspective on their skills and

performance and that of their peers. These students learn how to critique work to delineate areas of strength and improvement and to offer

concrete suggestions. Students also should be able to “hear” the critiques and determine how to make appropriate revisions given those

suggestions, without disassociating from the task (trying to do what the

teacher wants, not thinking about how the suggestions may impact other

criteria the task measures, and the like). This skill requires metacognitive learners to

Discuss potential plans and strategies with others

Adjust thinking, development, or performance based on feedback

Example: Grade 1 students provide a recorded set of directions that school visitors can access to find their desired location. Employing their geography, math, and communication skills, they work in pairs to create

a set of directions that explain how visitors go from the main office to a specific location within the school. The students record the directions,

seek feedback from other students and staff, and rerecord until they are

satisfied that the directions are clear. Each recording is then uploaded on the school’s website and linked to a QR code (Quick Response bar code to

provide easy access to information). Visitors are encouraged to give

feedback on the directions so that students can continue to make

improvements.

Personalized Learning Recommendations

Many schools and districts have talked about “21st century skills” at

some point over the past decade, but did not identify what each skill

meant, how to incorporate it in assessment and instruction, and what

counts as evidence.

Here are some practical suggestions when developing a set of cross-

disciplinary outcomes.

1. Look at existing cross-disciplinary outcomes rather

than starting from scratch. Cull from your school or district website, examine philosophy statements within subject areas, and

revisit accreditation reports to identify the outcomes. By doing so,

you demonstrate respect for the work that has already been done,

especially for those educators who experience déjà vu because they

have done similar exercises before.

2. Articulate the “why” first. We want students to become

skillful at key processes that define and transcend subject-area

silos. For example, to effectively collaborate requires a common

vision of what collaboration looks like (why we need related skills)

as well as regular opportunities to engage in the experience. This

cannot be relegated to a particular subject area (for example,

collaboration is the job of the Physical Education and Career and

Technology Education programs; critical thinking is the job of the

English Language Arts program); share powerful examples of how

it can live in multiple or all subjects.

3. Get the right people in the room. A “heavyweight team” is one that is assembled for a deliberate purpose and once that

purpose is accomplished, the team is disbanded (Christensen).

Ideally, representatives from the local community as well as from

school staff will be included. The easy part is the creation of the

list of skills. Where it becomes difficult is crafting cross-

disciplinary definitions. Parent and community representatives

should take a leadership role in defining the skills because they are

employed outside of the school walls. Their life and work

experience is great fodder for developing not only the definitions

but also ideas of what “proficient” and “exemplary” look like.

Ideally, the heavyweight team can draft this set of outcomes in one to two days for full school-community review.

4. Make it matter. Once the cross-disciplinary outcomes are established, the work moves to more permanent “middleweight”

teams (that is, departments, grade-level teams, long-standing

leadership committees) to clarify the descriptors for staff and

students. Steps of the problem-solving process can be written in

the form of student-friendly reflective questions as a resource to

guide students. A set of examples of creative thinking assembled

by a range of experts can be posted (physically or virtually) and

analyzed to determine what made the examples original,

innovative, or insightful. A list of observable classroom indicators

can be developed for critical thinking to determine the rigor of

internal dialogue and external discussions.

Element 3: Mindsets

We turn our attention to the third element, mindsets (see table 2.4), and focus on how we use what we know about the nature of learning and

infuse that in our classroom practices. Academic mindsets are

psychosocial attitudes or beliefs one has about oneself in relation to

academic work. In other words, how students feel about the work has an impact on their effort. The four mindsets are relevance, growth

mindset, self-efficacy, and sense of belonging. These mindsets are pivotal to students’ success, both during and beyond the school day, to

handle the complexity of challenges, problems, and tasks they will face.

Table 2.4 Personalized Learning Evolution: Mindsets Element Minimal Student

Some

Student Driven

Input

Student

Input

Mindsets Teacher creates a

Teacher guides Student uses

What

classroom culture

students to use mindsets to work

mindsets

that uses the four

four mindsets

harder, engage in

are

mindsets (relevance, to strengthen

more productive

necessary growth mindset, self- performance

behaviors, and

for

efficacy, sense of

and

persevere to

success?

belonging).

development.

overcome obstacles to

success.

Psychological research substantiates how academic mindsets impact

performance. In their educational research review titled “Social-

Psychological Interventions in Education: They Are Not Magic,” David

Yeager and Gregory Walton explain: “Social-psychological interventions

are not magic. They are not inputs that go into a black box and

automatically yield positive results. Instead, they are tools to target

important psychological processes in schools that can unleash the

potential of students and of the educational environments in which they

learn.” Let’s take a look at the mindsets in more detail (see table 2.5), clarified by Eduardo Briceño of Mindset Works and research from the

University of Chicago Consortium on the Chicago Schools (Farrington et

al.).

Table 2.5 Four Academic and Behavioral Mindsets Mindsets

Explanation

What the

Research Says

Relevance Students engage in learning much

The degree to which

“This work

more energetically and deeply when students value an

has value for they value the knowledge and skills

academic task

me.”

that they’re working to acquire, or

strongly influences

find them relevant or interesting.

their choice,

That leads them to think deeply,

persistence, and

question, pursue, and put their full

performance at the

selves into their work.

task.

Growth

Students with a growth mindset

Beliefs about

Mindset

realize that their abilities to think

intelligence and

“My ability

and do are a result of their past

attributions for

and

behaviors. They see effort as what

academic success or

confidence

makes people smart, they are

failure are more

grow with

motivated to focus on continued

strongly associated

my effort.”

growth, and they persist in the face

with school

of setbacks.

performance than is

one’s actual

measured ability.

Self-

Students must believe that they can

Individuals tend to

Efficacy

achieve their goals, however they

engage in activities

“I can

define those goals. If students think

that they feel

succeed at

they need help or resources, they

confident in their

this.”

must see a path they can take in

ability to complete

order to obtain the required help or

and to avoid those in

resources. The stronger their growth which they lack such

mindset, the more students will seek confidence.

ways to overcome adversities and

search for alternate strategies to

achieve their goals.

Sense of

When students feel they belong to a

Learning is a social

Belonging community of peers that values

activity, and

“I belong in going beyond one’s comfort zone and understanding is

this

learning about the world, students

constructed through

academic

connect learning activities and

interaction with

community.” objectives with social rewards they

others; students

value.

need to feel as

though they belong

to a community of

learners and that

their academic self is

a “true” self.

Sources: Excerpted from Briceño (Explanation column) and Farrington et al. (What the Research Says column)

Although we may not be able to “teach” these mindsets the same way that

we teach content, we can construct the experience intentionally to

reinforce the need for these attributes and their development over time.

Relevance

Relevance describes the thinking and doing that is expected in a given

environment: why the problem, idea, or inquiry matters. For decades,

Kathleen Cushman has studied motivation and mastery through the lens

of the student. In her most recent book, The Motivation Equation, she offers a simple algorithm to conceptualize motivation:

v (value) × e (expectation of success) = m (motivation) Relevance is connected to the first part of the equation: the perceived

value of the learning activity. Cushman elaborates:

It is worth my time, attention, and enthusiasm

It asks me to make connections based on my personal experience, the

world around me, and my peers

It invites me to “put my own stamp on it”—encourages creation of

content, process, and product

Student perception of “worthiness” can be amplified by the design and

scope of the assignment: authentic problems, rich tasks, real audiences,

and regular feedback are pivotal and will be explored further later in this chapter.

Growth Mindset

We want students to be willing to get messy, agonize over details, and

persist until they accomplish their goal. In her seminal book Mindset, Carol Dweck articulates two opposing mindsets that affect how people

respond to struggle and challenge, which in turn affects their feelings

toward learning. Those students with a fixed mindset have decided that

what comes easily is a sign of intelligence, and that what is a struggle, or where they fail, is a sign of stupidity. They become comfortable with those subject areas (and with certain tasks within those subject areas) where

they have a track record of success. Students with a growth mindset, in

contrast, believe that they can always improve regardless of whether

success comes easily or proves to be more elusive. Let’s compare these

two mindsets side by side (see table 2.6).

Table 2.6 Essential Characteristics of Fixed and Growth Mindsets Fixed Mindset

Growth Mindset

Intelligence is static.

Intelligence can be developed.

Challenges and obstacles are to Challenges and obstacles are to be

be avoided.

embraced; failure is a learning

opportunity.

Effort is unnecessary if you are Effort is necessary for growth.

talented or “naturally gifted.”

Criticism of capabilities is a

Criticism (feedback) is about current

criticism of the individual.

performance rather than future

potential.

Others’ success is threatening. I’m inspired by my own success and that

of others.

A growth mindset can be nurtured, but it requires explicit conversations

and cues. The stories that learners conjure up about themselves do

matter, and the quality of their thinking affects the quality of the

experience. When a student struggles in spite of exerting a significant

amount of effort or when a student flounders and asks for help, the goal

is to intervene through prompts or questions rather than swoop in and

save them from the assignment. For more information on how to do this,

see the recommendations at the end of the “Mindsets” section.

Self-Efficacy

From the student’s point of view, learning goals should clarify what he is aiming for and provide an opportunity to check progress along the way.

These goals help the student articulate “a reasonable dream”—a challenge

that motivates him but is still doable. As educators, we work with

students to articulate and then navigate learning goals. A goal may be a

vague abstraction (“I want to get an A in math”), a long-term task (“I

want to figure out my science fair project”), or an area of concern (“I want to get better at reading”). The translation of a goal into tangible actions helps students feel that the goal is achievable, and allows them to take

ownership, monitor their own progress, and make appropriate course

corrections as they move toward their desired end.

Framing goals in this way aligns with recent findings in neuroscience and cognitive psychology. These findings dovetail nicely with the second part of Cushman’s equation: expectation of success— Am I likely to be

successful if I put in a reasonable amount of effort? Cushman describes how it feels when students are doing challenging work while still being

independent.

It “opens new doors”

It pushes my thinking because it is hard but not too hard

It “stretches” me to improve my academic and personal skills

Noted neuroscientist, educator, and author Judy Willis wrote a blog post

for Edutopia in which she describes how dopamine, a powerful pleasure

chemical, is released when a student focuses on a challenging but doable goal and is successful. Dopamine is not produced, however, if the work is perceived by the student as too easy or too difficult. The challenge is to work together with students to articulate goals that are “just right,” to support them as they determine the steps to achieve their goals, and to

provide them with the tools and the encouragement to persevere, become

more skillful, and seek out even more difficult challenges. Willis makes a connection to the instructional model of video games and how we can use

that to reconsider how we design instruction.

Games insert players at their achievable challenge level and reward player effort and practice with acknowledgement of incremental goal

progress, not just final product…It may seem counter intuitive to think that children would consider harder work a reward for doing

well on a homework problem, test, or physical skill to which they

devoted considerable physical or mental energy. Yet, that is just what

the video playing brain seeks after experiencing the pleasure of

reaching a higher level in the game. A computer game doesn’t hand

out cash, toys, or even hugs. The motivation to persevere is the brain

seeking another surge of dopamine—the fuel of intrinsic

reinforcement.

Fortunately for teachers, the central elements that make computer games

intrinsically rewarding can be applied without software or gaming

consoles. Decades of studies conducted by eminent research psychologist

Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi have enabled him to enumerate “the conditions

of flow.” In their simplest rendering, the conditions are a clear set of

goals; a balance between perceived challenges and perceived skills; and

clear, immediate feedback. Empowering students through personalized

learning takes them most of the way to dopamine-releasing experiences:

the goals are clear and students self-select appropriate challenge levels; if teachers develop simple formative assessments, students can receive the

immediate feedback that fuels the flow cycle.

Some schools, districts, and states/provinces are already working on the

design of competency-based curricula through which students pursue

each learning hurdle when they are ready for it. Until those curricula are in place, transitional methods can help students start to articulate their learning goals. Many educators are familiar with SMART (specific,

measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) goals as part of a larger

classroom, schoolwide, or district-wide initiative. This model also can serve as a frame to aid students in creating a personalized learning plan.

The connection between SMART goals and the video game model are

delineated more fully in table 2.7. In both cases, the goal is phrased in student-friendly language and developed collaboratively between teacher

and student. The tasks are clear, measurable, and time-bound, and they

push the student out of her comfort zone.

Table 2.7 Empowering Students to Take Action on Their Goals SMART

Video Game

Student

Student

Goals

Model

Brainstorm #1

Brainstorm #2

Adapted from

Judy Willis

Strategic

Short-term

Conduct research Change school

and Specific goals that

on the Arab

policy to end

What do I

require

Spring to identify Internet filters in

want to

significant

the tipping point

my school.

accomplish?

exertion of

toward a more

physical or

free society.

mental energy

Measurable Clarity as to

Write a blog post

Whether the policy

How will I

what progress

on tipping point

changes.

know whether and

based on my

or not my goal accomplishment research.

has been

look like

reached?

Attainable

Achievable

Figure out where

The presentations,

Is the goal

challenge level

to post and how to yes. The policy, no.

achievable

—reasonable

elicit feedback

with my

possibility of

from a global

available

success

audience, and

resources?

revise based on

feedback.

Realistic

Demonstrate

Demonstrate

and

research,

persuasive

Relevant

communication,

communication

How does it

and critical

skills, become an

relate to the

analysis in my

agent of change,

larger

class based on a

document the

learning

problem that

extent of a problem

goals? What’s

fascinates me.

that frustrates me

the reason,

and many of the

purpose, or

students and

benefit of

teachers I know.

accomplishing

the goal?

Time-Bound Time

This will be a

My first target

When will the parameters

multiple-week

audience is the

goal be

established by

project to seek out principal. I want to

accomplished? the game itself

other points of

pitch it to him first

view, evaluate

(60-second elevator

research, look for speech) and then

pattern to form

see what the

conclusion. I’ll

appropriate

probably need 2–3 channels are to do a

days to write the

more formal

blog once

presentation for the

investigation is

board of education.

done.

Self-efficacy is truly student driven: each individual is the only

determinant of what is “too easy” or “too hard,” of where it is necessary to slow down or move more quickly if she has a clear goal of what “success”

looks like. To get good information from the student about her perceived

level of challenge and focus, educators must include her as an integral

part of planning and reflection.

Sense of Belonging

Sense of belonging is about relationships: a collaborative culture where

everyone actively participates in the discourse and where students are

citizens, not subjects, in the world of schooling. Berger (“Fostering an

Ethic of Excellence”) explains, “Students adjust their attitudes and efforts in order to fit into the culture. If the peer culture ridicules academic effort and achievement—it isn’t cool to care openly about school — this is a powerful force. If the peer culture celebrates investment in school, this is

just as powerful. Schools need to consciously shape their cultures to be places where it’s safe to care, cool to care.” Students’ perceived sense of belonging has a powerful effect on emotional, motivational, and academic

functioning; when they are not connected, students are more likely to

suffer anxiety, distress, disengagement, and thoughts of dropping out.

Goodenow described a sense of belonging as “students’ sense of being

accepted, valued, included, and encouraged by others (teacher and peers)

in the academic classroom setting and of feeling oneself to be an

important part of the life and activity of the class. More than simple

perceived liking or warmth, it also involves support and respect for

personal autonomy and for the student as an individual” (25).

To cultivate those attributes, as educators we have to create safe and

respectful spaces where we talk openly, learn from failure, grow from

feedback, and celebrate accomplishments. Gone are the days when the

teacher is the sole purveyor of knowledge; students contribute their own

ideas to a shared body of work. Many personalized learning tasks provide

students the opportunity to collaborate in small or large teams to produce something of value. These experiences engender a sense of kinship with

peers, staff, community members, and experts, allowing students to feel

that lots of people are pulling for their success.

Personalized Learning Recommendations

1. Teach students about the brain. Judy Willis and Kathleen Cushman both explain that every brain can grow like a muscle

with deliberate effort and immediate feedback. This may not align

with how students see intelligence (“I’m bad at reading,” “I will

never get science”). These erroneous assumptions stymie many

well-intentioned efforts to improve student achievement because

students don’t believe they can improve. Both authors have

developed resources, accessible for students, parents, and

educators, that describe how the brain works and shatter many

misconceptions of what it means to be “smart.”

2. Use explicit prompts with students to support a growth

mindset. Have students look at the progress they have made so far. Reframe “I can’t do it” with “I can’t do it yet.” Encourage them to reflect back on the problem or failure in order to learn from

what went wrong and consider next steps. For more strategies like this, visit Carol Dweck’s Mindset Works organization at

www.mindsetworks.com.

3. Use (or create an adapted version of) SMART goals with

students. Share with students that SMART goals are used in many professional, personal, and academic lives to turn larger

aims into tangible realities. For example, if a student says, “I want

to end poverty because there is enough food to feed everyone,”

have the student take that idea and translate it into a goal that can

be acted on: “I want to take the untouched food items in the

cafeteria and donate them to a local food pantry.” The student

would then investigate the logistics entailed (for example,

transportation, legal issues, personnel requirements) to see if the

goal is viable. A precautionary note: when implemented badly,

SMART goals can become one more top-down task. To guard

against that, we propose the use of a student-developed pathway

plan, illustrated in table 4.13 in chapter 4. (A blank version can be found in appendix B.)

4. Communicate and uphold a policy that freedom and

responsibility go hand in hand. Students may crave and ask for autonomy, but that opportunity should be earned. The gradual

release of responsibility is based on how each student navigates a

given assignment, not on a classwide decision. A student’s

readiness is best ascertained by regular check-ins with the student

about progress, needs, and suggestions for modified action.

5. Ask your students, “Where in school do you feel

important?” This question opens up dialogue that reveals the extent to which students believe that “student-centered learning”

is at the heart of schooling. For more questions to gain insight into

students—how they see themselves, their teachers, their job as

learners—take a look at the teacher’s guide published by What

Kids Can Do, “First Ask, Then Listen How to Get Your Students to

Help You Teach Them Better”

(http://whatkidscando.org/pdf/FirstAsk,ThenListen.pdf).

6. Incorporate mindsets in classroom structures and

conversations. Mindsets are manufactured by the learner based on his perception of experience, and therefore can be changed as

experiences with learning change.

Focus praise on students’ efforts and not on their abilities or

intelligence.

Provide feedback about effort or strategies—how every

individual can improve.

Teach and model the value of taking on a challenge.

Provide methods to track learning rather than using only

grades and test scores as the sole indicators.

Engage students to set clear and attainable goals, reflect on

their progress, and make necessary adjustments toward those

goals.

7. Cocreate a student’s bill of rights. Students and staff articulate and verify a “bill of rights” that is an agreed-on set of

parameters a teacher will uphold. Allison worked with staff at

Henry Street School for International Studies to draft a

schoolwide set for their students in grades 6–12. Here we have

added parenthetical references indicating the four related

mindsets.

I have a right to learn in a safe environment. (Sense of

belonging)

I have a right to be treated with respect. (Sense of belonging)

I have a right to understand the purpose of an assignment.

(Relevance)

I have a right to clear expectations about what is expected from

me. (Self-efficacy)

I have a right to get assistance in a timely manner when I have

a question or problem. (Self-efficacy)

I have a right to get feedback on my work so I can improve it.

(Growth mindset)

I have a right to make mistakes and learn from them. (Growth

mindset)

I have a right to advocate for myself and others. (Sense of

belonging)

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

The contemporary aims of school must evolve to align with what we know

to be true about how we learn and with the deep thinking and creativity

that employers desire and students crave. The next chapter focuses on the elements of task, audience, feedback, and evaluation. Before we move on,

consider the following questions:

1. What are the goals of your school or district?

2. How are those goals communicated to teachers, students, parents,

and community members?

3. To what extent do those goals have an impact on what happens in the

classroom?

4. How do you “grow” people (students and staff) in your school? What

opportunities or experiences can you identify? How do you know that

they are working as intended?

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Chapter 3

The Design of a Student-Driven Learning

Experience

Students today want to be actively engaged, they want to determine

the path of their own learning, chart their own learning journeys.

Technology tools have exploded the way they interact with the world

around them, and it’s changed how they want to be in the classroom.

—Fifth- and sixth-grade teacher (as cited in Fullan and Langworthy 11)

Students are much more likely to be invested in work that engages them

intellectually if they see the value in the assignment. The focus of a

valuable assignment has moved away from a grade to a perception of

worth: Is it worth a student’s time, attention, and effort? Students want to do work that is challenging (but not impossible), to see evidence of

improvement, and to make an impact on others.

This chapter focuses on the design of a student-driven learning

experience through the elements of task, audience, feedback, and

evaluation. The underlying shift described in this chapter is one toward

cocreation: an opportunity for students to work with educators as

learning partners to have an increasing stake in the “what” and “how” of

schooling. Such an opportunity is far from a “free-for-all” or independent study with no parameters. Rather, we begin to invite students to the

design table to define problems that are worth solving, share ideas that

are worth pursuing, and develop action plans that are worth

accomplishing.

Element 4: Task

The fourth element is task: the design of a challenge that is authentic,

relevant, and meaningful (see table 3.1) to the student. When we as teachers attempt to design a performance task (one that makes students

apply their learning to novel situations), it can still feel as if it is our creation and the students are simply playing in our sandbox. As we

examine the evolution of task from left to right in table 3.1, we see that

students increasingly cocreate with us.

Table 3.1 Personalized Learning Evolution: Task Element Minimal

Some Student

Student Driven

Student Input

Input

Task

Teacher,

Teacher guides

Student

What is

curriculum, or

definition and

independently

the

computer

articulation of the

defines and

challenge? generates the

problem, idea,

articulates the

problem, idea,

design, or

problem, idea,

design, or

investigation.

design, or

investigation.

investigation.

In much of the literature on personalized learning to date, proponents

talk about the importance of tasks that involve “voice and choice.” We

want to move from this as a sentiment or a catchphrase to a way to

solidify the teacher-student partnership. Here, voice represents active participation in the discourse; it makes students citizens, not subjects, in the world of schooling. This requires that students feel valued and known by the teacher and other students; it also requires a school that is a safe place to collaborate, take risks, and share ideas. Choice represents students’ freedom to pursue what they find fascinating. The task is much

more robust because it is not a teacher-controlled decision around

content, product, and process. Instead, it comes from the questions

students ask, the ideas they seek to capture, and the paths they take.

Students want to experience more than the predictable tasks that a

canned program offers; they want to believe that because they are in the

room—asking questions, making sense of data, challenging assumptions

—the learning and the performance look different.

Australian education consultant Tom March developed a framework to

assist educators in moving students from indoctrinated passive roles to

actively managing their learning. Based on research from Ryan and Deci,

Csikszentmihalyi, Seligman, Duckworth, and Pirsig, the student self-

managed framework aligns nicely with the mindsets in the previous

chapter. To access the framework, visit

http://tommarch.com/strategies/ceqall/.

For students to become more instrumental in the learning experience, it

is helpful to establish a project design cycle to focus their work process.

Most project design cycles identify similar stages, with some variation in the sequence, characteristics of the stages, and the dynamic nature of the design process. Although there are many takes on the design cycle, we

offer our own here (see figure 3.1), inspired by Alex Osborne and Sydney Parnes’s Creative Problem Solving structured process from the 1970s and

the internationally recognized IDEO design firm. This model was

designed in partnership with Charlotte-Mecklenberg Schools, and the

intended audience comprises students and teachers.

Figure 3.1 The Design Process

Developed by Allison Zmuda with Charlotte-Mecklenberg Schools in North Carolina Generate: I have a challenge. How do I approach it? In this phase, the student identifies a problem, dilemma, or issue that ignites her passion. The teacher can offer ideas, or the student can generate her own questions about a topic or issue, but the overarching focus in this stage of cocreation is to formulate a question or dilemma that will drive learning forward. Often, the dilemma can be a driving question that highlights its inherent challenges. For example, “How can we ensure safe access to

public spaces in our town when the budget doesn’t allow for their

upkeep?” or “How can we encourage young children to eat healthy foods?”

Focus: I uncover something. How do I make sense of it? In this phase, the student actively considers the problem or dilemma. Once a

question is framed, there is much to learn about the issues that surround the problem or dilemma, the various perspectives that exist, and its

context and root causes. Students should seek to understand the issue

deeply. Designers should look for similar dilemmas in different contexts

to see what was tried, what succeeded, and what failed. They should bring creative and critical thinking to bear, make inferences, think divergently, and generally play with the dilemma by looking at it from unconventional angles.

Ideate: I see a possibility. What do I create? This phase requires the student to generate, develop, and test ideas. This creation

consolidates the generative thought the student has engaged in thus far

into a focused prototype. A prototype, an important device to engage with real-world issues and dilemmas, is a quick solution or product that can be tested multiple ways to gain insights that support rapid design changes

without expecting a perfect implementation “off the shelf.” A prototype

can be as complex as a functioning model or as simple as a preview of an

idea to audiences to elicit their responses.

Act: I try it out. Is it working? The student needs to decide what

“success” looks like to evaluate her observations of the prototype in

action. Her observations allow her to tune a solution or response so that she can learn from early design stages and refine her ideas so as to

increase the potential for success.

Build: How do I move it forward based on data and/or

feedback? In this phase, the student not only needs to “fix” things that came up in the prior stage but also needs to consider how to explain and

expand the idea, design, or solution. How would I convey this idea to

people? How would it work in the real world? What about the production

and/or sustainability of the design or solution? The design process can

end here or can repeat until the task is completed or the student wants to pursue a new idea.

Personalized Learning Recommendations

1. Encourage students to take action on original ideas as

part of an established task. This task can be directly

connected to your coursework and may merit a personalized,

cocreated assignment that the student or a group of interested

students pursues. Another option is to mentor the student:

become a sounding board for ideas, goals, and timeline; use your

own network to find opportunities for students to participate; and

provide critiques mindful of the purpose, task, and audience.

2. Encourage students to question or wonder through

journaling. When an idea surfaces in a student’s thoughts, train him to capture it in the moment, before it is replaced by a new

one. Have the student enter those ideas in a journal, an index card

that is then posted on a bulletin board, or with a virtual tool (for

example, Padlet, ePads). Then have students regularly review their

ideas to evaluate which ones are worthy of pursuit.

3. Create an environment where it is a safe to try and to

fail forward. We want students to swing for the fences rather than regurgitate existing answers. Students need to make sense of

the data, evidence, and ideas to determine what is possible,

valuable, and necessary. In this way, they can experience growth

in all three areas of contemporary learning: disciplinary outcomes,

cross-disciplinary outcomes, and mindsets.

4. Provide tools to frame the work. Most students have never tackled a complex problem, inquiry, or idea that takes weeks,

months, or years of planning and effort to solve. The tools should

establish a set of parameters from which they can be creative,

rather than a set of instructions that they must follow.

Element 5: Audience

The fifth element is audience—how that shapes effort, attention to detail, and language to ensure that one is understood (see table 3.2). Relevant, authentic, and meaningful learning experiences typically happen when

learners have the opportunity to work on a problem, project, or challenge that adds value to a broader audience outside the classroom. The

evolution moves from having the teacher as an assessment audience to

engaging with a community that not only serves as an audience but also informs the work.

Table 3.2 Personalized Learning Evolution: Audience Element

Minimal

Some

Student Driven

Student

Student

Input

Input

Audience

Teacher is

Student

Student engages with

Who is the

primary

has input

authentic audience to

audience? How audience for

into or

demonstrate learning and

does that shape student product choice of

to add value through

communication? or

audience. contribution.

performance.

Shawn Cornally’s powerful blog post reminisced on a conversation that

transformed his perspective on the teacher as primary audience for

assessment.

In a conversation with a veteran educator—a man with years of

experience teaching English and acting as a headmaster—I was

confronted with a prejudice so ingrained in my teaching that I was

almost embarrassed to admit it. He said, “You know, when I ask a

student to write a paper and turn it in to me, that’s ridiculous; I’m

the worst audience they could have.” I was intrigued. He went on,

“Who am I to assume that someone will want to write their best

work, something truly personal and creative, for me? A single-person

audience is a pretty lame audience, let alone the fact that I’m a

middle-aged white guy.” That hit me like a rolled-up newspaper. As I

absorbed this veteran educator’s words, I realized that…I [was]

wrong in my assumption that I (or any teacher) is a meaningful

audience…Over the years I’ve come to believe that the use of single-

shot, for-point assessments is one of the worst possible things we can

do to students. If students don’t recognize assessments as a chance to

show their learning, then these things aren’t even assessments;

they’re something altogether alien to real learning.

Cornally then shared an interaction he had with a chemistry class

working to ferment an exotic species of switchgrass: “The fervor in the

room was contagious, and I jumped in to help. I asked the students why

they were so excited, and one turned to me and said, ‘This is for a town in

the Philippines. We Skyped with them last week, and we found some of the same grass they have. We want to help them make ethanol. Regular

gasoline is a really high cost of farming for them, and they have a lot of switchgrass.’” The students were taking action on an authentic problem

and were trying to add value through experimentation.

Creation that engages with an authentic audience motivates students to

invest themselves in the work because what they do has a tangible impact

on others. When David Mitchell, deputy headmaster at Heathfield

Community Primary School in Bolton, England, first introduced his

sixth-grade students to blogging, the students wrote that they spent more time and attention on their writing because someone else was listening.

Suzie Boss reported, “The first year he introduced blogging to his Grade 6

students, the number who earned top writing scores on British

achievement tests increased from 9 percent to 60 percent.”

Elena Aguilar shared an assignment for which students were asked to

select and research a public health concern about which people needed

quality information. Students produced brief informational brochures,

which were translated into several languages that were spoken in the

community. These brochures were then distributed throughout the

community. Aguilar remarked, “After they got responses, they were even

more motivated to write long, detailed letters full of explanation and

description—and without a single grammar, spelling, or convention

error.”

Another remarkable illustration of authentic audience was a project to

test water quality for a town in western Massachusetts. Ron Berger’s

sixth-grade class partnered with a Hampshire College professor to do a

sample study on lead and sodium pollution. The sixth graders led an

assembly for the full school to instruct every student on how to draw an

appropriate water sample as well as outfit every student with sample kits.

This yearlong project included analyses on the gathered water samples,

search for patterns in the data, drawing conclusions, and presentation to a watchful audience (which included local health department employees,

community reporters, and anxious community members). At the end of

the project, Berger declared, “Our student scientists felt on top of the

world. The work they had accomplished was not only accurate, clear, and

elegantly portrayed, but it was important. Not important school work, but important work in the real world. To this day, I’m not sure that any

community in the state has more accurate data on possible road salt contamination of wells than these studies prepared by elementary

students for the town of Shutesbury” (125).

In all of these examples, students felt useful and valuable—because their work mattered. Creating rich tasks with authentic audiences is a design

problem that stretches teachers to seek assistance outside their classroom and school walls. In Mark Miller’s blog post on audiences for assessment, he explains the power of authenticity: “When you make a piece of work

real, you change the role of students in the class…The work has to be

good enough to present to that audience. If it isn’t, it has to be

improved…Having a real audience in mind helps students to focus on the

minutiae of improvement but also makes them more receptive to

critique.”

Yet every educator has lived through public presentations that were

obligatory demonstrations of learning (for example, science fairs, poetry readings). Even though the information and ideas presented may have

been solid, the enthusiasm, the attention to detail, and the effort to make it come alive for the audience were sorely lacking. How can we increase

the likelihood that public presentations are assessments that students

truly own? Students should become accustomed to reaching out to others

to exchange information and ideas. As a student, to know that “you are on to something” or to be asked “tell me more” informs the next iteration of the work. Students grow more comfortable and confident in their ability

to be taken seriously, and expect the learning to become deeper because

of audience feedback.

Personalized Learning Recommendations

1. Seek out local experts. Consult with organizations that do research, tackle thorny problems, pursue a question with no

known answer, or create a performance or work of art. Ask them

to share their ideas, process, and challenges. See if you can create

a collaborative partnership in which students contribute to part of

the process.

2. Conduct a needs assessment of your community.

Canvas neighbors to determine what problems they face and how

students can make an impact on those problems. Creation of a community garden, cleanup of a dilapidated space, and

reimagining traffic flow for a school parking lot are responses to

concrete problems that can be connected to particular content

topics and standards.

3. Focus on audience as well as media. Andrea Hernandez

states, “There are only so many people ‘out there’ who want to

read poorly written, lacking-in-passion posts with titles like

‘Journal #5.’ Posting to a blog does not guarantee either student

motivation or high quality work.” What is it that you are trying to

say? What type of response do you hope to elicit from the reader?

Hernandez cautions that much of online behavior is attention

seeking. “We post something on Facebook because we hope it will

be liked. We are excited for the ‘success’ of a video gone viral. Is

this the right measuring stick for work of meaning and depth,

work that shows quality and growth? Therefore, engage students

in conversation about instant response versus thoughtful

response. What do you hope your post communicates…about you,

your ideas, your stance on an issue, your view of the world.”

4. Have students take the lead. Provide students a set of

parameters for leading conferences about their learning: each

student identifies evidence of key goals in the course or subject,

shares areas of strength and difficulty that the selected piece(s)

demonstrate, and facilitates a conversation with participants (for

example, teacher, parent, counselor) about future actions.

5. Give students the opportunity to select panelists for

their presentations. In Mt. Abraham High School in Vermont, John Clarke reports that every student assembles a panel,

including two teachers, two students, and two adults, who will

listen, take notes, and comment on what they have seen and

heard.

6. Invite school-community members to listen and

engage in the work. Jim Moulton describes his experience as an audience member in middle school presentations: “What I saw

was a uniform desire to do their best, and a willingness to engage

not only with content but also with their audience in a mature and

thoughtful way. I am confident that the presence of a few extra

caring adults in the room made a difference…The audience

applauded at the end of each presentation, and, once the students

were all done presenting, asked serious questions about the

research—not simply out of politeness but because we had been

engaged.”

7. Design opportunities for feedback as part of the

presentation. Whether the presentation is physical or virtual, encourage students not only to solicit questions or comments but

also to use that feedback to give the work more impact. In-the-

moment responses as well as follow-up revisions and commentary

deepen the learning for the student and show the audience that

their participation was valued.

8. Design opportunities for students to provide feedback

to presentations of information and ideas. Hernandez

wonders, “How many bloggers leave regular comments for

others?” Part of a dynamic conversation is challenging our

students (and ourselves) to craft an appropriate response.

9. Create a global/online partnership with other

classrooms for ongoing collaboration. In a conversation

with Allison, educator Tom March suggested developing virtually

linked classroom partnerships in which “We read yours, you read

ours” is part of the daily routine of learning and producing. These

partnerships can be challenging to establish, but once they are,

each side enjoys an authentic audience, a short feedback loop, and

means for crowdsourcing information that can be used for specific

projects. Like all great partnerships, these probably start with the

sparks and chemistry arising between two like-minded teachers.

March suggests pursuing such partnerships by reaching out and

connecting with people in your personal learning networks; you

may soon find yourself enjoying virtual team teaching.

10. Talk with students about selection and use of media

(for example, films, data displays, models,

demonstrations) to highlight the learning. What is the best way to showcase the accomplishment? Every student should have

a mental picture of what quality work looks like for a particular

medium, so that her revisions focus on that high level of quality.

11. Provide assignments where there is an established

audience already. Social media sites, consumer reviews, and active blogs are places where students can describe their

experience or evidence-based point of view. In addition, students

can examine and respond to others’ critiques, ideas, or findings to

broaden their knowledge base, appreciate viewpoints much

different from their own, and reflect on new ideas or questions

worthy of pursuit.

Element 6: Feedback

The next element discussed in this chapter is feedback, its role and key

characteristics (see table 3.3). Regular feedback loops inform students of the effectiveness of their efforts in relation to the goal they are attempting to achieve. Grant Wiggins elaborates: “Feedback is information about

how we are doing in our efforts to reach a goal. I hit a tennis ball with the goal of keeping it in the court, and I see where it lands—in or out. I tell a joke with the goal of making people laugh, and I observe the audience’s

reaction—they laugh loudly or barely snicker. I teach a lesson with the

goal of engaging students, and I see that some students have their eyes

riveted on me while others are nodding off” (8).

Table 3.3 Personalized Learning Evolution: Feedback Element Minimal Student Some Student

Student

Input

Input

Driven

Feedback Teacher provides

Teacher and others

Student seeks

How is

formal and informal (e.g., peers, experts in and uses

feedback

feedback on the task the field) provide

feedback from

provided, to help student

feedback to help

teacher and

and how is revise and refine the student revise and

others to guide

it used?

task.

refine the task.

performance.

With only a handful of goals, students are more likely to believe that

success is attainable and more likely to self-navigate toward that success.

Although it is customary for students to receive comments on their work,

the question is whether or not the comments compel them to action.

John Hattie and Helen Timperley make a case that “teachers and parents

often assume that students share a commitment to academic goals,

whereas the reality is that developing this shared commitment to learning needs to be nurtured and built” (89). To build this shared commitment

requires regular, student-friendly, action-oriented feedback.

Regular. Students need to be updated on the impact of their

performance, and the feedback should be incremental. When students

understand that the goal is improved autonomous performance, then

the evaluator’s job (teacher, peer, expert, self) is to engage

immediately: ask the student to describe and analyze what happened.

In turn, the student’s job is to focus on what to do next in light of that information. The more time that elapses between the performance

and the feedback, the less likely that the feedback will have an impact

on future performance.

Student friendly. The student should be able to comprehend the

feedback in terms of the accessibility of language and clarity of the

descriptors. Many rubrics and criteria fail this test. For example, the

use of vague terms such as none, some, many, and most implies that what is important is the quantity of information and ideas, not the

quality. Another concern is the length and sophistication of the

description, which, depending on the student’s age and

comprehension level, can make the feedback difficult to understand.

Action oriented. Students should focus on one or a handful of

improvements rather than be overwhelmed by errors. In the design

stage, acting on feedback is how the student improves. When students

review feedback, they should get clear information: How do I

proceed? Where do I make adjustments? Do I need a new idea?

Action-oriented feedback should propel prototyping, so that the

product can be tested as a part of its development. Action-oriented

and regular (or immediate) feedback go hand in hand.

Another obstacle that may keep students from action has to do with their

concerns as to how they might be perceived in the culture of the

classroom. Hattie and Timperley explain, “Student engagement in

learning is likely to be constrained by the evaluative dimensions of

classroom lessons because there is personal risk involved in responding

publicly and failing” (100). In other words, if students do not feel that their teacher and/or their peers value risk taking, they usually respond

only when they are fairly confident of their answer, interpretation, or

solution. Further support for this comes from the findings of Ryan and

Deci, whose work shows that when students see themselves as competent and experience a positive sense of “relatedness” with their teachers, they experience greater intrinsic motivation, which then leads to greater

outright achievement. Thus such informed and sensitive feedback begins

a positive self-fulfilling cycle.

Personalized Learning Recommendations

1. Provide every student with an authentic challenge.

Students deserve to be pushed to tackle challenges, problems,

texts, and performances that are initially daunting but still doable.

Regularly doing work that is “too easy” makes students less

inclined to struggle, pay attention to details, or focus on the task at

hand. Regularly doing work that is “too hard” sends a message to

students that this topic, subject, or skill is “not for them,” or they

decide they are “bad at it.” When students are expected to

participate in learning that is outside the zone of proximal

development, they are more inclined to feel that school is either

boring or overwhelming—both promote chronic stress and make it

more likely that students will shut down.

2. Focus on a handful of specific goals. This shift in practice means that every student can work on a few high-leverage goals in

consultation with the teacher rather than engage in a “one-size-

fits-all” revision process.

3. During the process, praise the effort, not the

performance. This shift in practice means that every student can improve based on where he is—a focus on continuing to get

better rather than being satisfied with current performance.

4. Figure out a way to get feedback to students as quickly

as possible. Wiggins said, “Although the universal teacher lament that there’s no time for such feedback is understandable,

remember that ‘no time to give and use feedback’ actually means

‘no time to cause learning.’ As we have seen, research shows that

less teaching plus more feedback is the key to achieving greater learning” (11). Design predictable routines and use technology to

free yourself to observe and confer; create student-friendly

rubrics; and have students revise the language as needed.

5. “Feedback causes thinking” (Dylan Wiliam). Students should be expected to do something rather than casually glance at the

commentary and make superficial (if any) changes. Thinking and

growing from feedback are as important for a second grader as

they are for a proficient adult. Wiggins offers, “The problem is not

in making errors; you will all miss many balls in the field, and

that’s part of learning. The problem is when you don’t learn from

the errors.” Make students think before taking the next step.

6. 6. Model the need for revision through regular student

reviews of your own work. More teachers are asking students to provide information about delivery, instruction, and classroom

climate. However, this feedback typically comes at the end of the

grade or course, meaning that any action taken does not

immediately benefit that group of students. Exit tickets are an

example of immediate feedback; they can provide insight into how

well students understand content, the level of challenge they

confronted, the comfort level in the classroom, and their ability to

collaborate with the teacher and other students.

7. Separate feedback from grades as much as possible.

Through feedback, focus students’ attention on the quality of their

current work and how they can improve it. Do not distract them

from the learning and improvement process with a grade.

8. Once the process is over, praise the performance. We all must have a “delivery point” or a performance that represents the

realization of our goals. Articulate the specific, overall strengths

exhibited in the design, investigation, and communication.

Element 7: Evaluation

The final element in this chapter is evaluation: how we score student

performance. Grading is not something “done” to the students; it is an

informed judgment based on an analysis of work measured against a set

of criteria. In a more traditional classroom environment, we evaluate

what is easily measurable (for example, accuracy of response, inclusion of information, completeness of the assignment). Given a more expansive

view of outcomes (disciplinary, cross-disciplinary, and mindsets), evaluation shifts in a personalized learning model (see table 3.4).

Table 3.4 Personalized Learning Evolution: Evaluation Element

Minimal

Some Student

Student Driven

Student

Input

Input

Evaluation Teacher

Student rates

Student and teacher

How is

generates a

performance based interpret evidence of

performance score and

on given outcomes achievement in

evaluated on provides

to inform teacher

relation to key

a given

explanation of

evaluation.

outcomes and goals.

task?

performance.

To interpret student performance consistently and fairly, we need

common expectations against which to interpret performance, even when

one student’s type of performance can differ greatly from another’s. The

articulation of each of our types of outcomes into appropriate indicators of performance and proficiency is central, providing common elements to

measure personalized learning and development against. In short,

Disciplinary outcomes require delineation of the subject-area

expectations as informed by the cognitive demand of the standards.

This requires a qualitative scale or rubric for more sophisticated or

complex tasks.

Cross-disciplinary outcomes require a qualitative scale or rubric that is integrated with or parallel to that for disciplinary outcomes.

Mindsets as outcomes require a set of observable traits that students can demonstrate, enabling teachers to provide useful feedback or to

encourage and look for growth over time. Observing and interpreting

performance related to mindsets is difficult for teachers; these

attributes are tricky to “spot.” In the case of mindsets, students must

be enlisted to identify instances when they have demonstrated these

mindsets and the qualitative level to which they called on them to

assist in achieving success.

Evaluation will have an impact on current grading practices and systems:

what we score, how we score, and how we report learning may need to be

substantially revised. An individual educator can undertake some of the

revision by

Developing rubrics that measure disciplinary and cross-disciplinary

outcomes

Engaging students in the analysis and clarification of rubrics to build

a collective understanding of the descriptors as well as how to become

more skillful and sophisticated over time

Using rubrics consistently (for example, descriptors for a powerful

argument don’t change even when the topic or issue does)

There are many policies and practices that are beyond a teacher’s control, however. Although it is important to acknowledge that grading and

reporting student work in a personalized learning model represent a

significant challenge, we wanted to stay focused on design elements, not

scoring. Therefore, when you read through the illustrative examples in

the next chapter, you will not see how the work was “graded.”

Personalized Learning Recommendations

1. Develop rubrics that measure desired outcomes. This

challenge can (and ideally should) involve a range of teachers to

articulate descriptors based on the cognitive demand of standards

and a shared commitment to the cross-disciplinary outcomes and

mindsets.

2. Begin conversations about shifts in grading policies and

practices. Many education leaders have entertained and perhaps implemented significant shifts in how learning is reported. This

challenge requires all key stakeholders (that is, parents, students,

and staff) to be included from the very beginning to ask

fundamental questions around the purpose of the reporting. Then

people may be open to considering more radical questions, such

as:

What if we no longer reported out in predictable increments,

because there is a continuous assessment of learning?

What if we expected students to play a greater role in the

scoring and revising of their work?

What if we developed rubrics that can be used across grade levels to clarify what quality work looks like in a given subject

area?

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

The explanation, examples, and recommendations in chapters 2 and 3

paint a picture of what personalized learning is and how it can be

designed at the classroom level. The next chapter puts the elements

together and shares tangible examples from a range of schools, nonprofit

organizations, and families. Before we move on, consider the following

questions:

1. What task idea(s) in your classroom or school are in the Some Student Input or Student Driven category?

2. What tasks in your classroom are not well suited to become

personalized? For those tasks, can you identify why not?

3. What are the barriers to treating students as design partners? Which

barriers could you reduce or eliminate, and how?

4. How can you move beyond teacher as audience for student work?

Where do you find willing audience members outside the classroom?

5. How can you figure out how to provide regular, action-oriented,

student-friendly feedback so that students can continue to refine or

revise their work?

Works Cited

Aguilar, E. “Motivating Students: Writing for an Audience.” Edutopia, 18

February 2011. Web. 15 May 2014.

<http://www.edutopia.org/blog/motivating-student-writers-audience-

elena-aguilar>.

Berger, R. “Water: A Whole School Expedition.” Journeys Through Our

Classrooms. Eds., Dennis Udall and Amy Mednick. Dubuque, IA:

Kendall/Hunt, 2000. Print.

Boss, S. “QuadBlogging Connects Student Writers with Global

Audiences.” Edutopia, 25 September 2012. Web. 15 May 2014.

<http://www.edutopia.org/blog/quad-blogging-technology-classroom-

suzie-boss>.

Clarke, J. Personalized Learning: Student Pathways to High School

Graduation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2013. Print.

Cornally, S. “Deeper Learning: Performance Assessment and Authentic

Audience.” Edutopia, 20 December 2012. Web. 20 May 2014.

<http://www.edutopia.org/blog/making-assessment-relevant-students-

teachers-shawn-cornally>.

Fullan, M., and Langworthy, M. A Rich Seam: How New Pedagogies

Find Deep Learning. London: Pearson, 2014. Print.

Hattie, J., and Timperley, H. “The Power of Feedback.” Review of

Educational Research 77.1 (2007): 81–112. Print.

Hernandez, A. “Where’s the Authentic Audience?” Edtechworkshop, 29

Sept. 2012. Web. 20 May 2014.

<http://edtechworkshop.blogspot.com/2012/09/wheres-authentic-

audience.html>.

Miller, M. “Authentic Audiences.” Goldfish Bowl, 16 June 2013. Web. 15

July 2014. <http://thegoldfishbowl.edublogs.org/2013/06/16/authentic-

audiences/>.

Moulton, J. “Learners Thrive with a Public Audience.” Edutopia, 20 June

2009. Web. 15 Jan. 2014. <http://www.edutopia.org/student-

presentations-public-audience>.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. “An Overview of Self-Determination Theory.”

Handbook of Self-Determination Research. Eds., Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 2002.

Print.

Wiggins, G. “Seven Keys to Effective Feedback.” Education Leadership

70.1 (2012): 10–16. Print.

Wiliam, D. “Feedback on Learning.” Journey to Excellence. Education Scotland, n.d. Web. 11 June 2014.

< http://www.journeytoexcellence.org.uk/videos/expertspeakers/feedbackonlearningdylanwiliam.asp

Chapter 4

Tasks That Demonstrate Personalized Learning

Evolution in Practice

One week in late 2010 a student presented this paper: Blackawton

Bees ( Biology Letters, November 2010). Of course none of us work on bees, but we were particularly interested in this article because it was

written by a class of third graders…yep, as in eight- to ten-year-old

children. As you can imagine, that journal discussion had little to do

about the science and much to do about what an interesting approach

to science education this is. Third graders had thought of the

questions, designed and carried out the experiments, and interpreted

the results. How many other students had the same potential?

Probably thousands. That got us thinking…how awesome would it be

to promote this kind of research based science and wouldn’t it be great

if students could publish their research in a peer-reviewed journal

created for just that intent?

—Editorial board of Journal of Emerging Investigators

(http://www.emerginginvestigators.org/about/) The walls that separate the “school world” from the “real world” become

more porous as learning becomes a shared enterprise. This chapter

illustrates how the elements described in chapters 2 and 3 fit together in task designs that have been developed by educators and programs

throughout the world. To inspire personalized learning task designs, we

offer the saying go personal, go local, go global and provide explanations and examples. Finally, we share two examples of how a traditional

performance task can evolve based on student interest and broader

audience as well as provide a pathway to support student planning.

The Personalized Learning Evolution is repeated in table 4.1 to support your familiarity with the elements, the levels of evolution, and the

explanations.

Table 4.1 Personalized Learning Evolution

Elements

Minimal

Some

Student

Student

Student

Driven

Input

Input

Chapter Disciplinary

Established

Student has

Student

2

Outcomes

standards

some choice

determines

What are the

dictate the

to focus on

the content

subject-specific

content and

particular

and skills he

goals of

skills to be

topics,

or she wishes

learning?

learned.

concepts, or

to learn

skills within

within

established

established

standards.

standards.

Cross-

Cross-

Student has

Student

Disciplinary

disciplinary

opportunities identifies

Outcomes

outcomes

to develop

cross-

What learning

have been

based on

disciplinary

goals cut across

established.

explicit

outcomes

subject areas?

teaching and

from a

assessment.

common set.

Mindsets

Teacher

Teacher

Student uses

What mindsets

creates a

guides

mindsets to

are necessary for classroom

students to

work harder,

success?

culture that

use the four

engage in

uses the four

mindsets to

more

mindsets

strengthen

productive

(relevance,

performance

behaviors,

growth

and

and persevere

mindset, self- development. to overcome

efficacy, sense

obstacles to

of belonging).

success.

Chapter Task

Teacher,

Teacher

Student

3

What is the

curriculum, or guides

independently

challenge?

computer

definition and defines and

generates the articulation of articulates the

problem, idea, the problem,

problem, idea,

design, or

idea, design,

design, or

investigation. or

investigation.

investigation.

Audience

Teacher is

Student has

Student

Who is the

primary

input into or

engages with

audience? How

audience for

choice of

authentic

does that shape

student

audience.

audience to

communication? product or

demonstrate

performance.

learning and

to add value

through

contribution.

Feedback

Teacher

Teacher and

Student seeks

How is feedback provides

others (e.g.,

and uses

provided, and

formal and

peers, experts feedback from

how is it used?

informal

in the field)

teacher and

feedback on

provide

others to

the task to

feedback to

guide

help student

help student

performance.

revise and

revise and

refine the

refine the

task.

task.

Evaluation

Teacher

Student rates Student and

How is

generates a

performance

teacher

performance

score and

based on

interpret

evaluated on a

provides

given

evidence of

given task?

explanation of outcomes to

achievement

performance. inform

in relation to

teacher

key outcomes

evaluation.

and goals.

Chapter Process

Learning

Learning

Learning

5

Who controls the sequence and sequence and sequence and

sequence and

pace are

pace are

pace are

pace of learning? specified by

specified but

developed

the

somewhat

based on

curriculum,

flexible based student

teacher,

on student

interest and

and/or

interest and

need and

resource.

need.

flexible based

on assessment

of progress.

Environment

There is a top- The

Teacher and

Where does the

down

environment

student work

learning take

environment

is more

together as

place?

in which

collaborative; learning

teacher

teacher

partners to

instructs and

considers

design and

assesses

student voice assess

disciplinary

and choice in learning for

and cross-

the

disciplinary

disciplinary

instruction

and cross-

outcomes.

and

disciplinary

assessment of outcomes.

disciplinary

and cross-

disciplinary

outcomes.

Chapter Demonstration Teacher and

Student

Student

6

of Learning

district

chooses

proposes or

What constitutes assessments

among a set of shapes way(s)

evidence of

specify the

options to

that both

learning?

way(s) in

determine

disciplinary

which

how

and cross-

disciplinary

disciplinary

disciplinary

and cross-

and cross-

outcomes will

disciplinary

disciplinary

be

outcomes will outcomes will demonstrated

be

be

and will

demonstrated. demonstrated. provide

evidence of

learning (e.g.,

personalized

portfolio).

Time

Schooling is

Schooling is a Schooling can

When can/does

defined by

more variable take place

learning occur?

“seat time”—

blend of time- 24/7, 365

prescribed

based and

days a year

number of

outcome-

and be

school days

based

determined

(e.g., 180

measures.

by outcome-

days, Carnegie

based

units)

measures.

Advancement

Student is

Promotion or Advancement

How does a

advanced

retention at

is based on

student progress based on age, the end of the demonstrated

through the

irrespective of year is based

competency

system?

achievement. on

whenever that

achievement

is achieved.

in the course

or grade level.

How do you use the elements of the Personalized Learning Evolution to

design tasks? The task frame is a graphic organizer that describes the

parameters of the assignment to focus the design and the development of

the student. Developers of task frames use them to clarify elements of

context, task, audience, feedback, targeted disciplinary outcomes, and

cross-disciplinary outcomes as well as specify the extent to which

students drive the work (that is, minimal student input, some student

input, student driven). The first two examples here (tables 4.2 and 4.3)

were first referenced in chapters 1 and 2: Water for the Future and Bugsy Breaks. There are more illustrative task frames throughout the chapter

and in appendix B. In addition, there is a blank version in appendix B.

Again, our goal is to ease the transition from a teacher-designed and

teacher-directed task to one that incorporates and values student ideas

and actions.

Table 4.2 Task Frame: Water for the Future—A High School Algebra Task

Table 4.3 Task Frame: Bugsy Breaks—Developing a Philanthropic Business Model

Inspiration for Task Designs

How do you invite students to the design table to create with you? We

have broken down these examples into three categories: go personal, go local, and go global. Every example we have featured in these next sections would be, at a minimum, in the Some Student Input column of

the shaded sections of table 4.1. These assignments are designed to gain better insight into who students are and how they present themselves to

the world. In addition, we include for each category at least two

illustrative examples, described in task frames.

Go Personal

To create a sense of belonging (the fourth mindset, as discussed in

chapter 2) requires an exploration of who you are and how you present

yourself to others. This exploration and communication requires

significant student choice as to what to share and how to express it.

Following are five examples that students can use to both uncover and

share who they are:

Six-word memoir (for teens). Everyone has a story. Can you say it

in six words? Students can post their memoir as well as the rationale

behind the memoir on the site

(http://www.sixwordmemoirs.com/teens/index.php). There are no established criteria for submissions. A few examples from the site

caught our eye in connection to the topic of this book:

“Staring upwards, pretending to be elsewhere.”

“My brain is a box of crayons.”

“Second place is never good enough.”

“Cannot wait for freedom to ring.”

An alternative is Dan Pink’s one-sentence project. Larry Ferlazzo created a set of links for educators to do this in the classroom

(http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2012/09/23/series-of-good-dan-pink-

videos-to-use-with-students/). Pink’s project is no longer active, but you

can offer these examples to inspire students to write statements

physically or virtually for a broader audience.

Judging a book by its cover: the power of first impressions.

How do we initially judge people? Can a bad first impression be

overcome? Examine your “digital footprint” online to determine what

first impression is being revealed and how different audiences see

specific aspects of who you are. Based on your analysis, take one

aspect of how you are presenting yourself to the world via social

networking and develop a deliberate plan for rehabilitating or

developing your image for a target audience.

This I Believe (www.thisibelieve.org). These are short essays around a personal belief, written by people from all walks of life. Essays are

categorized by theme, such as empathy and compassion,

discrimination, carpe diem, addiction, setbacks, humor and laughter,

legacy, self-knowledge. In order to be considered, you need to adhere

to the parameters from the website:

Please limit your essay to approximately five hundred words.

Tell a story that illustrates how your personal belief was shaped.

Please refrain from writing an opinion piece about a public issue. We

want the story of your belief, not an editorial about a current event.

Tell us what you do believe, not what you don’t believe.

Proofread your essay before you submit it, as we do not accept corrections or changes after we receive your essay.

Knowing about how your brain controls your attitude and

actions. How does your brain work? How do you use that knowledge

of how your brain works to accomplish goals? There are a significant

number of programs that focus on student self-empowerment through

learning about the brain. There are two notable but very different

examples of such programs, which have been implemented in schools

and communities internationally. First, Mindset Works

(www.mindsetworks.com) is an online brain-based program to teach students about the brain and about how to have a growth mindset.

Currently, there are more than fifty thousand students around the

world who have worked through the modules to learn how to grow

intelligence through effort, resilience, and improvement. A principal

in Texas shared this success story: “After completing the modules, one

8th grade boy made the A/B honor roll for the first time since 3rd

grade. When I asked him what the difference was, he said that now he

understood that learning was not always going to come easy to him

and that didn’t mean he was stupid, it just meant he needed to work

harder on that subject.” Girls on the Run, an extracurricular

elementary and middle school program, provides girls with tools to

develop physical, emotional, and spiritual health. The organization’s

vision: “a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless

potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams.” There are twenty-

four lessons that are taught in conjunction with training for a 5K race.

Ten-year-old Girls on the Run participant Zoe Zmuda recalls one of

the lessons:

We learned about how what you say to yourself in your head shows

up in your attitudes and actions. A positive cord means that you are

happy and you are enjoying what is happening in life. A negative

cord means that you are angry, sad, or disappointed. If you have a

negative cord plugged into your brain, you can recognize that it is

there and then unplug that cord based on a change in your attitude.

So when I feel like I can’t do something, whether it’s running or

something else I am not the best at, I know I can do this if I believe,

try my hardest, and keep doing what they tell me that I need to get

better on.

Future aspirations. What do you want to do when you grow up?

Students describe their dream and then investigate how to take action

through research on training programs, opportunities for internships

or service projects, experts, or ideas that inspire. This aspirational

work can be done in multiple ways: an advisory program, Career

Studies course, English Language Arts class, an independent study

structure, or a service learning requirement. In addition, there are

several software mapping tools for students to map out their futures,

most notably eMAPS from the Consortium for Public Education in

Pittsburgh

(http://www.theconsortiumforpubliceducation.org/20121011_news.html The first task frame (table 4.4) was inspired by a conversation that Allison had on an airplane with a ninth-grade girl, Peyton Brick. As she

described what she wanted to do, Peyton became more and more excited

that it could be possible as part of her high school experience.

Table 4.4 Task Frame: My Aspirations

The second task frame (table 4.5) was developed by a team of French and Spanish teachers in Colorado. They wanted to design a task for which

students had to conjugate verbs in the past tense to describe a memory.

Table 4.5 Task Frame: World Language Task on Memories

Go Local

Students consider challenges or problems in the local community and

take action on investigating the root of the challenge or problem and developing an idea, design, or prototype to address it. Students can

present their ideas to a broader audience both to seek feedback and to

garner support for the larger aim. Ideas for local challenges can come

from multiple places, including personal experiences, interviews with

members of the community, or current events.

The d.school at Stanford University offers two key questions in the

selection of the local challenge (answers to both questions should be yes): Does the challenge contain a variety of explicit and implicit human

needs?

Does the challenge allow for a range of solutions?

For more information on d.school K–12 design challenges, visit the

school’s wiki:

https://dschool.stanford.edu/groups/k12/wiki/613e8/Creating_Design_Challenges.html When considering the integration of local challenges within classroom

curricula, teachers can identify how a given design project connects to

standards to leverage the appropriate amount of time, staffing, and

community outreach. If there is a loose connection with standards but

high student interest, a teacher can propose to the student that this is a powerful idea for a service learning project or cocurricular group. If there is a direct association with a few standards and high student interest,

teachers can work on part(s) of the design process (delineated in chapter 3) and provide class time to develop a solution, conduct an independent

study, evaluate existing projects, and come up with an action project to

carry out one solution or idea. Another option is to partner with a

community group to join existing action projects or have student(s) share ideas with a community group to cocreate and carry out a plan. To get

you started, here are four ideas that are common in many communities:

Art installations. Students create artwork and install it in local businesses and public spaces. Each piece is accompanied by a short

statement that describes relevant information the artist wants to

share with the viewer. In addition, there should be a larger

explanation of the installation or exhibit to frame the viewing

experience.

Local enterprises. Students operate businesses as part of a school-to-career program or on their own time. Common enterprises include

catering, auto repair, beauty salon, graphic design, APP design, computer repair, and lessons (for example, guitar, social media, art,

animation, 3-D printing). Students learn how to hone their craft,

network with local employers, market their business, design customer

feedback loops, and improve customer service.

Other people’s stories. Students interview and record the stories of senior citizens employing a particular focus (for example, growing up,

most important technological innovation, turning point in their lives,

greatest love, a day they will never forget). Students create a narrative using a given medium and then present a copy as a gift.

Service project. Students join an existing service project or develop an idea based on an articulated need. This project can be connected to

future aspirations and/or course content (for example, cleanup days,

food banks, donations to local hospitals, volunteering at shelters) and

have conceptual threads and skill sets related to English language

arts, social studies, health sciences, foods and nutrition, and

environmental science (to name a few).

Tables 4.6, 4.7, and 4.8 are three task frames: two describe how students made sense of a problem and offered a viable solution. Students in an

Australian school used their woodworking techniques to give back to

their local community (table 4.6); students in Philadelphia applied algebra to determine the safest routes to school (table 4.7). The third task frame for this category (table 4.8) is a youth media project for which students partner with local reporters and studio professionals to capture and create news.

Table 4.6 Task Frame: Wood Technology and Design Project

Table 4.7 Task Frame: Safe School Routes

Table 4.8 Task Frame: Youth Media

Go Global

When considering how to integrate global literacy into local curricula,

there are two basic entry points: (1) investigate the world through a

complex problem and (2) recognize different perspectives around a

common idea. Brandon Wiley, executive director of the International

Studies School Network at Asia Society, asserts: “Learning about

problems in far away countries may have been part of the curriculum

before, but 21st century technology allows students to actually connect

with those problems, serve as actors, and do something about them”

(152). Here are just four of many global examples to inspire your

students: an engineering competition, a science competition, an illustration of global population, and a common exploration across

cultures.

Grand Challenges from the National Academy of

Engineering

(http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996.aspx). The following are daunting challenges for students who have the

background knowledge and developmental skills to think through a

possible solution:

Determine how to make solar energy more cost effective for home

owners and business.

Design a plan to supply more clean water to populations with a

scarcity of water or make better use of existing water resources.

Work to restore the natural nitrogen cycle through reducing runoff

and erosion of fertilizers, use of organic materials for fertilizer, and

strategic planting of plants.

Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge. In this annual

national environmental sustainability competition for K–12 students,

students learn about science and conservation while creating

solutions that impact their planet. Each year, submissions are

evaluated on the following criteria: statement of hypothesis, plan and

design, analyze and provide results, share it with others, and global

impact. The illustrations here are excerpts from the 2013 award-

winning proposals, which can be found on

http://www.wecanchange.com/.

K–2 example (from Lincoln Avenue Academy, Florida): “Our

school is located in an urban center of our city where there are not

many green spaces. Even our campus was in bad shape! Green

spaces were not taken care of. Runoff polluted our water. And

animals had no place to live. We learned about importance of

green spaces. Then, we decided to turn our school campus into a

certified wildlife habitat and teach others how to create and take

care of green spaces in their schools and neighborhoods.”

High school example (from Skyline High School, Michigan):

“There is a desperate international need for a portable, efficient,

and inexpensive method of water purification. Readily available

recyclable materials, such as glass, plastic, and foam, could be combined with natural sources of energy to create an efficient,

inexpensive, and environmentally friendly water distillation

system—providing clean drinking water for individuals or small

communities. Our solution, the HydroPod, is meant to be

inexpensive, reliable, portable, and environmentally friendly.

Made of 100% recycled plastic, the HydroPod evaporates water

while collecting the condensed remnants, eliminating all deadly

bacteria and viruses.”

100 People: A World Portrait. The mission of the 100 People

Foundation (http://www.100people.org/) is to personalize global statistics by conceptualizing the world’s population of seven billion as

a representative sample of one hundred people. The goal is to

“facilitate communication between cultures and world neighbors [to

see] the concept of a world community and shared responsibility for

the planet.” The website offers lesson plans and project ideas.

ePALS projects. Individual classes (ages one to seventeen-plus)

propose an idea to the world, seeking classroom partners. These ideas

are framed by subject area, connected to standards, and based on

collaboration (for example, email exchange, Skype or video chat, use

of collaborative workspace). Here is the website to join an existing

project or create one: http://www.epals.com/project-experience.php.

The following is a sampling of the dozens of existing tasks:

Five- to seven-year-old class in India looking for collaborators on a

healthy eating project

Eight- to ten-year-old class in Macedonia looking for collaborators

on a gaming project

Eleven- to thirteen-year-old class in South Korea looking for

collaborators on a “Culture in a Box” project

Fourteen- to sixteen-year-old class in Jordan looking for

collaborators on a cultural fables project

Tables 4.9 and 4.10 are illustrative examples of “go global” task frames.

The first is the development of a hero story; the second is creation of a game as part of the Games for Change Festival.

Table 4.9 Task Frame: MY HERO

Table 4.10 Task Frame: Games for Change

How the Role of the Teacher Shifts

Many teachers are attentive to student interests, but those interests do

not significantly alter how they design and implement assessment and

instruction. When moving from left to right in the Personalized Learning

Evolution, we grow our partnerships with students as they have a greater

stake in the development of the tasks. We deliberately expand student

voice and choice in task creation, timely feedback and opportunity to take action, sharing and enlarging the target audience, and taking stock of the accomplishments to consider future goals.

How do you take a typical task and reimagine it? Let’s play out two

typical units that appear in many elementary schools: a science unit on

insects (table 4.11) and a language arts unit on fables and folktales (table

4.12).

Table 4.11 A Science Unit on Insects, Grade 1

Minimal

Some Student Input

Student Driven

Student Input

Task

Task Description:

Task Description:

Description:

Students produce a bug

Students identify a task

Students research field guide for budding

within the bugs unit and

ants and produce young scientists. Every

an audience for their

an illustration as

student selects a bug,

work. Examples:

well as identify

finds key information

Create photo(s) and

basic facts and

about that bug, and works

recorded

represent those

to represent findings both

explanation(s) of

on their

visually and in words.

insect(s) for personal

illustration. Then Once a draft is completed,

scientific observation

students write

each student seeks

journal

one or two

feedback from two

sentences to

individuals: a classmate

Create Illustrations

articulate an

and someone outside the

and find interesting

interesting fact

classroom (e.g., a family

facts about each stage

they learned

member or friend). Using

of an insect’s life cycle

about how ants

the feedback, each student

for young science

interact with their creates a final draft that is

readers

environment

included in the bug field

Identify key

(e.g., how they get guide for publication.

information about an

food or work

insect and turn that

together as a

into a story (using Eric

community).

Carle’s A Very

Hungry Caterpillar as

a model text) to be

read aloud to young

children

Create “What am I?”

clues to identify a

particular insect using

pictures and facts for a

PreK–2 audience

Student(s) work with the

teacher to articulate a set

of multidisciplinary

learning goals that the

task measures. They also

collaborate to create a set

of criteria to guide and

evaluate task

development. As students

work on their drafts, they

elicit feedback from

others, specifically their

target audience of young

scientists. At the end of

the task, students reflect

on their learning, share

the reflection with their

teachers, and identify

areas of success and areas

for continued growth.

Teacher Role:

Teacher Role:

Teacher Role:

Provides the

Develops a set of goals

Consults with students

directions for

that the task measures.

to identify how they

the

For example, this task

will focus their work

assignment on

can measure the

toward these goals and

ants

content and inquiry in

standards

science;

Preselects

Collaborates with the

comprehension,

resources on

student to develop a

analysis, and

ants for

student-friendly

communication in

students, to

checklist to inform

ELA; and the process

ensure that

work on the task

skills of self-navigation

they can

and collaboration

Plays the role of

access key

facilitator, raising

information

Develops a student-

questions for students

friendly checklist to

Organizes

to consider about task,

inform work on what a

whole-class

purpose, and audience

quality submission

learning

looks like for the bug

Documents

chunks based

field guide

observations and

on each phase

Organizes whole-class

provides “just-in-time

of the

learning chunks for

teaching” to address

assignment:

locating resources and

student roadblocks

identifying

identifying and

(e.g., not finding any

and recording

recording key

information on a

key

information

particular bug,

information,

difficulty with group

Provides “just-in-time

creating an

dynamics)

teaching” on creating

illustration,

an illustration,

Helps students

labeling

labeling external

identify and access

external

structures, and sharing

external audiences

structures,

interesting ideas found

who will provide

sharing

out about the bug

feedback on the task

interesting

design and the

ideas found

Develops a student-

emerging and final

out about the

friendly set of

product

bug

questions for the

students to use to seek

Collaborates with the

Creates a

feedback from a

student to identify

checklist for

classmate and

areas of success and

students to

someone outside the

areas for future

help them

class

learning and growth

keep track of

what they are

Takes individual

doing

student submissions to

create the bug field

Creates a

guide

rubric to

evaluate

With student, reviews

students that

progress toward larger

mirrors the

learning goals and sets

checklist; may

targets for future

or may not

learning experiences

share the

rubric with

students

Table 4.12 English Language Arts Unit on Fables and Folktales (Upper Elementary)

Minimal

Some Student

Student Driven

Student

Input

Input

Description: Description:

Description: Students read a

Students

Students read fables

range of fables to identify what

read/listen to

and folktales to

makes a good fable. The class

fables and

identify a central

then creates a set of

folktales and

message. There is a

characteristics to inspire their

identify the

blend of individual,

own production. Each student

central

small-group, and

then produces a fable to submit

message or

whole-class discussion for a virtual fable anthology

theme.

around how they

(can be hosted by classroom

Students use

“figured out” the

teacher or the school) based on

these examples message and what

a current issue. Students seek

as models to

made one fable or

feedback from at least two

create a

folktale more powerful individuals: a classmate and

fable/folktale

than another. Then

one person outside the

with a specific

students select one

classroom (e.g., a family

theme (e.g.,

central message that

member or friend). Using the

patience, self-

they read, and re-

feedback, each student makes

confidence,

create that message in modifications to his or her final

generosity).

a contemporary

copy and posts it online.

context. Once the

Readers of the site (including

writing is completed,

participating students) are

each student buddies

encouraged to leave feedback

up with a kindergarten on one another’s stories.

classmate and shares

the story.

Teacher

Teacher Role:

Teacher Role:

Role:

Provides the frame

With students, develops a

Preselects

for the assignment

set of goals that the task

fables and

and describes how

measures, including content,

folktales for

students can make

comprehension, analysis,

students

it their own by

and communication in ELA;

organized

taking an identified

and process skills of self-

around a

message and re-

navigation and collaboration

specific

creating it based on

theme

what is familiar in a

Develops a student-friendly

young child’s

checklist to inform work on

Identifies

world. (For

what a quality submission

whole-class

example, “The

looks like for the class

theme and

Tortoise and the

anthology of fables

provides

Hare” could

assignment

become “The Run-

direction

Down Car and the

for writing

Race Car” to

of fables

illustrate the same

and

message that slow

folktales

and steady wins the

race.)

Teacher

Teacher Role:

Teacher Role:

Role:

Organizes whole-

Organizes whole-class and

Organizes

class learning

small-group learning chunks

whole-class

chunks based on

for both comprehension and

learning

each phase of the

production of fables

chunks

assignment:

Provides “just-in-time

based on

identifying and

teaching” on such topics as

each phase

sharing

selecting a theme and using

of the

fable/folktale,

feedback to inform revisions

assignment:

determining a

identifying

theme, and

Develops a student-friendly

the central

creating a fable to

set of questions for the

message

publish and share

students to use to seek

and

with kindergarten

feedback from a classmate

creating the

students

and someone outside the

fable or

class

Creates a checklist

folktale

for students to help

Assembles individual

(planning,

them keep track of

student submissions to

drafting,

what they are doing

publish the classroom

revising,

anthology

and editing)

Creates a rubric to

evaluate students

Confers with students to

Creates a

that mirrors the

determine students’

checklist for

checklist

progress within the larger

students to

Provides an

learning goals and standards

help

opportunity for

and to set goals for the

students

students to share

future

keep track

their fables with a

Provides students with time

of what

kindergartener

to review, reflect, and revise

they are

based on feedback on the

doing

site

Creates a

rubric to

evaluate

students

that mirrors

the

checklist

Developed by Lorena Kelly and Allison Zmuda

Notice that as the descriptions shift from traditional to student centered, the teacher’s role shifts as well. These examples illustrate small shifts in design, control, management, and scope to provide a stronger student

voice and stewardship of their own learning.

From the point of view of a classroom teacher, there are three pertinent

questions to make this learning approach challenging, possible, and

worth the effort. First, Do I know my content standards— what they say, what they mean, how they interrelate? Fluency with content standards

means that a teacher can see the forest (overarching expectations) and

the trees (grade-level expectations). The teacher can then take the

standards language, which is often obtuse, dense, or overly detailed, and translate it so that students can be clear about the disciplinary outcomes.

Some content standards are more important than others, and the teacher

can focus on what is pivotal (developmentally, in the PreK–12 scope and

sequence) rather than “covering” every standard.

Second, Do I trust my students to be true learning partners— in a dynamic rather than hierarchical exchange, one in which we collaborate

often to frame tasks, evaluate progress, and consider next steps? The

teacher creates the conditions (the four mindsets in chapter 2) and uses

two vital strategies as part of regular practice. One essential strategy is to establish key criteria for quality work. How the work will be evaluated

must be transparent to students, and they must have access to several examples that demonstrate work meeting those criteria. This is true

whether the criteria have been developed externally or by the students.

The use of key criteria becomes the basis for feedback and identification of next steps. The second essential strategy is to use formative assessment to gather detailed information to improve instruction and student

learning while it’s happening. The teacher can determine the appropriate

next steps on the basis of what the learner needs: just-in-time teaching, more practice, additional development time, seeking out expert advice,

and so on. The teacher has the flexibility to focus on the desired

disciplinary and cross-disciplinary outcomes (as measured through

independent performance) instead of following a rigid pacing guide.

Third, Do I have tolerance for mess, uncertainty, and failure—change that takes me out of my comfort zone? Structure and planning are still

important, but the focus is no longer implement-assess-repeat until the

curriculum is over. Instead, the structure and the plans are in service to the development of students’ disciplinary and cross-disciplinary

outcomes. Therefore, if our best-laid plans do not work, as educators we

have an obligation to figure out alternate routes for student success. We are not suggesting that the student has no role in his own achievement;

we advocate that self-regulation is pivotal to success for both teacher and student. The messiness of this type of learning experience requires

considerable rapport between teacher and student as learning partners so

that when there is a roadblock or a dead end, partners see it as an

obstacle, not a death blow.

How the Role of the Student Shifts

As students become stewards of their own learning experience, it helps

both teacher and student to have a planner that describes the problem or

challenge, design process, pathway to action, and reflection on mindsets.

This planner integrates the design elements of a personalized learning

task, as described in chapter 3, for students to consider and respond to.

Typically this planner should be used when the task and audience are classified as student choice or personalized learning.

My design problem or challenge:

What is it? Why does it matter?

My design process:

Generate: How do I approach it?

Focus: How do I make sense of it?

Ideate: How do I create?

Act: Is it working?

Build: How do I move it forward based on data and/or feedback?

(REPEAT AS NEEDED)

My pathway to action:

What’s my plan?

My mindset:

Relevance: Why do I care? Why does the work matter? Is this the

only way?

Growth mindset: What are the criteria I am holding myself to?

How am I doing right now? How do I feel right now?

Self-efficacy: Where am I in my process? What are my next steps?

Sense of belonging: How does this impact my connections with

others?

The role of a teacher is one of advisor: he or she provides feedback both on the plan and task development. The role of the student is one of

creator: he or she better understands the problem or challenge and goes

through a dynamic design process until the goal is realized.

We have shared an illustrative example (see table 4.13) of the planner in action, cocreated by Allison and her son, Cuda, about a personal

challenge. (There is a blank version of the template in appendix B [table AB.4].)

Table 4.13 Personalized Learning Vision-to-Action Project Planner

Needed Systems and Supports beyond the

Classroom

There are four considerations that typically are beyond the individual

classroom; they require not just systematic permission but considerable

support. First, we propose more transdisciplinary tasks that are meaningfully aligned to multiple content standards and disciplinary

outcomes. Specialization in a particular discipline is not as desirable as applying knowledge to address the multifaceted nature of complex

problems, collaborating with diverse partners, and creating something

powerful, elegant, or joyful. Yet we acknowledge that traditional

organizational forms (for example, subject-area courses in secondary

school, X number of minutes per day/week for elementary school) are

still the reality at most public, private, and charter schools. Second, we propose that more tasks be done off the classroom clock—projects and challenges that require full immersion. It is incredibly difficult to design and carry out

on-site experiences, involve experts who consult with students to provide feedback on their work, create substantive research/production

assignments, and engage in creative acts within the time constraints of a given class period. Schools can examine how they allocate time on a daily or weekly basis to make the design of these tasks more feasible. Third, we propose moving from a typical academic prompt, hypothetical problem,

or “make-believe” audience to imagining what a task can be: a task that is complex, substantive, and authentic. The inspiration for these tasks can come from

An existing idea—something that you have seen, heard, or read and

are excited to play with

A student-generated idea—something that comes from dialogues,

journaling, or blogging to unearth what students are fascinated by,

problems they are struggling with both in and outside school, or

projects they want to pursue

A problem or project that is already in play—something that inspires

student(s) in class to become involved and to collaborate with experts

(journalists, scientists, art historians, and so on), classes across the

globe, and local organizations

To design and execute these tasks requires “research and development”

space where teachers and students have the time, resources, and latitude

to create. Fourth, we propose the deliberate incorporation of student choice in the design and development of tasks. “ Student centered”

denotes that students are respected and are responsible for making

decisions both inside and outside of the school walls. This is a pedagogical shift for many teachers: to entrust students with both a

higher level of responsibility for work that they may theoretically crave and a task design process with which students have minimal experience.

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

The ultimate intention of moving along the Personalized Learning

Evolution is to have students believe that the work they are doing

matters. It comes with a shift in the pedagogical capacity of teachers to collaborate with students and peer teachers; to provide frequent, robust, and action-oriented feedback; to model curiosity about the world and

their work; to share ideas with students as learning partners; to be a

trusted mentor; to discover new challenges, texts, and problems; and to

shepherd the publication of new knowledge, texts, designs, and ideas.

Before moving on to the next chapter, consider the following questions:

1. When reading the illustrative examples, what were your initial

reactions?

2. The examples may be compelling, but the reality of designing and

developing tasks may be overwhelming and perhaps a little extreme.

What “Yes, buts” popped into your head?

3. To what extent do you support more of a role for students in the

design and development of their own ideas? When should that

experience take place—at what age? what time of day/week/year?

4. Reread the examples of the two tasks and the teacher roles that move

along the Personalized Learning Evolution (tables 4.12 and 4.13).

What might the student’s role be in each?

Work Cited

Wiley, B. “Leading for Global Competence: A Schoolwide Approach.”

Leading the New Literacies. Ed., Heidi Hayes Jacobs. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree, 2013. 123–159. Print

Chapter 5

What Personalized Learning Looks Like at the

Instructional Level

Our school is a place where kids can learn in their own ways. You may

have difficulties, but you are always able to find a way to take in

information yourself. You are not controlled by teachers all the time.

You can make some of your own choices. When I walk into our school I

feel very at home. I see a happy place where I can learn, but also be

myself. Kids here have different frustrations. Teachers and other kids

in your community are all there to encourage you.

—Grade 5 Student #1

We can work at our own pace, no matter how slow or how fast. It does

not matter how smart the kids are, but only if they learn, and are

happy. And all the teachers have special bonds with each and every

one of their pupils. Smiles are always visible at our school.

—Grade 5 Student #2

In chapter 1, we discussed the reasons we commit to personalized

learning as a vital approach to achieving deeper engagement in student

learning that produces high-level disciplinary and cross-disciplinary

outcomes. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 delineated the first seven elements of the Personalized Learning Evolution and shared illustrative examples of such

tasks both in and outside school. In this chapter, we turn our attention to process and environment: the growth of our students based on how we

design instruction. These two elements open up reflection on how to

meaningfully incorporate technologies in the classroom; they also

reinforce the needed shift in roles for teacher and student. In a recent

blog post on MindShift, Shawn McCusker elaborates: “The role of the teacher moves from being a distributor of information to one of nurturing students as they collect, evaluate, and process information into unique

learning products. The students’ role consequently moves from that of a

receiver of the teacher’s knowledge to that of a researcher, curator, and creator. Products of student creation and individual expressions of

learning become important parts of the learning process that are shared,

evaluated by classmates, and built upon by the teacher.”

This chapter will not be a list of packaged instructional strategies, but rather a sampling of tools, recommendations, and narratives to expound

on the two elements.

Element 8: Process

The element of process (see table 5.1) encompasses both the planning and implementation of the learning sequence and the pace. Traditional

education generally is a teacher-centered enterprise: the teacher’s job is to develop, implement, and assess a sequence of lessons based on the

coverage of agreed-on topics at the course or grade level. The student’s

job is to keep up with the teacher’s pace, organization, and preferences.

In a personalized learning classroom, teachers create the conditions or

“tilt the environment” toward success for each individual. As we move to

the right in the evolution, we begin to see a different focus, which

requires attention to four key components: the way that disciplinary and

cross-disciplinary outcomes are developed; the multiple or flexible

pathways that students can pursue to demonstrate learning; the teacher’s

role in relation to the learner at different stages of the process; and a cumulative evaluation of learning.

Table 5.1 Personalized Learning Evolution: Process Element Minimal

Some Student

Student Driven

Student Input Input

Process Learning

Learning sequence Learning sequence and

Who

sequence and

and pace are

pace are developed

controls

pace are

specified but

based on student

the

specified by the somewhat flexible

interest and need and

sequence curriculum,

based on student

flexible based on

and pace teacher, and/or interest and need.

assessment of progress.

of

resource.

learning?

Let’s start with how disciplinary and cross-disciplinary outcomes are

identified within the instructional sequence. First, the teacher (either

alone or with the student) identifies (in student-friendly language)

specific disciplinary outcomes that frame a unit of study (for the class or

for an individual student) and are paired with broader disciplinary and cross-disciplinary outcomes. Consider an example from a seventh-grade

mathematics class:

Specific Disciplinary Outcomes for a Unit on Algebraic

Manipulation

I can solve for a variable using properties of operations. (7.EE.1,

7.EE.2)

I can solve real-life multistep problems using simple equations.

(7.EE.3, 7.EE.4)

I can combine like terms and use the distributive property. (7.EE.1,

7.EE.2, 7.EE.3)

The broader disciplinary outcomes might be as follows:

Compose and decompose numbers to establish relationships, perform

operations, and solve problems

Describe and/or solve problems using algebraic expressions,

equations, inequalities, and functions

The broader cross-disciplinary outcomes might be

Problem solving: Based on an understanding of any problem, initiate a plan, execute it, and evaluate the reasonableness of the

solution

Critical thinking: Articulate how mathematical concepts relate to

one another in the context of a problem or in the theoretical sense

Metacognition: Know what you don’t know and use mechanisms

(for example, tools, strategies, context) to deal with a given math

problem

The teacher then can design a playlist of resources, learning experiences, and/or tutorials for students to navigate in preparation for solving an

authentically messy mathematics problem. In this scenario, the student

has a lead role in selecting resources and learning experiences to guide

her work.

Now that disciplinary and cross-disciplinary outcomes are identified and

learning resources are collected, the teacher works with students to

identify multiple ways to demonstrate learning. A simple way to open up the space for students to identify alternatives is to have a “standing offer”

to develop an independent project that is teacher approved (for example,

rigorous, meets targeted outcomes, doable). A second way is to provide a

few ideas from which students can select. For example, two science

teachers from ThunderRidge High School in Colorado designed three

task options for students to evaluate technologies to harness alternate

energy resources (see table 5.2).

Table 5.2 Tasks Options for Wind Turbines

Tasks

Disciplinary and Cross-

Disciplinary Outcomes

Task 1: Design and build a home

(Task 1 only) Design a model using

wind turbine that can generate

appropriate scientific tools,

the most power

resources, and methods

Collect, analyze, and evaluate the

quality of evidence in relation to a

question

Develop a valid scientific

conclusion, assess its validity and

limitations, and determine a future

course of action to inspire further

questions

Communicate scientific

information clearly, thoroughly,

and accurately

Task 2: Evaluate the design of a

wind turbine prototype found

on Kickstarter

Task 3: Do a cost-benefit

analysis of a standard wind

turbine, including financial and

environmental costs and

benefits

A third and the most student-driven approach is to clarify the targeted

disciplinary and cross-disciplinary outcomes that the task should measure but leave the rest of the assignment for students to design. For

example, a Civics and Government teacher wants students to make

connections between the abstract ideals of the founding documents of the

United States and real-life events. The disciplinary and cross-disciplinary outcomes might be as follows:

Actively engage in a problem or idea that is meaningful to self and

society

Create question(s) or statement(s) that advance research and analysis

Access and analyze text for context, reliability, and accuracy to

determine relevance

Use textual evidence to form generalizations, make predictions, and

draw conclusions

Communicate information and ideas based on purpose, task, and

intended audience, using appropriate language

In this example, the design of what to pursue and how to pursue it rests on the shoulders of the student. Many students may need some initial

guidance and illustrative models of communication formats that can be a

mix of student and professional examples (for example, a blog post, white paper, or stump speech). The teacher may need to provide significant

scaffolding for some students, especially if they are unaccustomed to such autonomy.

To teach in a personalized learning classroom calls for a shift in how we provide support to the learner depending on the stage of the project or

individual challenge. To make this shift, consider three instructional

stances in relation to students: in front, deliver knowledge for students; behind, observe work by students; and beside, collaborate with students.

In a personalized learning environment, an effective teacher adjusts his

stance depending on where the student is in her learning journey. We call this “differentiation by position,” and it is an important consideration in the delivery of instruction. Aside from some of the elements that we have decided should be delivered “in front” of students, facilitation is really a matter of conducting the group and individuals on their learning journey.

This requires frequent check-ins, supporting students in progressing

through their plans, and offering a suggestion here and there as to how a student can succeed or resolve a dilemma; we are engaged in a constant

process of mentoring. As mentors, we need to stay in regular contact, use structures for project management, and be very agile in how we support

students. We need to be aware, at all times, of where a student or group is within a larger task and to know their strengths and weaknesses well

enough to support them appropriately, even anticipating some potential

areas of need.

It is helpful for teachers to keep project journals on each student or group throughout this process so that they can stay on top of what can

sometimes seem like chaos. This ongoing documentation and reflection

also helps with the overall assessment of student performance. Jesse

Gloyd, teacher/advisor at Aveson Charter School in California, describes

what you might see when walking into his classroom:

Much of my time is spent meeting with students as a means of

developing frames that might best facilitate good, solid, production

and output. Occasionally I will workshop in small groups (or have

my instructional assistant workshop as well); however, the deeper we

get into the school year, the more I begin to understand my students,

the majority of time spent comes in the form of small-group/one-on-

one topic prep and idea selection…The end goal is to get students to a

place where they are creating their own tasks, developing them,

looking for help, and, in the end, assessing themselves at such a high

level that they are really self-monitoring and moving through the

process with as little help from me as possible. The frames that we’ve

set up for mastery seem to be working toward helping students exist

more and more without needing us as educators—which really is, at

the end of the day, the most important thing. We want to set up

systems that get students to a place where they can, with confidence,

exist without us guiding them each step of the way.

Table 5.3 is a sampling of instructional strategies and resources at Aveson.

Table 5.3 Instructional Design Strategies and Resources, Aveson Charter School

Literacy

Math

Projects

Small-group instruction (I)

Small-group

Mini-lessons with

instruction (I)

advisor (I)

Mini-lessons with advisors

(I)

Mini-lessons

Interactive

with advisors

notebooks (O, C)

Spelling city (I)

(I)

Videos and review

Book clubs (C, I)

Skills-based

games (I, O)

Peer work/workshopping

small groups

Google Docs for

writing (C)

(I)

digital

One-on-one instruction (I)

SAI

conferencing (C,

SAI (specialized academic

(specialized

I)

instruction) support (C, I)

academic

Pair share (O)

instruction)

Fluency cards (O)

support (C, I)

One-on-one

Graphic organizers (C)

instruction (I)

One-on-one

Google Docs for digital

instruction (I)

BrainPop (online

conferencing (C, I)

software) (I, O)

Khan

One-on-one

Academy (I,

Graphic

conferencing/mentoring

C)

organizers (I)

(C, I)

Math jobs

Eye Openers—

Anchor documents—

(use

leveled

exemplary writing samples

Montessori-

informational

used as models of expected

based

texts for research

writing, products,

materials) (O)

projects in

published works (O)

younger grades

Singapore

(O, C)

Study Island—online

lessons (I, C)

software (I)

Group work

Sensorial

activities (O)

Starfall—online software (I)

manipulatives

(O)

Small-group

Handwriting Without Tears

instruction (I)

program (I)

Fluency cards

(O)

Outlines—teach

Project-based writing (O,

and use outlines

C)

Fact fluency

to manage time,

(O)

SRA—reading

stages of projects

comprehension (I)

Focus choice

(I, O)

(O)

Audiobooks (O)

Four-step process

Individual

to solving math

earobics—online software

conferencing

problems (I, C)

(O)

(C)

Differentiation—

without

SIPPS (I)

TenMarks—

diminishing the

online

CARS—online software (I)

quality of the

software (I)

Wordly Wise—vocabulary

finished work (I,

Google Docs

reinforcement (C)

C)

for digital

The Literacy Lab—online

Individual

conferencing

software (I)

conferencing (I)

(C, I)

Focused choice—

Graphic

individualized

organizers (C)

voice-driven

Guided

pieces (O)

practice—

teacher

directed (O,

C)

Starfall—

online

software (I,

O)

Conferring

about writing

one-on-one

(C)

Tiers (I)

Positive

reinforcement

(C)

Group work—

student

directed (O)

Scaffolded

worksheets

(O)

Four-step

process to

solving math

problems (I,

C)

Concrete-

pictorial-

abstract

instructional

sequence (I,

O)

Note: (I) = sequence of instruction—either delivered by teacher or software program; (O) =

observation of student work; (C) = collaboration between teacher and student(s) Personalized learning does not negate the need to “teach.” There is

nothing wrong with direct instruction as long as it is used judiciously.

There will always be a need to teach students “stuff,” but you want to

choose the stuff that is most appropriate and effective for students to

learn through direct instruction. Structure modules that students can

work through with appropriate checks along the way. These modules can

be delivered either through digital means (and there are many solutions

that exist for this method) or through the packaging of physical learning modules around important outcomes. The most import element to

reinforce here is that these common elements should be ones that every student is going to need to access and use when moving into more

personalized elements of the process.

Finally, the evaluation of student performance in a personalized learning environment can be challenging for those new to the process. However, if

we have defined appropriate demonstrations of success in the design

phase and kept close contact with students throughout the process,

evaluation can be very manageable. Assessment of student learning

becomes less summative in nature and more cumulative. If we have been in constant contact with students, we will recognize that they have been

demonstrating their learning all along. Shauna Stafford, a

teacher/advisor at Aveson Charter School, explains:

We have created outcomes that cover every skill we would like

students to master over the course of the semester. While I assign

some tasks for the entire class to complete, such as a writing piece

where students describe their growth from the previous semester, discuss their work habits, and create goals for the current semester,

most tasks are created by students. They use the outcomes as a

guide, we conference together, my instructional assistant checks in

with them frequently, and they conference with their peers, but

ultimately they decide what they want to read and write. During

silent writing time, my instructional assistant and I hold one-on-one

conferences with individual students about their writing. Every

student must always be in the process of a writing piece—this

becomes second nature to students, even those who struggle with

motivation or lack requisite skills. We ask them the same questions

over and over again and take notes on their answers: What are you

working on? Can I read your draft? How’s it going? What specific

feedback would you like? How can I help you? Where are you in the

writing process? And our advice usually begins with the same

sentence starters or question starters: I notice…, I wonder…, Do you

think…? What is the purpose of…? Do you need…? Do you want to

try…?

Our assessment won’t be based simply on the product, performance, or

presentation; it will be based on all of the ingredients that have created the “meal,” not just the meal itself. Students have collected ingredients throughout the process, not necessarily following a recipe as much as

creating one. Their collecting, discarding, refining, and discovering of

ingredients are perhaps more important than following the set recipe

correctly. If we believe this to be true, an assessment of student

performance should include metrics that allow us to evaluate the

ingredients they have amassed and to interpret how they used these to

create a meal that demonstrates the important disciplinary and cross-

disciplinary outcomes we have broadly defined as “success.”

Personalized Learning Recommendations

1. Introduce the area of focus or outcomes to stimulate

inquiry and task definition. Success in a personalized

learning environment relies to a great extent on the clear framing

of the process for learners. Students should know the parameters

for the larger, more personalized tasks and how they are going to

attain and demonstrate success. This may seem self-evident, but it is often neglected. In traditional environments, we often roll out a

unit day by day or provide only a linear description of lessons,

chapters, quizzes, and tests. This approach will not support

students in a personalized environment. Teachers need to

foreshadow the “big picture” so that students can navigate in an

environment where the act of learning is more important than the

product.

2. Consider a redesign of the learning space. The layout of the room indicates what type of work is expected. For example,

there could be a corner of the room designated for intense

concentration, with table space to spread out and noise-canceling

headphones. Or there could be a collaborative space complete with

a painted wall (chalkboard paint, dry-erase-board paint) for

students to capture ideas, develop plans, or work on a problem.

Again, invite your students to join in on this experience; working

together on design and execution creates shared ownership and

promotes upkeep. For more information, visit Edutopia’s 2013

blog series on how to remake your classroom:

http://www.edutopia.org/remake-your-class-collaborative-

learning-video.

3. Consider a redesign of a course structure. A teacher can develop a course structure opening up the task possibilities but

still honoring the disciplinary and cross-disciplinary outcomes.

For example, take a look at this graphic that illustrates a

reimagined high school World History course (figure 5.1).

Figure 5.1 Example of How to Redesign a Course

As illustrated in figure 5.1, the structure creates a matrix out of two elements of the course: the horizontal headings represent

traditional topics (various historical periods selected as focus areas

of the course); the vertical headings indicate key drivers that

represent constant forces and systems that drive change

throughout periods of history. This adds a level of conceptual and

“big idea” thinking to the course beyond learning about periods in history, rich intersections between crucial periods of human

development and powerful drivers of change. The drivers become

both desired learning goals and the vehicles for higher-level

learning and understandings of the forces of change over time. The

X’s in the figure represent an individual student’s area of focus for each topic or unit of study; the student will use a different driver as

a lens to explore each historical era. Her classmates will explore the

intersection between another driver of change and the same era. At

the end of each unit, they will share the understandings

attained and attempt to synthesize these. They will have time for

this, as they attain most of the content for each historical era

through flipped and modular methods and will have more face-to-

face time to interact with others. The culminating project of the

course, as represented by the open rectangles, is for students to pursue important questions by looking at the effect of a single

driver of change across all historical periods (and our present one)

or to look at the forces of change within a period of history by

looking through the lens of all drivers.

The same structure could be used with the study of science. Drivers

such as balance, systems, or cycles could be used as ways to view a

number of topics in science in the elementary grades. Major

themes in literature can become drivers for looking across various

pieces of fiction. Fundamental principles of art can help deepen

and focus our inquiry into various movements. Certainly, many

teachers already utilize this mixture of recurring concepts and

disciplinary topics, but it is often not leveraged to bring

personalized learning into the regular classroom. Again, this

structure is not meant to illustrate “radical” or transformational

personalization, but it does demonstrate elements that can be

worked into all settings.

4. Consider a redesign to create a cross-disciplinary

structure. Another recommendation is to reimagine how a cross-disciplinary or grade-level team could integrate multiple subject-

area disciplinary and cross-disciplinary outcomes in the design.

This example comes from Greg’s work with a “school-within-a-

school” model at various schools. These academies are intended to

be innovative “hothouses” where larger strategic goals are

developed, prototyped, evaluated within a smaller, more agile

environment and spread to the rest of the school. There are

several layers to this program structure. (See figure 5.2. )

Figure 5.2 Example of How to Create a Cross-Disciplinary Structure for Multiple Courses

Developed by Greg Curtis

Similar to the previous course example, there are themes to

represent bigger concepts that recur and spiral throughout the

environment, often revisited through different entry points. In

this case, the themes are change, balance, discovery, and

identity. There is a set of topics to provide the context within which we can apply each theme: health, environment, economics,

and community. There are units: logical “blocks” of learning organized around the convergence of themes and topics that will

draw relevant disciplinary and cross-disciplinary outcomes into

the mix. This structure will frame learning experiences through a

rich blend of disciplinary and cross-disciplinary outcomes as well

as personalized experiences. Figure AC.1 in appendix C shows

how the intersection between a theme and a topic can result in

interesting units, or areas of study, inquiry, and personalized

projects. It is in these projects that students explore possibilities and pursue an idea based on investigation and analysis. For

example, students could “combine” the theme of change with the

topic of health and decide that aging was a great area for a

project. One student could decide to focus his project on helping

the elderly connect with family by teaching them some basic

social networking and technical skills. Another could try to design a solution to a common problem among the elderly. Yet another

student might choose to design a play-based program for people

in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease to help slow the

deterioration of memory and cognitive function. Skillfully

supported, each student could define and demonstrate a set of

desired disciplinary and cross-disciplinary outcomes while having

a great deal of control and choice.

Element 9: Environment

For personalized learning to flourish, teachers (and all members of the

school community) have a broad view of where learning can take place

(see table 5.4). The following three areas require not just classroom teacher support but also buy-in from administrators, families,

community members, and local boards:

Students shift according to the learning need: staff promote

movement among physical and school spaces as well as flexibility in

grouping.

Students connect with a wide range of authentic audiences and

experiences: online sources, placements within the community,

service and experiential learning.

Students navigate virtual learning activities and resources: goals and resources are organized into smaller, targeted sets to make specific

modules accessible and encourage independence based on their

learning trajectory.

Table 5.4 Personalized Learning Evolution: Environment Element

Minimal

Some Student

Student Driven

Student

Input

Input

Environment There is a top- The environment is

Teacher and

Where does the down

more collaborative;

students work

learning take

environment

teacher considers

together in a

place?

in which

student voice and

learning

teacher

choice in the

partnership to

instructs and

instruction and

design and assess

assesses

assessment of

learning for

disciplinary

disciplinary and

disciplinary and

and cross-

cross-disciplinary

cross-disciplinary

disciplinary

outcomes.

outcomes.

outcomes.

Let’s explore each point in a little more depth.

Students shift according to the learning need: staff promote

movement among physical and school spaces as well as

flexibility in grouping. At Aveson Charter School, for example, staff consider the design of the environment in terms of specific student needs or opportunities; disciplinary and cross-disciplinary outcomes; and

task(s). Staff then design “spaces” based on the metaphors of campfires,

watering holes, and caves.

Campfires—learning from an expert or storyteller in a more formal

learning setting

Watering holes—cooperative, collaborative, more informal learning

Caves—individual-focused learning, study, reflection, quiet reading,

and creative flow

On any given day, students move from one space to another depending

on what they need. Within those spaces, the instructional practices are a blend of physical and virtual experiences designed to provide students

what they need when they need it.

Students connect with a wide range of authentic audiences and

experiences: online sources, placements within the

community, service and experiential learning. This expectation

tears down the walls between the “school world” and the “real world” to

create a unified learning experience grounded in problems, challenges,

and ideas. Field trips, guest speakers, and community service are no

longer “add-ons”; information, ideas, action, and feedback gained from

these experiences bolster the significance of the task and the opportunity for students to see the impact.

Students navigate virtual learning activities and resources:

goals and resources are organized into smaller, targeted sets to

make specific modules accessible and encourage independence

based on their learning trajectory. Technology should be seen as a catalyst for and an enabler of learning, rather than as a separate category on the Personalized Learning Evolution. Author and education consultant

Michael Fisher shared with Allison:

Personalized learning is not necessarily technology dependent. While

it’s good for students to have both physical and digital toolboxes of

resources to use while learning and solving problems, there is no

magic technology elixir. The task must drive the operational

decisions around method, resources, and outcome. I don’t think that

the question “How can we integrate technology?” is a good question

to ask anymore. A better question, especially in terms of personalized

learning, might be “What choices does the student have to learn and

perform?” Or maybe “What’s in the student’s toolbox?” This

demands that technology is a ubiquitous expectation, like the usage

of books or pencils, and is not something we have to plan for—

because it’s already there.

Integration of technology tools and platforms into the classroom can

satisfy students’ desire to use devices to make sense of problems and

challenges, and educators’ need to improve student achievement.

Therefore, we offer three broad categories of technologies to frame the

potential benefit of technology within various contexts:

Access technologies shift control of learning from the teacher and the textbook publisher to the learner. By appropriately shifting some

of the acquisition of knowledge and skills to a tech-supported

environment, we can focus our time on extending student learning in

meaningful ways. “Flipped” environments off-load traditional uses of

our time with students to make space for active and engaged learning

experiences. Face-to-face time with and between students is too

valuable to remain shackled to traditional transmission tasks. Access

technologies also put more control and responsibility into the hands

of learners to direct their own inquiries. Although there is an

abundance of resources regarding the digital tools available, table 5.6

lists a few examples that are particularly well suited to a personalized

learning environment.

Facilitative technologies provide space for us to work and learn

individually and together, and facilitate many of the cross-disciplinary

outcomes that are central to the aims and success of personalized

learning. These technologies empower students to organize, plan, and refine ideas to become independent, self-directed learners. Using

mind-mapping software to introduce concepts to students,

maintaining your own blog to engage students, and using project

management tools to help chart out the course of a project are all ways

that you can model the use of technology to support and extend

students’ work (see table 5.7).

Adaptive technologies “learn” about us as we use them and then

react accordingly. We see this clearly in the way that websites will

position advertisements based on what they can learn about us (our

location, browsing history, past activity on that website, and so on).

In the context of personalized learning, adaptive technologies tailor

learning opportunities to the student based on his ongoing

performance. A software program might present appropriately

challenging texts for him based on the level of comprehension

demonstrated in previous tasks, or a problem-solving scenario

chosen to nudge him forward based on his previous performance; or

it might use complex heuristics to assess a student’s writing ability

and present him with tasks to focus attention on areas of weakness

and strength. Typically used in blended or flipped learning

environments, adaptive technologies should release teachers from

the stand-and-deliver model and students from the dutiful learner

role. Adaptive technologies should connect students with their

learning and assist them in a thoughtful process of ongoing

improvement and reflection.

The first step is to carefully select appropriate adaptive support for

student learning. Adaptive technologies (see table 5.5) should help students acquire necessary knowledge and skills in an individualized

and growth-oriented way. Students should not just be “turned loose”

to plow through modules in a simple “get to the end” fashion; they

should be supported in gaining insights about their learning

throughout the process. Most adaptive technologies are still geared

toward supporting the development of foundational skills, but in the

not-so-distant future, they will present students with complex

scenarios and engaging real-world tasks based on their trajectory as

learners.

Table 5.5 Sample Adaptive Technologies

Sample

Uses

Tools

Knewton

Knewton is an adaptive engine to power e-learning

experiences developed by others. It can be used with any

content, but allows teachers to customize each student’s

interaction with the material and uses analytics to

support students along the way.

Smart

This is an adaptive e-learning platform from Australia.

Sparrow

It is used in higher grades and into the postsecondary

environment, but can be used by teachers at other levels

to develop courseware. It includes some analytical tools

to help capture and mine learning data.

ScootPad

ScootPad is an adaptive learning tool for K–5 students

utilizing the Common Core. It is promising to see tools

tailored to developmental needs in elementary

education.

WriteItNow This area of adaptive technology has proponents and

detractors. WriteItNow is an example of a tool that

supports the development of student writing. It would

be wrong to think that this is the silver bullet for

creating fabulous writers, but there are elements that

can support students through the draft stages and allow

them to get instant and useful feedback on basic

elements of their writing in progress.

Table 5.6 Sample Access Technologies

Sample Uses

Tools

World

A small yet growing repository of primary source documents

Digital

spanning centuries and continents. These great artifacts can

Library

spur critical and creative thinking around key points in the

development of humankind.

Khan

A well-known compendium of “self-help” videos on various

Academy topics (especially in the areas of math and science). The

individual modules make good resources for students who

would benefit from some reteaching and attention to

identified areas of learning needed to succeed at larger tasks.

Brain

Another site that has been around for a long time, by digital

Pop

standards. The series of short presentations around various

topics is engaging and can help students plug gaps or extend

their learning in identified areas.

Table 5.7 Sample Facilitative Technologies

Sample

Uses

Tools

Trello

Trello is a simple project management tool that allows

individuals and groups to manage various tasks within

larger projects. It supports collaboration, problem solving,

and planning skills, and can also be used for metacognitive

purposes that involve some creativity.

MindMeister There are many mind-mapping tools out there, and this is

but one example. This tool is geared toward teachers, but

can also be used by students. There are also a number of

sites and software tools out there for students.

Visualization helps hone communication skills, especially

with complex issues or concepts, and aids in developing

critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

WordPress

WordPress is but one of many tools that can be used for

student blogging. However, this particular one has many

tools and “widgets” that students can use for some very

effective forms of communication. Blogs can support

communication, collaboration, creative and critical

thinking, and metacognitive development.

Along with introducing students to new tools for learning and working,

we must help them in their conscious choice of the right tool for the job at hand. This can involve engaging students in experimenting with different

tools to capture the pros, cons, and uses of each.

A Day-in-the-Life Narrative

It is helpful to get a glimpse into what a personalized learning

environment might look like. To that end, we have developed a narrative

to illustrate the process and environmental shifts we have examined in this chapter. The example may be idealized or unrealistic right now given your conditions and resources, but it challenges you to see what could be, to craft a collective personalized learning vision, and to pose questions about “how” rather than “why.” As you read through this elementary

school example, physically track (with highlighting or margin notes) the

“Yes, buts” that come up for you, so that you can discuss them with other educators. At the end of the narrative, we will pull back the curtain a little to describe, very briefly, some of the elements that the example

represents. This “decoding” of the narrative (shown in table 5.8) will focus on

How disciplinary learning was demonstrated

How identified cross-disciplinary outcomes were developed and

demonstrated by the student(s)

Feedback given to further investigation, revision, or reflection

Features of the environment and technologies used

Mindsets engaged in and expanded by the example

Table 5.8 Decoding a Day in the Life: Elementary Example Elements

Commentary

Disciplinary Clearly, Katie and Rasheed are engaged in tasks that

Outcomes

demonstrate the learning at the heart of the narrative.

These include English language arts (writing and

character development through the documentary), social

studies (documentary), math (challenge lab and practice

activities), and science (insect field guide).

Cross-

Creativity, critical thinking, communication, and

Disciplinary collaboration are all used to access the learning

Outcomes

experiences described and hinted at in the narrative. The

development of metacognition, creativity, critical

thinking, and communication is supported through the

processes, tools, and teacher support provided.

Feedback

Teacher: offers keywords for web search based on Katie

and Rasheed’s vision for the field guide; sets up a

checkpoint (having them show him an image that

communicates the interaction between insects and their

environment)

Student: Rasheed located resources and asks Katie to

review

Environment Communication tools, such as a class website and

individual learning logs, figure prominently in many

personalized environments. You’ll also notice mention of

“project spaces” and other tools to support project

planning and collaboration. Technology is used to

communicate learning and ideas in multiple modes. An

online writing tool and online learning modules are also

mentioned as ways to move tasks from the classroom

environment into the personalized one.

Mindsets

Relevance: Katie and Rasheed focus on making their

field guide useful for a younger audience through

illustrations and by showing how important insects are in

the environment.

Growth Mindset: Both students focus on the

improvement of the task.

Self-Efficacy: Katie checks to see what she needs to

accomplish based on resources and teacher instruction;

Katie and Rasheed work together to plan and to talk with

their teacher about progress.

Sense of Belonging: Classmates work together in small

teams to work through questions and challenges.

Katie enters school at the usual time. As she waits for her classmates to gather, she checks her daily calendar on her tablet. She makes a mental

note as to whether she’s done what she needed to do in preparation for

today’s work. The day begins with the teacher outlining the day’s

activities.

“So,” he says, “We have a couple of group sessions today. The first one is a math activity to help you prepare for tomorrow’s challenge lab. You all

have the information for that on your class site, so use that to figure out what areas you might need to work on to prepare properly. You’ll also

find instructions about what modules to use in the math center to work

on these specific needs. Then I’ll outline some common things you might

want to consider in your prep for this task.

“Later, we’ll meet to share some of what you’ve learned about character development as you have been working on your documentary script for

your social science movie. Remember, you should focus on what you’ve

learned about portraying a fictional or historical character through

images, interview questions, and character monologues. The prompting

questions for your sharing are in your project outline. I’ll also share some tips about how to make your character’s dialogue realistic and use it to

reveal who he or she is.

“For the rest of these blocks of time, I’ll meet with each small team for a few minutes as you work on your science field guide. I’m interested in the progress you are making and the challenges you might be facing as you

look at the content and delivery of your information for your particular

audience. OK, let’s get to work…”

With that, some of Katie’s classmates go straight to the math center to

find the practice modules they need to work on to prepare for tomorrow’s

math challenge. Others open the class site on their tablets and go through the self-assessment to check on the areas they need to work on.

Katie’s partner on the field guide project, Rasheed, approaches: “If you

get your math prep done a little early, can we meet for five minutes so we can talk about what we’ll share about the field guide?”

“Sure,” says Katie. “Last night I went through some of the math stuff

online, so I have time. Find me when you’re ready.”

After the math prep session, small groups share their challenges and

insights in depicting character through their documentary. Classmates

make quick notes on their tablets and discuss their reflections, such as,

“We had the same thing! Have you thought about using pictures to show

where your character comes from instead of having them explain it?”

Later in the day, small groups meet to work on their field guides. Some

students are putting together documents for their guide, some are

making illustrations, and some are recording an audio guide. Katie and

Rasheed meet to go through their project plan and check their progress.

Rasheed starts the conversation: “I found some good resources last night, and I put them in our project space. I think they might help to explain

how the insects we’re focusing on are important to the environment.”

“Great, thanks! I’ll have a look at those after I finish this graphic that shows all the insects we’re going to use, and I guess I’ll start to put the

pieces we have into a single document.”

After a short period, their teacher arrives with their project plan on his tablet. “So, Rasheed and Katie, how’s it going? Do you feel you’re pretty much on plan?” Rasheed answers, “Yeah, I think so. Some of the pieces

shift around a bit, but we’ve got it under control.”

“Good,” replies their teacher. “Now, tell me how you plan to make this

field guide useful for your audience. You’re making this for younger

students, right?”

“Yes,” says Katie. “We thought we’d use more pictures and illustrations to show the insects and not use so much text. But it’s kind of hard to take all of our research and figure out how to help them understand it through

pictures.”

The teacher acknowledges their difficulty. “Yes, that certainly is a

challenge. What types of information do you find easier to put into

illustrations?”

“Well,” says Rasheed, “the descriptions and parts of the insects are easy to put into images. So are the types of things they eat and where they

live.”

Katie joins in, “Yeah, that part is easy. But we want kids to think about how important these insects are in their environment. You know, that

they have a purpose.”

“So the relationship between these insects and other parts of the

environment?” asks the teacher.

“Yeah, something like that,” agrees Rasheed.

“There are some visual models you might want to think about,” offers the

teacher. “Why don’t you search on ‘food webs’ or ‘ecosystem’ images and

see if any of those things help you think through it. And remember, your

audience is five years old. Keep it simple and direct.”

“OK, we’ll try that,” says Katie.

“Good. And why don’t you check in with me when you think you’ve found

the type of image you might use to communicate that idea?” concludes

the teacher.

“OK. I’ll do some looking after I look at Rasheed’s resources. Rasheed,

maybe if you get some of the pieces in the document, we can find a place for an image about this,” says Katie.

The day concludes with instructions for Katie and her classmates on

using the online writing assessment tool to check the text of their field guides. They will need to submit their final draft for peer review in three days and need to check it for clarity and correct use of punctuation and

word choice. Before they leave, students use their tablets to update their daily calendar with what was accomplished today and verify what they

need to do tonight and tomorrow to complete tasks.

Appendix C includes day-in-the-life narratives for middle and high school as well as a blank table for decoding. Feel free to use these to “spot the personalization” and explore other ideas and environments.

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

Before we leave chapter 5, we want to remind you of two salient

instructional points in a personalized learning environment. The

importance of “good teaching” and the role of the teacher don’t go away;

the teacher works as a facilitator to empower students to take a more

significant role in the design and development of the learning experience.

Second, there are alternate ways to restructure programs, courses, or

units to increase student ownership of the learning experience and

achieve desired disciplinary and cross-disciplinary outcomes. Do not feel overwhelmed, but instead feel supported by the number of options to

help make the shift meaningful for you and your students. Consider these

possibilities:

Personalized learning formats through which individuals or small

groups pursue a project or problem that they deeply care about, and

use the “experts” (in and out of school) to provide them with

information and feedback

Authentic community-based formats, such as internships, projects,

and workplace employment, that value the application of learning

Online or blended learning, guided by schools and teachers, that

values students’ time and engagement by using a setting that they are

comfortable with to explore, connect, and make sense of texts,

problems, and challenges

Here are a few reflective questions that may help you consolidate your thinking:

1. What does this chapter tell you about the “feel” of a personalized

learning environment?

2. How do the process and environment mesh with your own identity as

a teacher?

3. Do you tend to spend most of your time in front, behind, or beside

your students?

4. Which elements of technology do you currently use, and how do you

use them?

5. What elements from the examples in this chapter do you recognize

from your current practice?

6. What elements from the examples in this chapter do you think might

provide you with an entry point to further develop a personalized

learning environment?

Work Cited

McCusker, S. “Teachers Most Powerful Role? Adding Context.”

MindShift, 7 April 2014. Web.

<http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/04/teachers-most-powerful-

role-adding-context/>.

Chapter 6

What Personalized Learning Looks Like at the

Systems Level

Student voice, like teacher voice, should be integral—not an

afterthought, or even a means of validation. There is a tangible attitude in education that children are to do what the adults say, since the

adults know best. They can complain and protest, but their voices

should be dismissed because, well, it’s petulant and uneducated. This

philosophy is synonymous to a physician ignoring his patient’s report

of pain or symptoms because he clearly knows more about the human

body. Just as a physician must, our educational legislators should

know more than children about the specifics of engineering an

education system. But this is no reason to dismiss students’ input and

ideas.

—Ethan Young, high school senior in Tennessee

We now address the ripple effect that many readers have anticipated

from the first few pages of the book: how we organize school needs to

become personalized as well. A personalized learning system

transforms schooling by providing voice and choice on what, where, and

how students learn in relation to disciplinary and cross-disciplinary

outcomes aligned with standards. In Why School? Will Richardson

asserts, “In this new story, real learning happens anytime, anywhere with anyone we like—not just with a teacher and some same-age peers, in a

classroom, from September to June. More important, it happens around

the things learners choose to learn, not what someone else tells us to

learn.”

Therefore, in this personalized learning system,

Every teacher creates a classroom culture of respect grounded in

high expectations and provides feedback and guidance in learning

content, developing skills, and thinking strategically.

Every learning community both in and outside school offers

students opportunities to learn from experience through application

in authentic situations.

In this chapter, we focus on elements generally not within the locus of teacher control but are absolutely vital to making personalized learning a reality: assessment of learning, time, and advancement. All three of these elements are connected to local policy as well as to state, ministry, and/or national requirements.

As we explore each element, consider the “Yes, buts,” both those that

come up for you as a reader and those that you can imagine other

members of the school community might say.

Element 10: Demonstration of Learning

A personalized learning system captures student learning through the use

of multifaceted assessments (see Table 6.1). This robust and rigorous system creates the opportunity for students to develop pride in their

work, agonize over details, and work through challenges. Ron Berger

eloquently described this difference in student pride and performance

when students have a voice and choice built into assessment of learning:

“Rather than seeing school as something done to them, students are given

the responsibility to carry out original academic projects, save work in

portfolios, display their work, and reflect publicly on their work and their learning” (53).

Table 6.1 Personalized Learning Evolution: Demonstration of Learning Element

Minimal

Some

Student Driven

Student

Student

Input

Input

Demonstration Teacher and

Student

Student proposes or

of Learning

district

chooses

shapes way(s) that

What constitutes assessments

among a set of both disciplinary and

evidence of

specify the

options to

cross-disciplinary

learning?

way(s) in

determine how outcomes will be

which

disciplinary

demonstrated and

disciplinary

and cross-

will provide evidence

and cross-

disciplinary

of learning (e.g.,

disciplinary

outcomes will personalized

outcomes will

be

portfolio).

be

demonstrated.

demonstrated.

Demonstrations of learning value the solution, interpretation, creation,

or conclusion and the explanation or justification that led to that result.

In a 1989 Phi Delta Kappan article, Grant Wiggins poses a powerful question that is as timely then as it is now: What is a true test?

We have lost sight of the fact that a true test of intellectual ability requires the performance of exemplary tasks that replicate the challenges and

standards of performance that typically face writers, businesspeople,

scientists, community leaders, designers, and historians. A genuine test

of intellectual achievement doesn’t merely check standardized work in a

mechanical way. It reveals achievement on the essentials, even if they are not easily quantified.

As Wiggins reflects in a recent blog post, “Authenticity in Assessment,” he advocates that this is a curriculum design challenge into which local

educators can make significant inroads if they focus on the following

components: structure and logistics, design features, grading and scoring, and fairness (see table 6.2).

Table 6.2 Authentic Assessment Tasks

Component Authentic Tasks

Structure

Are more appropriately public; involve an audience,

and

panel, etc.

Logistics

Do not rely on unrealistic and arbitrary time

constraints

Offer known, not secret, questions or tasks

Are not one-shot—more like portfolios or a season of

games

Involve some collaboration with others

Recur—and are worth retaking

Make feedback to students so central that school

structures and policies are modified to support them

Design

Are “essential”—not contrived or arbitrary just to

Features

shake out a grade

Are enabling, pointing the student toward more

sophisticated and important use of skills and

knowledge

Are contextualized and complex, not atomized into

isolated objectives

Involve the students’ own research

Assess student habits and repertories, not mere recall

or plug-in

Are representative challenges of a field or subject

Are engaging and educational

Involve somewhat ambiguous (ill-structured) tasks or

problems

Grading

Involve criteria that assess essentials, not merely what

and

is easily scored

Scoring

Are not graded on a curve, but in reference to

legitimate performance standards or benchmarks

Involve transparent, demystified expectations

Make self-assessment part of the assessment

Use a multifaceted analytic trait scoring system

instead of one holistic or aggregate grade

Reflect coherent and stable school standards

Fairness

Identify perhaps hidden strengths (not just reveal

deficit)

Strike a balance between honoring achievement while

mindful of fortunate prior experience or training (that

can make the assessment invalid)

Minimize needless, unfair, and demoralizing

comparisons of students to one another

Allow appropriate room for student styles and

interests (some element of choice)

Can be attempted by all students via available

scaffolding or prompting as needed (with such

prompting reflected in the ultimate scoring)

Have perceived value to the students being assessed

Reimagining what a true test looks like opens the door for students to

take a lead role in the learning experience. Students can use clear criteria (aligned with standards and disciplinary and cross-disciplinary

outcomes) to investigate, create, and analyze problems of interest that are at the heart of various disciplines.

To illustrate this point, in the summer of 2014, curricular designers and administrators from Learn4Life Charter Schools in California worked

with Allison to articulate artifacts that are evidence of student learning outside a given content area, but worthy of accomplishment and

documentation (see table 6.3). Working from the Personalized Learning Evolution chart, they categorized student artifacts as either minimal student input (authentic task with clear parameters) or some student input/student driven (authentic task that requires significant

development from student to establish parameters and what success

looks like).

Table 6.3 Artifacts of Student Learning

Minimal Student Input

Some Student Input/Student

Driven

Record of achievement (GPA and

Service learning project

credit completion)

(demonstration of cross-

disciplinary outcomes and

Letters of recommendation and

ideas for next steps or next

supervisory reports based on

projects)

internships, workplace

experiences, and service learning

Demonstration of acquired

projects

creative and/or technical

skills based on independent

Updated resume (for example,

tasks (for example, coding,

awards, scholarships, work

graphic design, game design,

experience, participation in team

original writings, video

sports or cocurricular clubs)

creation, art pieces)

Personal narrative (entering

Tangible timelines (calendars,

Learn4Life and exiting)

project management, and so

on) associated with projects

Significant research tasks that

(academic and

generate findings, patterns,

extracurricular) that focus on

predictions/generalizations for a

quality outcome while still

given course, competition, or

managing the realities of life

local/global project that is already

under way

Goal tracker for a significant

project that shows goal

Evidence of identifying a problem

setting, action taken,

and creating a viable solution for a

resetting, recalibrating

given course, competition, or

local/global project that is already

Trajectory (short-term/long-

under way

term goals and

accomplishments based on

Evidence of dynamic

course selection, internships,

communication for a given

postsecondary plan, and so

purpose (for example, email

on)

threads, social media, discussion

boards, blog posts, online course

Significant research tasks that

conversations) for a given course

generate findings, patterns,

or local/global project that is

predictions/generalizations

already under way

Evidence of identifying a

Formal presentations for a given

problem and creating a viable

purpose and audience (for

solution

example, Key Club, YouTube,

Evidence of dynamic

Skype, church, Toastmasters,

communication for a given

student council, student-led

purpose (for example, email

conference, graduation)

threads, social media,

Development of technical skills as

discussion boards, blog posts,

demonstrated by certification

online course conversations)

exams (for example, Microsoft,

Accomplishments/recognition

CISCO, food handling)

in cocurricular endeavors (for

example, enterprise program,

community service,

entrepreneurship, organized

groups)

Developed by staff at Learn4Life Charter Schools

We advocate for the inclusion of three major assessment types to

measure and motivate student performance as well as hold schools

accountable for the growth of every child: (1) summative assessments; (2) digital portfolios, gateways, or exhibitions; and (3) large-scale

assessments.

In a personalized learning system, summative assessments primarily are rich performance-based tasks for which students have to apply their

learning to novel situations to demonstrate the strategy, skill, and

perseverance needed to be successful. Summative assessments provide

information to the student, her family, and staff about the student’s

mastery of given competencies. Generally these assessments occur

toward the end of a unit, semester, or year. Grading is not something

“done” to the student but rather with the student, where she has clarity

on how the work will be judged and uses that clarity to continue to inform the development of the task. The teacher provides feedback to the student to inform revision of a given task, validate competency levels, and clarify readiness for taking a state or national assessment. For example, Albany

Senior High School in New Zealand is featured on the Ministry of

Education’s website for the design of its Impact Project. The four

principles of the Impact Project are as follows:

Student Ownership and Agency: How excited are you about this

project?

The project focuses and builds on you and your group’s strengths

and passions. The project matters to you, you care about what you

are doing.

Substantial Learning beyond the Classroom: How will your

new skills change the world?

Your project supports substantial learning that deepens the

understanding, skills, and dispositions of the group and yourself.

The learning offers challenge to all group members over a

sustained period of time.

A Quality Product: How will you make your product awesome?

Meets the aim of your project and involves something you are

interested in and/or passionate about. A quality product will be useful and provide a solution to a need your group has identified.

It will be useful after the term of the project.

Participating and Contributing with the Community: Who

wants it and who cares?

The project enables you to participate and contribute to your

community in a meaningful way. The “community” is anything

larger than yourself. For example, identifying a stakeholder who

the project group will work with for developing their project in

some way.

For more details on the project structure, rubric, and rationale, visit

http://elearning.tki.org.nz/Teaching/Pedagogy/Personalised-

learning#stories and

http://wikieducator.org/Albany_Senior_High_School/Impact_Projects.

In addition, table AC.2 in appendix C lists the reflective questions

centered around each of the four principles.

Digital portfolios, gateways, and exhibitions are formal collections and presentations of what students have learned throughout one or

multiple years of schooling. In a personalized learning system, the

student owns the work: a demonstration of mastery of competencies

through a student-created, student-led conversation about content and

skill development over time. Students can showcase a variety of authentic tasks to demonstrate mastery; audiences for these presentations typically consist of parents, staff, and practicing experts.

For example, in his book Personalized Learning: Student-Designed

Pathways to High School Graduation, John Clarke describes the power of students creating and organizing learning for a public audience. He

highlights how preparing a range of artifacts (for example, films, photos, essays, diagrams) causes students to reflect on the meaning of what they

have done over time and the accomplishment and growth they have

experienced. Then, in an hourlong presentation to peers, advisors,

mentors, and parents, students use artifacts and highlights from their e-

portfolio to discuss personal and academic growth. To prepare for this

formal presentation, each student leads a fifteen-minute conference to

summarize current performance on a range of competencies and

delineate next steps.

Another powerful example of authentic assessment is the creation of digital portfolios at High Tech High School. School leaders provide a

rationale for why a digital portfolio is necessary: to capture learning that is much richer than a “collection of letter grades.” Staff at High Tech High expect that “each student will create and maintain a portfolio of work to communicate who they are, what they have learned and what they have

accomplished. They will be able to demonstrate their true skills and

abilities.” The digital portfolio includes a cover page, a personal

statement, work samples, a resume, and contact information. For more

information and to see several examples of e-portfolios, visit

http://www.whatkidscando.org/archives/portfoliosmallschools/HTH/portfolios.html Large-scale assessments provide information to students, their

families, school and district staff, and the state/ministry/national

government about student performance and schoolwide challenges.

Typically these assessments are administered for every student in that

grade or course level at a predetermined time of the year. Ideally, in a

personalized learning system, a student takes a large-scale assessment

when he is ready, not on a time schedule. These criterion-referenced

large-scale tests are likely to become more innovative over time, using

advances in assessment technology to address different contexts of the

learning. For example, the external assessment for the International

Baccalaureate Diploma Program

(http://www.ibo.org/diploma/assessment/methods/) comprises essays; structured problems; short-response, data-response, text-response, case

study, and multiple-choice questions; a theory of knowledge essay (a

reflection on how we know what we know); an extended essay (self-

directed piece of research culminating in a four-thousand-word paper);

and world literature assignments. Another example comes from the New

Hampshire State Department of Education, which has partnered with the

Center for Collaborative Education to develop a performance assessment

system to measure student mastery of college- and career-ready

competencies that balances local control with statewide accountability

and comparability. On the New Hampshire Department of Education

website (http://www.education.nh.gov/assessment-systems/), the following description outlines the parameters of the statewide

performance-based system: “This system, the Performance Assessment

for Competency Education (PACE) option, will include: common

performance tasks that have high technical quality, locally designed

performance tasks with guidelines for ensuring high technical quality, regional scoring sessions, and local district peer review audits to ensure sound accountability systems and high inter-rater reliability, a web-based bank of local and common performance tasks, and a regional support

network for districts and schools.”

Although a sizeable number of schools have been dabbling in the

development of robust performance tasks, digital portfolios, exhibitions, student-led conferences, service learning projects, and expanded forms of independent study, they all face the challenge of documenting those

pieces in a traditional reporting system. Personalized learning can be a

messy process, which is one of the reasons that traditional education has held it at bay for so long. It’s difficult to offer a multitude of learning opportunities for individual students based on their needs and interests.

It’s even more difficult to capture student performance on these

personalized journeys and to organize results in a way that both students and educators can make sense of, let alone draw insights from.

In a personalized learning environment, a great deal of learning,

especially in the area of cross-disciplinary outcomes, is demonstrated

within the learning environment and alongside learning tasks. As

mentioned, evidence of learning and performance in personalized

learning environments can be messy. Evidence of performance may come

from different sources, such as artifacts of student learning,

metacognitive journals, reflections, and input from various audiences.

Evidence may also come from different places—personalized modules,

adaptive technology, online sources outside the school setting, and the

like. To top it all off, criteria for success are not always standardized, especially in the area of cross-disciplinary outcomes, which tend to be

derived from an organization’s vision and mission. Not only does the

articulation of cross-disciplinary outcomes vary from place to place, but students may demonstrate achievement of the same outcomes in

different ways. Lining up everyone for the end-of-unit test is not likely to be the norm in personalized learning environments, especially where

cross-disciplinary outcomes are involved.

In a personalized learning environment, a rich and varied set of student

performances demonstrate valid indicators of learning that must be

captured and organized to be both recognized and useful. Current grade

books and report cards are not equipped to deal with this rich messiness.

We need a platform to

Capture a diverse set of learning experiences in order to make sense of a student’s personal learning journey and what this evidence says,

as a whole, about student achievement and performance

Aggregate individual student learning and performance in unique

ways

Organize these unique demonstrations and interpret their

performance around common areas, such as our disciplinary and

cross-disciplinary outcomes

Equip students with powerful tools to both understand and direct

their own learning

Here, again, is where contemporary technology can help. There are an

increasing number of learning management systems (LMSs) that will

track student performance on learning modules. These systems can

capture all of the actions and results of students using the system, from the amount of time spent on a particular learning module to the number

of times a student attempted a problem to the aggregate score

accumulated by a student across many learning modules within a

particular area of study. For example, Khan Academy

(www.khanacademy.org) enables students to access their learning modules and their performance on related assessments. These results are

then presented back to the student in useful infographics that allow him

to gain an overview of his learning over time and make observations

about his progress. Project Foundry (www.projectfoundry.org) is a system designed to support personalized learning. This platform has been

around since the mid-1990s and supports learning in project-based

learning environments. The system enables students to develop

personalized projects and align them to existing disciplinary standards.

Assessment of student performance is entered into the system, which will

generate standards-based report cards from these projects and allow

students to “drill down” into their performance on various standards.

Summit Public Schools (www.summitps.org) has chosen to develop its own Personalized Learning Plan platform to support its vision of learning in the twenty-first century. The platform offers students learning

modules from a menu supported by a third-party delivery platform.

Students can access their assessment results, set goals, and manage their

learning within an environment that has removed many of the obstacles to personalized learning. A mixture of projects, face-to-face time, and

digital delivery and tracking tools help Summit’s students pursue

learning anywhere, anytime, and through a variety of modes.

The challenge for the modern LMS is to provide for existing needs while

at the same time innovating to meet emerging needs, all in a

comprehensive package. This requires an openness and agility with which

more traditional and monolithic software companies have difficulty.

Developers are often more adept at creating tools to support linear

processes than tools to support the relationships and messiness involved

in personalized learning. But they are getting closer. For example,

Schoology (https://www.schoology.com/home.php) integrates many tools to support the processes involved with “being a teacher” or “being a student.” It is much more open in its architecture, allowing innovative

connections with other systems and apps. However, like most

comprehensive LMS systems, it organizes the learning environment using

a set of structured rules and relationships. These are often one-way in

nature. They help us achieve existing tasks, but do not have the flexibility to accomplish new ones. The challenge is to break from these established

patterns.

Although these systems are examples of valuable components of a

personalized learning environment, their focus is primarily on the

attainment of disciplinary outcomes through standardized methods and

assessments, although Summit Schools has woven this into a

reengineered learning environment. However, the school system misses

one of the main goals of our vision for personalized learning: cross-

disciplinary outcomes. Although there are some assessments out there for

critical thinking and creativity, these tend to be isolated and separated from an environment within which students can authentically

demonstrate them. Also, we have yet to see an LMS or other system that

adequately captures performance on cross-disciplinary outcomes

alongside performance on disciplinary outcomes. For a couple of years now, Greg has been working with a few “lighthouse” schools around the

world and an educational technology company, EduTect

(http://edutectinc.com), to design such a dynamic platform. The platform is called LearningBoard, and we believe it has great potential to support personalized learning from both the student and school

perspective. The LearningBoard may seem like a leap from most forms of

assessment and reporting, but this platform helps students, staff, and families see the richness and diversity of student performance in a

personalized learning environment.

The LearningBoard combines elements to both capture student learning

and provide tools (such as project planners, goal-setting and tracking

tools, and student-led conference planners) to support learning in a

personalized environment. Let’s briefly explore the two types of

performance elements:

Disciplinary outcomes. This area provides both a place to contribute evidence of the attainment of disciplinary outcomes and access to

evidence captured around these outcomes. It includes analytical and

querying tools to allow students to inquire into their performance so

that they can gain insights and metacognitive understandings that will

assist ongoing improvement. This tool also allows the “tracking” of

student performance against defined and common disciplinary

outcomes to gauge student readiness for advancement. In this way,

the platform is similar to the examples mentioned earlier.

Cross-disciplinary outcomes. The LearningBoard also focuses on the cross-disciplinary outcomes articulated for our personalized learning

environment. Students submit evidence that they believe shows their

performance or growth against these outcomes. They reflect on their

development through different experiences, and self-assess. Teachers

or other assessors submit evidence using performance areas and

indicators developed for each cross-disciplinary outcome. These

indicators become criteria for success alongside of disciplinary

criteria within rich performance tasks. Student demonstration of

these cross-disciplinary outcomes is also captured in situ through observational matrices and rubrics.

In this way, the LearningBoard moves beyond a content delivery system

or a data warehouse for students’ marks on assessments. It becomes a

dynamic tool that encapsulates the organization’s vision of successful

learning in a personalized environment, where performance on both

disciplinary and cross-disciplinary outcomes engages students in their

own development and growth.

Within this platform, there are three types of evidence of student learning (see table 6.4).

Table 6.4 Types of Evidence in the LearningBoard Platform Type of

Contributed Source

Interpreted through

Evidence by…

(Criteria)

Artifact

Student

Any

Demonstration of disciplinary

tangible

outcomes and cross-disciplinary

product of

outcome performance

learning

indicators

Reflection

Student

Any

Reflection on how cross-

learning

disciplinary outcomes,

experience performance indicators, and

mindsets are demonstrated in

the work, and on areas of

possible improvement

Assessment Teacher

Any

Demonstration of disciplinary

culminating outcomes and cross-disciplinary

or

outcome performance

summative indicators

assessment

When evidence of student learning is captured and interpreted with

explicit alignment to clear disciplinary and cross-disciplinary outcomes, we can develop an extremely rich picture of student learning that

continues to grow, in contrast to a set of separate assignments that are

averaged together to produce a score. Because each LearningBoard

belongs to a unique individual, the picture that emerges is equally

unique, and the entire platform is a demonstration of personalized

learning. Schools can use this to help navigate the messiness of

personalized learning and maintain accountability. Key stakeholders

(staff, students, family members) now have the data to support ongoing

improvement efforts and a culture of attention to the individual within

the whole.

Personalized Learning Recommendations

We propose a series of shifts that a local system may need to make in

conjunction with state, ministry, and/or national authorities:

1. Shift from primarily structured (for example, multiple

choice, short answer) and constructed response (for

example, academic prompt, summary of information)

items to measure acquisition to primarily performance-

based tasks to measure acquisition, conceptual

understanding, and application. There are times when it is appropriate to hold students accountable for memorization so that

they can fluently recall information in service to more complex

problems, texts, and challenges. However, the overreliance on

these forms of assessment perpetuates the misunderstanding that

the teacher’s job is to cover the curriculum and the student’s job is

to keep up. We want students to play an active role in which they

struggle, make sense of the material or evidence, and revise their

work until they are satisfied with the quality of the performance.

The assessment of learning tasks mentioned earlier in this section

expects students not only to apply learning in novel situations but

also to demonstrate progress in both disciplinary and cross-

disciplinary outcomes. This is not a far-fetched dream; progressive

departments of education are advocating such policies. For

example, on its website, the Maine Department of Education

(http://www.maine.gov/doe/plan/education_evolving/cpa3.html)

promotes that “students design meaningful assessments to

demonstrate learning and to be active participants in setting and

meeting expectations.”

2. Shift from the use of texts and tasks solely determined

by the teacher to more student voice and choice. Perhaps this shift may be more of a pedagogical one that goes to the heart

of the question “What’s my job as a teacher?” We contend that the

job of the teacher is to grow students to become competent and

capable of figuring out messy problems on their own, independent

from explicit direction or scaffolds. As educators, we must show

our students the worthiness of struggle and the power of revision,

and offer them the opportunity to see growth over time. The

enlistment of students in cocreation of summative assessments

makes this acclimation much more likely because they take

ownership of the questions they pursue, the texts they wrestle

with, and the challenges they face.

3. Shift from the completion of assignments that are done

for the teacher as audience to exhibition or presentation

to demonstrate learning to broad audiences, with

continual guidance, monitoring, and assessment by the

teacher. The role of an authentic audience was discussed in chapter 3, but it is worthwhile to mention this here as well in

relation to expectations of the learning community, both in and

outside school. The examples shared throughout the book ask

educators, other students, community members, and

professionals in a given field to provide feedback, guidance, and

expertise to enable students to learn by doing. If the walls between

the school world and the outside world become more porous, then

we need volunteers in and outside school to spend time listening,

sharing, and refining work with one another.

4. Shift from having the teacher report progress and

achievement to the student and family to having the

teacher and student conference regularly to evaluate

progress, achievement, and appropriate next steps,

with continual communication and engagement with

parents. We hope that the days of reports to families at the end of a nine- or twelve-week period will soon be over. Although it is

important to keep students and their families apprised of

progress, this predictable reporting system has outlived its

usefulness. We propose that communication among teacher,

parent, and student will be much more robust and proactive

through the use of e-portfolios, student-led conferences, LMSs,

and formal presentations of learning. This shift requires not only

the adoption of these platforms and practices but also the clear

articulation of disciplinary and cross-disciplinary outcomes

aligned with standards.

Element 11: Time

A personalized learning system uses time as a flexible resource depending

on the nature of the challenge and the skill level of the students (table

6.5). Blended learning approaches to support student mastery of the

competencies are more meaningful and practical to students, staff,

families, and community members. If we are moving toward learning that

can occur anywhere, anytime, then what we do in the brick-and-mortar,

online, or community learning space to further the competencies is more important than the set number of minutes assigned to a particular class.

Table 6.5 Personalized Learning Evolution: Time Element Minimal Student

Some Student Student Driven

Input

Input

Time

Schooling is defined

Schooling is a

Schooling can take

When

by “seat time”—

more variable

place 24/7, 365 days

can/does prescribed number of blend of time-

a year and be

learning school days (e.g., 180 based and

determined by

occur?

days, Carnegie units). outcome-based

outcome-based

measures.

measures.

With greater time flexibility, every student will receive customized

supports and accelerated opportunity both in and outside school to

ensure that they stay on track to graduate ready for college and career.

The goal is to provide learning opportunities and meet the educational

needs and interests of all children. This opens the door for

Intensive development in areas of student interest and/or need during

and outside the school day

Focus on a student’s demonstration of competencies rather than

arbitrary endings (end of a lesson, unit, or marking period)

Opportunities for off-site projects or virtual course offerings that go

beyond the school day and tap into outside expertise

Using time as a resource rather than as a fixed structure will require

leadership at the local, state, ministry, and national levels to change

policies and practices that continue to define learning as “seat time”

moments rather than as demonstrated learning accomplishments.

Personalized Learning Recommendations

In addition to the series of shifts we proposed in the previous section,

we also recommend that a local system, in concert with the state,

ministry, and/or national authorities, make the following shift in how

it works with time:

Shift from a predictable school day and school year to

learning 24/7, 365 days a year, monitored and validated

by teachers. Students have grown up in a world with an

expectation that learning is everywhere; there is a constant stream

of information, much bigger than any teacher or textbook, waiting

to be consumed, added to, and shared. Students no longer wait for

permission to play, publish, or problem-solve. They have high

expectations of a learning environment that is on-demand,

constantly connected, and personalized. Therefore, a personalized

learning system honors the student by creating variable time

structures, providing every student the time she needs to make

progress toward the defined competencies. The opportunity to

learn is not limited by the school building, the school day, or the

school year.

Element 12: Advancement

Robust and varied advancement strategies should be implemented to

inform students, families, school and district staff, and state officials about individual and group progress in relation to the competencies (see

table 6.6). Such strategies should feature an evidenced-based collection of student tasks and tests designed around clearly defined competencies.

Advancement can be used as a meaningful feedback loop through which

students, staff, and family members check progress toward competency

targets. This would likely make formal reporting cycles unnecessary,

which would prevent an artificial rush to get marks in by a certain date.

Communication with the family still remains essential and is perhaps

more robust, through student-led conferences, formal demonstrations

(for example, portfolios or exhibitions), and opportunities for family

members to log on to a system (for example, LearningBoards) and engage

with the teacher.

Table 6.6 Personalized Learning Evolution: Advancement Element

Minimal

Some Student

Student Driven

Student

Input

Input

Advancement Student is

Promotion or

Advancement is

How does a

advanced

retention at the end of based on

student

based on age, the year is based on

demonstrated

progress

irrespective

achievement in the

competency

through the

of

course or grade level. whenever that is

system?

achievement.

achieved.

At the state or ministry level, policymakers and education officials are

beginning to open up what school can become. For example, on its

website, the Maine Department of Education

(http://www.maine.gov/doe/plan/education_evolving/cpa3.html)

advocates for a learner-centered model based on demonstration of

mastery rather than movement based on age: “The system of schools we

have today is one in which time is the constant and learning is the

variable. Teachers and students are given a fixed period of time in which to cover a fixed curriculum. The result is a model that falls short of

meeting the needs of all students. In a learner-centered, proficiency-

based system, students advance upon demonstration of mastery, rather

than remain locked in an age-based cohort that progresses through a

fixed curriculum at a fixed pace, regardless of learning achievement.”

Again, we continue to reinforce that standards are not the barrier to personalized learning; the barrier lies in the design of local curriculum and related instruction with an emphasis on standardized assessment

and teacher control.

Personalized Learning Recommendations

The following delineates the advancement shifts that a local system

may need to make in concert with the state, ministry, and/or national

authorities:

1. Shift from limited flexibility in where schooling

happens to appropriate flexibility in locations for

learning (for example, online, workplace, community)

based on a student’s needs and ability. On the US

Department of Education website (http://www.ed.gov/oii-

news/competency-based-learning-or-personalized-learning), national policymakers submit that students can “progress as they

demonstrate mastery of academic content, regardless of time, place, or pace of learning.” A leading example in promoting

personalization is the New Hampshire State Department of

Education, which approved in 2005 that students who participate

in site-based experiences (for example, job shadowing,

internships, informational interviews, business tours) can earn

credit toward graduation. There is an increasing number of state

virtual schools (Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and Texas, to name a

few) that typically offer more than one hundred middle and high

school courses tuition free for those students who reside in the

state. In addition, there are a growing number of private, charter,

and local schools that provide opportunities for students to earn

credit through virtual coursework.

2. Shift from a system that awards credits using a seat-

time system to a competency- or outcomes-based system

that measures disciplinary and cross-disciplinary

standards on local and state assessments. On the US

Department of Education website (http://www.ed.gov/oii-

news/competency-based-learning-or-personalized-learning) is the following statement: “Depending on the strategy pursued,

competency-based systems also create multiple pathways to

graduation, make better use of technology, support new staffing

patterns that utilize teacher skills and interests differently, take

advantage of learning opportunities outside of school hours and

walls, and help identify opportunities to target interventions to

meet the specific learning needs of students.”

In the United States, for example, currently thirty-six states have

policies that provide school districts and schools with some

flexibility for awarding credit to students based on demonstrated

mastery of content and skills (as opposed to seat time). New

Hampshire has eliminated the Carnegie unit completely and

replaced it with a competency-based system that promotes

student choice and flexibility in where and when learning occurs.

To see the latest developments in competency-based education,

check out the Education Commission of the States site:

http://www.ecs.org/html/educationIssues/ECSStateNotes.asp?

nIssueID=290.

3. Shift from systems that record scores to systems that

track student advancement. Many schools have adopted a

web-based platform to record scores so that students and families

can be up-to-date on current performance; however, numbers

alone fail to capture an individual student’s progress. Collecting

more data around mastery of skills and pieces of content is

significantly different from documenting students’ demonstration

of what they can produce leveraging the content and skills. Scores

will still have a place in a transformed tracking system, but we

propose that they are part of a bigger picture to reveal the whole

student. An LMS such as LearningBoard has great promise to

bring this approach to scale.

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

This chapter has described elements of a very different type of schooling: one that is bound by rich and varied artifacts to demonstrate growth over time rather than a collection of scores, bound by mastery rather than seat time, and bound by learning that happens 24/7 rather than at certain

times of the day and year. The system shifts described in relation to

assessment of learning, time, and advancement call into question the

assumptions we have about how students demonstrate mastery or

competency on disciplinary and cross-disciplinary outcomes. As teachers’

and students’ roles evolve, so, too, should those of leaders and

policymakers.

Consider these questions:

1. In your estimation, how far are we from the tipping point where

personalized learning is more widespread? What might that tipping

point look like? What are you doing in preparation for this?

2. In what ways are there design innovations occurring in your

classroom, school, or program? (These can be officially sanctioned

pilots, quiet campaigns, or covert actions.)

3. What is still standing in the way of the evolution of schooling in your community?

4. What was your reaction when you read the various policy examples in

the chapter?

Works Cited

Berger, R. An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2003. Print.

Clarke, J. Personalized Learning: Student-Designed Pathways to High

School Graduation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2013. Print.

Richardson, W. Why School? How Education Must Change When

Learning and Information Are Everywhere. New York: TED Conference, 2012. Web.

Wiggins, G. “A True Test: Toward More Authentic and Equitable

Assessment.” Phi Delta Kappan 70.9 (1989): 703–713. Print.

Wiggins, G. “Authenticity in Assessment, (Re)defined and Explained.”

Granted, and… Grant Wiggins, 26, Jan. 2014. Web.

<http://grantwiggins.wordpress.com/2014/01/26/authenticity-in-

assessment-re-defined-and-explained/>.

Wiggins, G. “Engagement and Personalization: Feedback Part 2.”

Granted, and … Grant Wiggins, 19 April 2014. Web. 20 May 2014.

<http://grantwiggins.wordpress.com/2014/04/19/engagement-and-

personalization-feedback-part-2/>.

Chapter 7

Leading the Change for Personalized Learning

Followers want comfort, stability, and solutions from their leaders. But

that’s babysitting. Real leaders ask hard questions and knock people

out of their comfort zones. Then they manage the resulting distress.

—Ronald Heifetz and Donald Laurie, “The Work of Leadership,” Harvard Business Review, Dec. 2001

The evolution to personalized learning is an adaptive change; it’s hard,

it’s disruptive, and it creates uncertainty. These deep and transformative changes require leaders, teachers, and students to examine and

oftentimes abandon deeply held beliefs in order to reframe the role of the teacher and the student, the nature of what is to be learned, and the way in which it will be learned. This chapter explores how leaders can

successfully navigate adaptive change by clearly articulating and creating urgency for the change, releasing the control of the work to teachers, and managing change as it is occurring. By focusing on these strategies,

leaders can increase the probability that personalized learning will

become a reality. As opposed to technical change, which can be achieved

with relatively simple alterations to existing practice, adaptive change

takes place in situations where there are no readily available answers that tell us what to do and how to do it (Heifetz and Linsky). We are creating the road map as we go. This often creates conflict and uncertainty, but

also can be the source of new and transformative solutions.

Clearly Articulating and Creating Urgency for

Personalized Learning (the “Why”)

At its core, personalized learning places its faith in students’ ability to unearth what is important, meaningful, and relevant in their world.

Personalized learning gives students increasing voice and choice in the

creation of learning tasks; timely feedback and opportunity to take

action; and time and space to share and create impact on their intended

audience. In order to create this type of learning environment, teachers

will need to learn new ways to manage academic and growth outcomes,

attend to individual interests and needs, connect students to authentic

audiences and opportunities, and track individual progress. We recognize

that as we evolve toward more and more sophisticated ways of sharing

the learning process with students, there are no manuals, guides, or

“how-to” texts that tell us how to accomplish this change. In essence,

personalized learning pushes our thinking about virtually every aspect of schooling as we know it.

One way a leader can begin to tackle an adaptive change is to step back

from the details of the change she seeks, in an effort to develop her own broad understanding. Heifetz and Linsky call this “getting on the balcony in order to see the dance floor.” Balcony thinking offers a comprehensive perspective from which a leader can begin to navigate the complex

change process that lies ahead. Being able to clearly and concisely

describe the overall vision is the first step toward being able to articulate the “why” of the change for others in a way that captures the imagination and intellect and creates a sense of urgency. The vision grounds the

leader in what needs to be accomplished long term and helps her

delineate the individual elements of the change that lead to the end goal.

Given that personalized learning represents a significant departure from

established practice, a clear and compelling vision that communicates the urgency and the “why” of personalized learning can provide teachers with

a reason to invest the time and effort that is needed to learn the content and undergo the pedagogical shifts that personalized learning demands.

Consider Simon Sinek’s “Golden Circle” as a way of conceptualizing the

process of evolving a school toward personalized learning (see figure 7.1).

Figure 7.1 The Golden Circle

Source: Adapted from S. Sinek, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action,” TED, September 2009, Web, 15 May 2014.

As Sinek explained in his TED talk: “Everybody knows ‘what’ they do 100

percent of the time. Some know how they do it. But very very few people

or organizations know why they do it.” The most transformative

organizations (with the most loyal subscribers, participants, and users)

start with the “why.”

Why is personalized learning a better way of “doing school”?

A clear articulation of the vision enables teachers to understand where

they are headed and why they are headed in that direction. As Sinek

notes, “After all, the goal is not just to get people to buy what you are selling, but to believe what you believe.” The process of articulating a

vision begins by comparing what learning currently looks like with what

learning will look like when personalized learning is fully developed.

Wiggins and McTighe underscore that without a clear vision, “schools are

likely to remain mired in unexamined habits and rituals, and limited by

incoherent practices and structures that continue to miss the mark in

preparing students for the demands of today’s ‘real world.’ The challenge is not to invent some ideal school that is unmoored from reality, but to

build exemplary schooling ‘backward’ from its long term goal of making

students thoughtful and accomplished at worthy tasks” (1, 2).

Rather than a collection of vague and lofty statements, a powerful vision of personalized learning creates a sense of direction that helps shape

what learning will be accomplished (academic and growth outcomes),

how it will be accomplished (redefined roles for teacher and students, and cocreated learning tasks), and how it will be evaluated.

Personalized Learning Recommendations

1. Use the power of stories to communicate the “why.”

Stories, such as the opening vignettes in chapter 2 and the ideas

from the task frames in chapter 3, can capture the hearts and

minds of the school community; they have the power to make a

significant and difficult change feel worth the investment. Sharing

stories that illustrate the vision of personalized learning is an

effective way to clarify and create a sense of urgency.

2. Take the time to engage stakeholders in understanding

what it is you are trying to do and why it is so

important to do it. If both the “what” and the “why” aren’t in place, your efforts can be derailed. In a private conversation with

Diane on moving forward with personalized learning, one

superintendent reflected, “I just didn’t do a very good job of

bringing the community along with what I was trying to do and

why I was trying to do it. Now there are questions about funding,

whether or not it is going to impact postsecondary admissions,

and student performance on standardized testing.” Questions

from all stakeholders (teachers, students, parents, and community

members) arise because they do not understand what teaching

and student learning will look like if this shift takes place. A

skillful leader works to develop a shared language around the

elements of personalized learning and pushes for clarity about the

practices, structures, and use of time and resources necessary to

support teachers’ growth and development as they navigate this

complex change. The leader also pushes for clarity about how

school will be different for students as a result of this change (for

example, varied success measures of academic and growth

outcomes, exhibitions of student work, flexibility in time). As

leaders work with stakeholders to articulate what personalized

learning is and why it is so important, the vision becomes the

North Star for the difficult journey ahead.

Giving Back the Work to Teachers (the “How”)

As leaders set about helping teachers and students feel at home with

personalized learning, it only makes sense that they attend to the

mindsets described in chapter 2.

Relevance: As leaders, how can we help teachers feel that the work they do as adult learners is relevant to their students and their

professional practice?

Growth mindset: How can we support teacher practice so that they

have the opportunity to continuously incorporate feedback in order to

improve their practice?

Self-efficacy: How can we highlight incremental successes so that

teachers build stamina as learners?

Sense of belonging: How can we create learning communities for

teachers so that they can learn from one another and acquire the same

growth outcomes we value in student learning?

Leaders also need to pose questions rather than provide answers, helping

teachers push through the discomfort of not knowing the answer and

seek solutions through problem solving on their own and with others.

If adaptive change is going to take hold, leaders must create the

conditions that will allow teachers to learn, test out, and acquire new

skills. Kate Bean, director of Aveson Charter Schools in California,

explained an early but significant miscalculation in opening a school

devoted to personalized learning:

Our biggest miscalculation was our belief that we could

institutionalize the practice…with three weeks of professional

development prior to school starting and no real plan for ongoing

coaching. It was ironic for a team of educational consultants to have

underestimated the amount of collaboration and coaching needed to

create an unprecedented personalized learning model. There lies the

crux of our challenge…We knew that we wanted students to

experience personalized learning, but we didn’t know really what it

looked like or how to do it, and unfortunately there were no

exemplars to copy. We had fallen into the same trap as many reform

models in predicting that structure and programs of the school

would drive the learning outcomes. We attempted to implement

every best practice and some untested practices in the first year with

new students, new parents, and new staff. We did not anticipate that

taking students from traditional schools and immersing them in our

model would prove to be stressful for many students, parents, and

staff. However, the strength of Aveson lived in our willingness to see

the failures and be nimble enough to make changes expeditiously.

The shift from a traditional model to a personalized learning model does

take collective attention, conversation, and action as individuals embrace, learn, and grow into their new roles and responsibilities.

In order to promote deep learning and sustained change, teachers must

have the opportunity to master element(s) of personalized learning

before moving on to additional challenges. The research of Bruce Joyce

and Beverly Showers has shown that in order for change in teaching practice to be successfully implemented and sustained, teachers need to

learn the theory behind a change, see examples of the change, and be

coached in implementing that change. Without classroom coaching, there

is only a 10 to 15 percent chance that the new practices will survive. As mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, it is inevitable that conflicts will arise as teachers struggle to learn new roles, establish new

relationships, and take on new responsibilities. Successful navigation of these conflicts requires leaders to treat conflict as an opportunity for

growth rather than as evidence of failure. Facing conflict openly and

honestly within structures that allow teachers’ voice and influence to

surface can spur development of the entire learning community.

Releasing the work back to teachers signals a dramatic shift in culture

and the way work gets done in schools. It creates an environment in

which teachers can own their work, build sustained relationships with

peers, and continuously improve their knowledge and skills. Among the

most powerful levers for transforming school culture is the formation of

“communities of practice” in which teachers with similar content needs,

interests, or students meet regularly to solve problems of practice and

learn from one another. These communities of practice mirror the

classroom community of practice in which teachers and students

collaborate around learning goals and processes. Communities of practice

require a commitment of time and an investment by each individual in

the collective work, which can produce exciting transformation in

teachers’ knowledge and skill. Communities of practice are especially

effective when there are structures within the organization that allow the learning, insights, and decisions that emerge from the communities of

practice to bubble up to the rest of the organization, creating a flow from one community to the whole. It is far more powerful to develop teacher

knowledge and skill in communities of practice than to tackle skill

development one teacher at a time (Hargreaves and Fullan).

Personalized Learning Recommendations

Here are some moves that can help leaders navigate the rough waters

of individual and organizational change.

1. Acknowledge teacher concerns. As described in the

Concerns-Based Adoption Model (Hord, Rutherford, Huling-

Austin, and Hall), individuals progress through predictable stages

of concern as they implement new practices:

Staff start with personal concerns. (How is this going to affect

me?)

Then they move to management concerns. (How am I going to

get it all done?)

Finally, staff experience concerns about the success of their

work and its impact on students. (How is what I am doing

affecting my students?)

In the beginning stages when teachers have personal and

management concerns, effective leaders not only acknowledge

the legitimacy of the concerns but also address the concerns to

the extent possible. They provide venues in which teachers can

surface their concerns and address them. This can occur as

teachers work with peers or in faculty meetings and professional

development sessions. The leader must set up mechanisms

through which these concerns can be generally recognized and

addressed.

2. Manage the pace and sequence of change. In addition to

acknowledging the level of concern that teachers have, leaders

who successfully navigate complex change manage the pace and

sequence of change. They seek a pace that is fast enough to sustain

momentum but slow enough that teachers have a fair chance to

learn and successfully implement new practices. Successful

leaders are careful to articulate a doorway into this work—a

starting point that is connected to other aspects of the change.

Focusing on the cocreation of tasks can be a productive doorway

into personalized learning.

3. Consider the adoption of a learning management

system (LMS) to assist teachers and students track

progress over time. An LMS, such as LearningBoards, creates a repository where teachers can upload feedback and enter marks as

well as review past progress to offer students guidance and next

steps. An LMS also assists with the development of student-led

conferences, exhibitions, and portfolio reviews. For more

information, refer back to the discussion of element 10, demonstration of learning, in chapter 6.

4. Plan for continuous refinement. Aveson Charter School

collaborated with Allison to revamp their Personalized Mastery

Learning Continuum. Kate Bean, director of Aveson Charter

Schools, explained:

The next big step is to shift more of the learning process to

student-led practices based on their strengths and passions. The

original charter document of Aveson schools envisioned a K–12

continuum of gradual release of teacher-directed learning and

projects to student-directed learning and projects. There are

numerous examples of this being done across our schools; the

anecdotes of “student passion” projects and “take action” projects

can be found on a daily basis. Yet at Aveson we are not satisfied

and will continue to refine and grow our philosophy of

Personalized Mastery Learning. With the assistance of Allison

Zmuda,…we have once again entered into a period of reflection,

refinement, and reinvention. The…Personalized Mastery

Learning Continuum is the new bar we have set for ourselves.

Managing Change as It Is Occurring (the “What”)

Managing the predictable concerns and needs that will emerge as

teachers begin to evolve their work toward personalized learning is a

critical step in the change process. As Heifetz and Linsky (134) so

eloquently state: “because a leader must strike a delicate balance between having people feel the need to change and having them feel overwhelmed

by the change, leadership is a razor’s edge.” Personalized learning lives on that razor’s edge. The instinct of most leaders is to avoid the messiness, discomfort, and new learning that accompany adaptive change; they want

to provide answers and smooth out conflict. Yet working through

adaptive change requires just the opposite: leaders and teachers must

give up known and familiar ways of doing their jobs for unknown

territory. Distress and frustration will result with the emergence of the new roles, responsibilities, relationships, and skills that are needed to successfully navigate the change.

The work of the leader is to help teachers grapple with this complexity

and learn the new skills that will make them successful practitioners of

personalized learning. The “Instructional Core” is a helpful way to

organize and communicate each of the personalized learning elements.

First described in 2003 by the Public Education Leadership Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (City, Elmore, Fiarman, and

Teitel), the Instructional Core consists of four components: teacher

knowledge and skill, student engagement in learning, content they are learning, and the tasks that students are given (see figure 7.2).

Figure 7.2 Instructional Core

Adapted from E. A. City, R. F. Elmore, S. E. Fiarman, and L. Teitel, Instructional Rounds in Education: A Network Approach to Teaching and Learning. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press, 2009). Print.

The Instructional Core helps explain what personalized learning is and

helps you understand how changing one component (for example, a

student’s opportunity to pursue something that he finds fascinating)

impacts the others (for example, content may need to shift or be

eliminated). Let’s examine each component in more detail.

Role of the teacher. The teacher’s role in personalized learning shifts from one of deliverer of information to one of facilitator/coach of

learning through questioning, conferences, and feedback to students.

This is a far different role from the one that preservice teachers are taught and that the vast majority of teachers have experienced. We cannot

assume that the shift from “teacher in charge” to shared power in the

classroom will happen without explicit development of new strategies and

behaviors, and coaching on those behaviors. In fact, without careful attention to helping teachers manage their new role as it plays out in the design, implementation, and assessment of tasks, we can predict that

personalized learning will be a passing fad.

Role of the student. In personalized learning, the student’s role shifts from one of compliance to one of codeveloper of her learning experience

through cocreating tasks, seeking out partners for collaboration and

feedback, and proposing how their disciplinary and cross-disciplinary

outcomes will be demonstrated. Thus the role that students play in

personalized learning is dramatically different from the one they

experience in a traditional classroom. Like teachers, students have been

socialized to assume a certain role in the teaching and learning process.

Students are accustomed to asking, “Is this going to be on the test?”

“What do you want me to remember?” “How long does this assignment

have to be?” These questions indicate that they see their role as

complying with their teacher’s demands.

The content to be learned. Chapter 2 describes how academic and growth outcomes should be integrated into task design. Academic outcomes are

derived from overarching content standards (for example, Anchor

Standards in Reading), and cross-disciplinary outcomes are broader

transdisciplinary skills and dispositions that are essential to success

outside school. Shared understanding of the academic and growth

outcomes and what they look like in student work will go a long way in

the development and management of content. One clear challenge for

teachers is to understand how the content standards for which they are

accountable can be managed and met in an environment in which

students have significant choice in what and when they learn. This is

where chapter 3’s task frames and other related ideas demonstrate how

content standards can align with tasks in which students have significant input.

Task. In personalized learning, teacher-developed tasks and lesson plans give way to codesigned tasks and plans for learning. This final component of the Instructional Core represents a significant departure from current practice as well. Teachers will need to coach students in task design and execution; and, because a range of tasks will be in play, they’ll need to engage in “just-in-time” teaching instead of front-loading information.

Students will need to become more accustomed to struggle as they

navigate through problems, challenges, and dead ends without feeling defeated. This is where the articulation and development of mindsets

(relevance, growth mindset, self-efficacy, and sense of belonging) will

promote a healthy and vibrant learning culture.

As stated earlier in this chapter, the role of the leader is to help teachers grapple with the complexity of change that the evolution to personalized

learning demands. This can best be accomplished by the creation of a

clear, focused plan that articulates the desired outcomes, indicators of

success, and specific actions that will lead to success. Such a plan

memorializes what the learning community has come to understand

about the larger purposes of personalized learning as well as the specific actions that will lead to achievement of that larger vision. To that end,

table 7.1 is a “vision-to-action plan” that can help facilitate the organization and management process.

Table 7.1 Personalized Learning Vision-to-Action Plan OUTCOMES

What is your vision for personalized learning?

Design

Implement

Institutionalize

How will we design a

How will we

How will we

personalized learning

ensure quality

ensure

pathway toward academic

control?

sustainability?

and growth outcomes?

How does the

How will we know if our

plan evolve

design is viable?

over time?

INDICATORS

What is evidence of success at each stage?

PATHWAYS TO ACTION

WHAT: What actions will we take? What is the optimal

sequence?

WHO: Who should be involved, in what role/capacity? How

will we build ownership?

WHEN: How much time is needed? When will this occur?

What timing is optimal?

INDICATORS

WHAT

WHO

WHEN

Connection to Evidence

Task and

Key

Timeline

of Success (listed above)

Resources

Partners

Needed

CULTURE AND MINDSET

In what ways will current values, beliefs, and behaviors

support attainment of our vision?

In what ways will current values, beliefs, and behaviors

challenge attainment of our vision? What changes may be

needed?

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

What are potential challenges? Immediate? Long term?

Personnel

Job descriptions

(What’s my job?)

Staff development

Staff appraisal

Financial

Priority budgeting

Support (e.g.,

substitute,

stipends,

instructional

coaches)

Incentives (e.g.,

conference

attendance, iPads)

Structures

Schedule for

students

Schedule for staff

Grading and

reporting

External Factors

State/national

accountability

tests

College tests (SAT,

AP, ACT)

Graduation

requirements

GPA/college

admissions

Cocreated by Allison Zmuda and Jay McTighe

Personalized Learning Recommendations

1. Articulate a theory of action that describes the

evolution to personalized learning. A theory of action, a

series of “if-then” statements, makes explicit how you think

change will occur and allows you to target actions appropriately.

For example, the following might be one aspect of a personalized

learning theory of action:

IF students have a voice in determining the learning tasks,

THEN they will be more engaged and invested in the

learning tasks.

This provides a clear articulation of how personalized learning

will improve student learning. Guidance on creating a theory of

action can be found in Instructional Rounds in Education (City et al.).

2. Provide models and offer structures and supports to

engage teachers in personalized learning. A leader can

greatly enhance teachers’ ability to understand the shift in

classroom roles by giving teachers the authority and responsibility

to design their own work as adult learners. Seek input on the

yearly agenda for the data team. Ask them to design an upcoming

professional development session on the topic of growth

outcomes. Have teachers in a grade-level team or vertical team

select one of the mindsets to investigate further. When teachers

have input into the design of their own learning (through the use

of many of the elements in Personalized Learning Evolution), it

demonstrates a level of trust in them as professionals but also

models what you expect them to do with students.

3. Create an action plan that connects the “why” and the

“how.” Why we are doing what we are doing and the development of actions have to directly correlate with each other.

This connection between the “why” and the “how” should be

constantly communicated with teachers, both to refine actions and

to support teachers through an adaptive change. There is a blank

version of the “Vision-to-Action Plan” (table AD.1) as well as an

illustrative example (table AD.2) in appendix D. Notice that it has

clear parallels to what we ask students to do in the “Vision-to-

Action Project Planner” in chapter 4 (table 4.13) and in appendix B (table AB.5).

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

By its nature, adaptive change cannot be achieved by the leader alone;

innovative and workable solutions arise only by partnering with the

people responsible for the work. Therefore, in developing a personalized

learning system, every leader creates an organizational culture of respect grounded in high expectations, and provides feedback and guidance in

instructional strategies and task design. Every learning community, both

in and outside school, offers students opportunities to learn from

experience through application in authentic situations. Staff meetings are dedicated to the empowerment of students as agents in curriculum,

instruction, and assessment to demonstrate college-, career-, and

citizenship-ready skills.

When reflecting on the magnitude of this adaptive change, consider the

following questions:

1. Why personalized learning? What would the role of the student look

like? the role of the teacher? the role of the leader? the role of the

parent? the role of the community member? Describe these in clear,

compelling language.

2. How can we engage the school community in a dialogue about

personalized learning that will build a shared understanding of why

this work is important, how we will go about it, and the changes that

will occur in teaching and learning as a result?

3. What incentives do students, teachers, and leaders have as motivation in circumstances where defining the problem, developing a solution,

and working through implementation issues all require new learning?

4. How can we restructure our use of time and resources so that we are

modeling collaboration and the learning environments that we want

teachers to provide their students?

Works Cited

City, E. A., Elmore, R. F., Fiarman, S. E., and Teitel, L. Instructional Rounds in Education: A Network Approach to Teaching and Learning.

Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press, 2009. Print.

Hargreaves, A., and Fullan, M. Professional Capital: Transforming

Teaching in Every School. New York: Teachers College Press, 2012. Print.

Heifetz, R., and Linsky, M. Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive

through the Dangers of Leading. Boston: Harvard Business School

Publishing, 2002. Print.

Hord, S. M., Rutherford, W. L., Huling-Austin, L., and Hall, G. E. Taking Charge of Change. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1987. Print.

Joyce, B., and Showers, B. Student Achievement through Staff

Development. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and

Curriculum Development, 2002. Print.

Sinek, S. “How Great Leaders Inspire Action.” TED. TED, September 2009. Web. 15 May 2014.

< http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action Wiggins, G., and McTighe, J. Schooling by Design: Mission, Action,

Achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and

Curriculum Development, 2007. Print.

The Conclusion of the Era of “One-Size-Fits-All

Schooling”

Schools are not “broken” and in need of fixing. They are social

institutions under stress that need to evolve.

—Peter Senge et al., Schools That Learn

The opening paragraphs of this book described schooling as a series of

required experiences where students are relegated to the sidelines in the development of what to learn, how to learn, and how to demonstrate

learning. We challenged you to reconceptualize learning as a process in

which students access, create, and share new knowledge through the

elements of personalized learning. In personalized learning, the typical

student experience is marked by doing work that is innately interesting to her and worth her time and effort. Students see the connections between

the work and broader academic and growth outcomes. They see how their

work affects the world outside their classroom, which spurs them to keep

learning and growing. Students track their progress as they become more

skillful and sophisticated, and they recognize improvement over time.

Feedback from their teachers and others, and flexibility in terms of

location and how their time is structured, help students feel supported.

Students record individual accomplishments on a learning management

system to demonstrate achievement and reflect on future goals.

A distressing “Yes, but” may have accompanied your reading experience

—“Yes, but how can I do this in a curriculum that is jam-packed and

where accountability looms over me?” The current educational climate

poses significant challenges, but the cost of inaction is that students will continue to go through the motions of schooling and leave unprepared for

the future. Just start—find a window into the work and let it grow from

there. Collaborate with one student on a question he finds fascinating.

Make space on your physical and virtual walls to describe disciplinary

and cross-disciplinary outcomes in student-friendly language. Bring in an expert to review student work and offer feedback. Talk about mindsets

with students and use them as a guide for how you communicate and

motivate. Invite students to the design table to imagine what is possible and rediscover how joyful teaching and learning can become.

Appendix A

Additional Resources for Chapters 1–3

What Is Personalized Learning?

Here is a sampling of more recent definitions that break through the

boundaries of “one-size-fits-all” schooling:

Personalized Learning Foundation: Personalized learning is a

blended approach that combines the delivery of education both within

and beyond the traditional classroom environment. The personalized

learning model fosters a collaborative partnership among the teacher,

parent, student, and school that designs a tailored learning program

for each student according to the needs and interest of each individual

student (Clarke 6).

Personalized Learning in British Columbia: learning that is

increasingly student-initiated, self-directed, and interdisciplinary and

that is facilitated by the teacher and co-planned with students,

parents and teachers. Personalized learning combines the “how” and

“what” of learning. A personalized approach recognizes that there are

still core requirements and expectations. However, with personalized

learning there will be increased emphasis on competencies: social

responsibility, global and cultural understanding, environmental

stewardship, healthy living, ethics, collaboration, creativity,

innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, digital literacy.

(From “An Interactive Discussion Guide,” by the Ministry of

Education in British Columbia,

http://www.sd33.bc.ca/news/personalized-learning-interactive-

discussion-guide 10)

A+ Schools: Personalized Learning is a 21st century, student-centered model that puts the needs of students first by: tailoring an

individualized learning plan for each and every student; honoring and

supporting each student to reach his or her greatest potential,

providing choice and flexibility in how, what, when, and where

students learn; supporting parent involvement in their children’s learning plan and process; encouraging collaborative partnerships

between the student, parent, teacher, school, and greater community;

fostering positive, meaningful relationships between each student and

teacher; engaging and motivating students by supporting learning in a

manner that is relevant and valuable to each student’s life, interests,

and goals; and preparing students to be life-long learners and

productive, successful 21st century citizens.

(http://www.theaplus.org/personalized-learning.php) Glossary of Education Reform: Personalized learning is intended to facilitate the academic success of each student by first determining the

learning needs, interests, and aspirations of individual students, and

then providing learning experiences that are customized—to a greater

or lesser extent—for each student.

(http://edglossary.org/personalized-learning/)

What is your definition? Is it the same as that of your

colleagues? your students? your parents?

Create a collective definition of personalized learning.

Development of Disciplinary Outcomes

Long-term disciplinary outcomes have the following characteristics:

They emphasize independent application when the student is facing

new challenges both in and outside school.

They establish purpose and relevance for students. For example, they

answer common student questions: “Why should I learn this?” or

“How/where/when will I use this?”

They create coherence across grade levels within the subject-area

program.

Prosper Independent School District in Texas articulated disciplinary

outcomes for each subject area. Here are its disciplinary goals in the arts, special education, and social studies.

Visual and Performing Arts

Communicate effectively based on purpose, task, and audience using

appropriate vocabulary

Find meaning and interest in varied works and performances of art

Create a work or performance to evoke mood and emotion through

application of technique and methodology

Evaluate a work or performance to determine its value

Demonstrate professionalism through exhibiting attentiveness,

growing from feedback, continuing to make a good impression, and

adhering to industry standards

Create a portfolio of accomplishments through documenting training

and experience to promote themselves as an artist

Advanced high school courses: Develop a career pathway by exploring and pursuing viable options based on interests, experience, and

aspirations

Special Education

Function in the community through their training and experience

Communicate effectively based on purpose, task, and audience using

appropriate vocabulary

Develop a pathway by exploring and pursuing viable options based on

interests, experience, and aspirations

Demonstrate professionalism through exhibiting attentiveness,

growing from feedback, continuing to make a good impression, and

being mindful of social/cultural norms

Advocate based on personal needs (academic, behavioral, emotional,

and physical) to determine an appropriate solution

Social Studies

Evaluate claims and analyze issues to verify the credibility of that

point of view

Analyze documents and data to establish generalizations, make

predictions, or draw conclusions

Determine relevance of historical lessons (for example, ideas,

documents, tactical errors, and events) and apply to a given situation,

problem, or challenge

Evaluate the interdependent nature of a given situation or conflict

Communicate effectively based on purpose, task, and audience using

appropriate vocabulary

Development of Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes

Cross-disciplinary outcomes are transdisciplinary learning goals with a

clear set of descriptions and performance indicators. In chapter 2, we

offered the following as an illustrative example (see Table AA.1).

Table AA.1 Illustrative Examples of Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes Cross-Related Skills

Disciplinary

Outcomes

Creative

Assemble raw material and let the collection

Thinking

define the purpose and intent

Take a different perspective on the same

problem, topic, idea, or object

Sample, mix, and repurpose information into

new forms

Critical

Apply a questioning eye

Thinking

Make predictions, articulate patterns, and form

conclusions

Examine messages and stories presented

Problem

Frame a question to identify what you don’t know

Solving

Pursue knowledge and conduct research to find a

viable solution

Manage information effectively and ethically

Draw conclusions and define next steps

Communication

Use multiple mode(s) to share information and

ideas for a specific purpose, task, and audience

Frame and present a point of view in a way that is

compelling and engaging

Listen to a point of view to verify, deepen, or

disagree

Collaboration

Build consensus around a shared goal and

approach

Take individual responsibility for a shared goal

and common task

Attend to the cohesiveness and quality of the

common task

Metacognition

Know what you don’t know and using

mechanisms (for example, tools, strategies,

context) to deal with problems

Think about your thought process

Analyze performance along the way

Seek and use feedback

Here are four other sets of illustrative cross-disciplinary outcomes that were identified, defined, and described to clarify the performance

indicators across students’ K–12 education.

Henry County Public Schools, Virginia: critical thinking and problem solving, creative thinking, communication, collaboration

Katy Independent School District, Texas: creative thinking, critical thinking, problem solving, information literacy, collaboration, social

contribution, communication

Lake Havasu Public Schools, Arizona: critical thinking, creativity and innovation, problem solving, information literacy, communication,

collaboration, social and civic engagement, self-direction and

initiative, task management

Oneida-Herkimer-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational Services, New York: global competence, social responsibility, critical thinking, problem solving, creative and innovative thinking,

information and media literacy, collaboration, initiative and self-

direction, communication

Five Steps to Develop Cross-Disciplinary

Outcomes

The following are five steps to articulating cross-disciplinary outcomes: Step 1. Identify a list of cross-disciplinary outcomes that

reflect your school community. Keep in mind that each outcome

requires a related set of skills. Focus on what is essential, as

identifying too many areas will bog down both the development and

implementation processes. Involve as many stakeholders as possible

to identify the outcomes, but once the list is created, it should go to a

“heavyweight” team for the next step.

Step 2. Create a heavyweight team to articulate the cross-

disciplinary outcomes. A heavyweight team is one that is

assembled for a deliberate purpose; once the team’s purpose has been

achieved, the team is disbanded (Christensen, Horn, and Johnson).

Ideally, representatives from the local community and PreK–12 staff

will be included. The work will then move to more permanent

“middleweight” teams (that is, departments, grade-level teams,

longstanding leadership committees) to revise.

Step 3. Define each of the skills or competencies. Coming up

with a list of skills is the easy part; the first real challenge is crafting definitions. Parent and community representatives should take a

leadership role in defining the skills because they are employed

outside the school walls. Their life and work experience is great fodder

for not only developing the definitions but also clarifying how

students can become more sophisticated and skillful over time.

Step 4. Take the definitions and related skills out for a test

drive. Feedback from the full staff and community both

demonstrates the seriousness about this endeavor and broadens it by

having individuals wrestle with the concepts and the language.

Whether this work results in minor tweaks or significant improvements, the real objective is for stakeholders to own the work.

When it comes to soliciting feedback from the community at large, it

is important to use a blend of low-tech and high-tech tools. For

example,

Post a direct link that is prominently featured on your school or

district web page.

Send Twitter and/or Facebook messages to remind stakeholders of

their value in this process, inform them of deadlines, and provide

direct links to more information.

Describe cross-disciplinary outcomes and related skills at the next

monthly meeting (of the board, the PTO or PTA, the student

council) and then elicit immediate feedback.

Use survey software (such as Poll Everywhere) to collect responses

to such prompts as “Identify the three most important cross-

disciplinary outcomes in the workplace” or “Provide an example of

a task in or out of school that illustrates cross-disciplinary

outcome(s).”

Step 5. Reexamine assessment and instructional design.

Once the cross-disciplinary outcomes have been articulated, it is vital

to turn attention to how they impact existing classroom routines,

instructional practices, and assignments.

Connecting Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes and

Task Frames “by Design”

Newport News School Division in Virginia worked with Allison to

articulate what they named College, Career and Citizen Ready Skills (or

cross-disciplinary outcomes) and then describe task frames to be

embedded in every curriculum (all subjects, K–12). The collective

dialogue that led to the description of each task frame illuminated what

primary cross-disciplinary outcomes are to be measured, making it less

overwhelming for task designers who think they have to measure

everything (see Table AA.2).

Table AA.2 Task Frames

Task Frame: Authentic and

Cross-

Cross-

Transdisciplinary

Disciplinary

Disciplinary

Outcomes That

Outcomes

Should Be

That May Be

Measured

Measured

Problem/Solution. Identify and

Problem

Creativity and

define a problem and generate a

solving

innovation;

possible solution(s) (or solution

social

Critical

paths), evaluate the viability of

responsibility;

thinking

each solution, and offer a

information

recommendation.

Communication literacy;

collaboration

Inquiry/Investigation.

Critical

Creativity and

Systematically develop questions

thinking

innovation;

and pursue an explanation/pattern

communication;

Problem

based on, but not limited to,

collaboration;

solving

known information.

social

Initiative and

responsibility

self-direction

Information

literacy

Source/Comparative analysis.

Critical

Collaboration;

Analyze data, information,

thinking

information

artifacts, and/or textual evidence

literacy

Communication

to develop an explanation or

interpretation, and/or to

determine impact.

Critique/Self-Analysis.

Critical

Initiative and

Evaluate a given text,

thinking

self-direction;

performance, or problem based on

collaboration;

Communication

established criteria.

problem

solving;

information

literacy

Debate, Panel, Role Play.

Critical

Social

Present and participate in a

thinking

responsibility;

debate, panel, or role play to

Communication information

provide information, gain insight,

literacy;

and/or promote a particular point

collaboration

of view.

Performance/Product.

Critical

Information

Generate a performance/product

thinking

literacy;

using visual, multimedia, sound,

collaboration;

Communication

writing, and/or speech to

creativity and

demonstrate understanding

Initiative and

innovation

and/or communicate creative

self-direction

intent.

Modeling/Simulation. Given a

Critical

Problem

model or set of

thinking

solving;

criteria/data/experiences, create

communication;

Creativity and

representations to

collaboration;

innovation

illustrate/predict outcomes or to

information

deepen understanding.

literacy

Correspondence/Interviews.

Communication Collaboration;

Appropriately communicate to an

social

Critical

audience and/or respond to an

responsibility;

thinking

idea, point of view, concern,

information

request, or proposal to achieve a

literacy

desired result.

Persuasive statement. Develop

Communication Creativity and

an argument/artifact using

innovation;

Critical

supporting information and

social

thinking

persuasive techniques to promote

responsibility;

a particular point of view and/or to

collaboration;

cause action.

information

literacy

Portfolio/Reflection. Collect

Communication Creativity and

work over time to demonstrate

innovation

Critical

mastery in one or more modes of

expression, reflect on growth,

thinking

and/or set goals.

Initiative and

self-direction

Strategies and Tools to Support Growth and

Development in Metacognition

Metacognition is a vital cross-disciplinary outcome, ambiguous to

describe and even more elusive to implement in classroom practice.

Metacognition is highly individual; students need skills cultivated

through direct prompts, questions, and tasks that reveal the thought

process that led to the solution, the next step, or the reflection. Here are five practical examples that can be integrated into your classroom

practice.

1. Metacognitive awareness inventories. There are many

tools online that can be adapted for the classroom. According to

a review of the research literature, student scores on these

inventories correlate with general cognitive gains (Tokuhama-

Espinosa). Tables AA.3 and AA.4 are examples of inventories for reading and for problem solving, respectively, that can be

rated on a five-point Likert scale.

2. Sentence stems. To develop metacognitive skills, these

sentence stems can be used by students to reveal the steps

that the student took to arrive at the conclusion, answer, or

insight. Make these visible in classrooms and model their use in

one-on-one conferencing, small groups, and class

conversations.

This makes me think of …

I wonder …

I notice …

I picture …

My strategy is …

My question is …

I am figuring out …

I am puzzled …

I was surprised …

I thought that …

3. Thinking journals. Have students regularly use journals to

describe ambiguities, difficulties, and inconsistencies. The

journal can be a daily exercise employing a common set of

prompts:

What did you learn today? Describe where you feel more

accomplished based on your work.

What are the struggles that you need to continue to work through?

Describe areas that are challenging right now.

What strategy or next step can you take based on the challenges you

faced?

(If you are using these prompts on a daily basis) Based on your work

over the past _____ days, what strategies or next steps were most

helpful/effective? What strategies or next steps were

unhelpful/ineffective? How might this change what you will do next

time?

If you want to have students journal regularly, but not daily, consider the following set of prompts:

Preferences

The most interesting thing about _____was …

I prefer to work by myself on activities that …

I like working with others when …

Learning Style and Strategies

If I can, I try to avoid activities that …

I find it easiest to understand when …

When I don’t understand something, I …

Strengths

I’m getting much better at …

One good question I asked (or thought of) today was …

One of the things I do best is …

Areas in Need of Improvement

I’m still not sure how to …

I need to get help with …

The part I found the most difficult was …

4. Self-navigation plan. Provide students with a common

template to chart their own course: create an action plan that

includes estimation of time, needed resources, and steps

necessary to complete a larger project. We also want them to

adapt in response to new information, challenges, and ideas.

These additional questions are designed for self-evaluation.

Given My Goal (and My Deadline) …

What information have I learned that may shape my direction? (either

confirms or suggests another pathway)

What feedback have I received that may shape my direction? (either

confirms or suggests another pathway)

Where do I need to reconsider my timeline? project scope? format and

audience?

5. Self-evaluation prompts. After the learning experience or

project is finished, it is important to have students reflect back

on the broader accomplishments that go beyond the task itself.

What have you learned?

What did you find most interesting?

What did you find easy about learning to …?

How would you do things differently next time?

What did you find most challenging while you were learning to …?

What helped you when something got tricky/complicated/frustrating

…?

How would you change this task/assignment for another group/class

that was learning to …?

Table AA.3 Reading Strategies Inventory

1. I have a purpose in mind when I read.

2. I take notes while reading to help me understand what I’m reading.

3. I think about what I know to help me understand what I’m reading.

4. I preview the text to see what it’s about before reading it.

5. When text becomes difficult, I read aloud to help me understand

what I’m reading.

6. I write summaries to reflect on key ideas in the text.

7. I think about whether the content of the text fits my purpose.

8. I read slowly but carefully to be sure I understand what I’m reading.

9. I discuss my reading with others to check my understanding.

10. I skim the text first by noting characteristics like length and

organization.

11. I try to get back on track when I lose concentration.

12. I underline or circle information in the text to help me remember it.

13. I adjust my reading speed according to what I’m reading.

14. I decide what to read closely and what to ignore.

15. I use reference materials such as dictionaries to help me understand what I’m reading.

16. When text becomes difficult, I begin to pay closer attention to what I’m reading.

17. I use tables, figures, and pictures in text to increase my

understanding.

18. I stop from time to time to think about what I’m reading.

19. I use context clues to help me better understand what I’m reading.

20. I paraphrase (restate ideas in my own words) to better understand

what I’m reading.

21. I try to picture or visualize information to help me remember what

I’m reading.

22. I use typographical aids like boldface type and italics to identify key information.

23. I critically analyze and evaluate the information presented in the text.

24. I go back and forth in the text to find relationships among ideas in it.

25. I check my understanding when I come across conflicting

information.

26. I try to guess what the text is about when reading.

27. When text becomes difficult, I reread to increase my understanding.

28. I ask myself questions I like to have answered in the text.

29. I check to see if my guesses about the text are right or wrong.

30. I try to guess the meaning of unknown words or phrases.

Source: K. Mokhtari and C. A. Reichard, “Assessing Students’ Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies,” Journal of Educational Psychology 94.2 (2002): 249–59. Print.

Table AA.4 Metacognition in Problem Solving

Knowledge of Cognition: How much learners understand about the

extent and utilization of their unique cognitive abilities and the ways

they learn best

I can make myself memorize something.

I use different ways to memorize things.

When it comes to learning, I can make myself learn when I need to.

When it comes to learning, I know how I learn best.

I use learning strategies without thinking.

When it comes to learning, I know my strengths and weaknesses.

When I am done with my schoolwork, I ask myself if I learned what I wanted to learn.

I think about how well I am learning when I work a difficult problem.

I ask myself if there are certain goals I want to accomplish.

I ask myself how well I am doing while I am learning something new.

I think of several ways to solve a problem and then choose the best

one.

I try more than one way to learn something.

I ask myself what is the easiest way to do things.

Problem Representation: Understanding the problem fully before

proceeding

I try to understand what the problem is asking me.

I read the problem more than once.

I read the problem over and over until I understand it.

I think to myself, do I understand what the problem is asking me?

I try to understand the problem so I know what to do.

I make an extra effort to pay attention to what’s important.

I use different learning strategies depending on the problem.

Subtask Monitoring: Breaking the problem down into subtasks and

monitoring the choice of learning strategies and completion of each

subtask

I use different ways of learning depending on the problem.

I try to break down the problem to just the necessary information.

I identify all the important parts of the problem.

I try to eliminate information in the problem that I don’t need.

I pick out the steps I need to do this problem.

I think about what information I need to solve this problem.

I think about all the steps as I work the problem.

Evaluation: Double-checking throughout the entire problem-solving process to evaluate if it is being done correctly

I go back and check my work.

I double-check to make sure I did it right.

I check to see if my calculations are correct.

I look back to see if I did the correct procedures.

I check my work all the way through the problem.

I look back at the problem to see if my answer makes sense.

I stop and rethink a step I have already done.

I make sure I complete each step.

Source: B. C. Howard, S. McGee, R. Shia, and N. S. Hong, “Metacognitive Self-Regulation and Problem-Solving: Expanding the Theory Base Through Factor Analysis,” Annual Meeting of the American Education Research Association, New Orleans, April 2000. Paper. Full text:

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED470973.pdf.

Strategies and Tools to Support Growth and

Development in Questioning

What questions are worth pursuing? As educators, we are trained to look at our topics and articulate questions for our students that are thought-provoking, that channel inquiry, challenge assumptions, and generate

more questions. We think that if we come up with a powerful or beautiful

question, then the students will be more likely to be engaged in the

related inquiry. But oftentimes we take up too much of the thinking:

students use my (thought-provoking) question on my terms (to channel inquiry on my assignment, challenge assumptions that I already have

thought through, and generate questions that are related to the

assignment). Students are expected to work within our inquiry frame

rather than be part of the design process. We can teach students to pose

and pursue their own inquiries based on a given topic, problem, or idea.

We also need to create a culture of questioning and challenging others’

assumptions as a vital feature of learning environments.

1. Questioning can be modeled, taught, and encouraged only when it is valued in the organization. Powerful questions challenge authority

figures to examine current assumptions to see if the prevailing approach is “the only way.” When someone lower down the hierarchy

poses such a question, it is easy to dismiss him as less knowledgeable

or invested. Yet any organization committed to growth must create a

culture where it is safe to ask a question. Therefore, how we respond

and how we train others to respond, matter.

2. Powerful or beautiful questions start with an awareness of what we don’t know—the willingness to embrace ignorance. In fact, many

powerful questions come from a “beginner’s mind” (someone who has

little or no knowledge of the subject) or from experts who constantly

challenge themselves on “why.” The following are some examples of

these actionable, powerful questions:

Why do some keep questioning while others stop? (Was it something

in the genes, in the schools, in the parenting?)

How do cars work?

What should we stop doing?

Do aliens exist?

Can animation be cuddly?

Who is to blame?

What trends are having the most impact on my field, and how is that

likely to play out over the next few years?

Why are some people mean?

What if a human leg could be more like a cheetah’s?

Why is the sky blue?

Can a school be built on questions?

Is sugar bad for you?

Why do I get bored?

Why should I believe you when you tell me something can’t be done?

Warren Berger offers a “Why, What If, How” framework to develop

powerful questions.

Ask Why. Why does it have to be this way? Why does this exist? Why

will it benefit you to invest time and energy thinking about this problem? The “why” should lead to action: improvements, solutions,

ideas, possibilities.

Ask What if? Imagination begins to go to work, and that focus,

germination, or stewing will typically lead to possibilities that can be

acted on. We sit with a problem for as long as it takes until we arrive

at an insight. We can research, wonder, and pursue other people’s

attempts, but we are not fenced in by existing knowledge.

Ask How. Use discipline and focus to work through possibilities and

“fail forward.” Ask questions to hone in on a better solution or idea.

Mindsets: What Motivates Students to Meet a

Challenge?

The text that follows is from a blog post by Kathleen Cushman and

Allison Zmuda.

When we question our students about “what it takes to get really good at

something” and give them the space to respond, it is amazing how

insightful they can be—and how much of it lines up with the neuroscience

of learning. Here are nine answers that students gave in Kathleen

Cushman’s book Fires in the Mind, along with suggestions for related teacher actions to incorporate into your classroom practice.

1. Let us see what we’re aiming for.

Show models of exemplary work

Show real-world connections to questions, problems, and

challenges that experts are facing in various fields

2. Break down what we need to learn.

Identify the knowledge and skills needed

Set realistic goals to create an achievable challenge

3. Give us lots of ways to understand.

Present concepts and skills in different ways to help students find

a foothold

4. Teach us to critique and revise everything we do.

Provide multiple opportunities for students to make changes as they learn from mistakes

Keep good records of student progress on key concepts and skills

5. Assess us all the time, not just in high-stakes ways.

Use diagnostic and formative assessment to monitor learners’

progress

Focus less on the grade and more on the information you receive

about your teaching from looking at student work

6. Chart our small successes.

Make sure all students know their individual goals—and

acknowledge their progress toward them

7. Ask us to work as an expert team.

Teach key skills of collaboration (how to come to consensus on a

plan, how to manage time, how to make sure everyone pulls her

weight)

Evaluate collaboration skills when assessing a group project,

presentation, or performance

8. Help us extend our knowledge through using it.

Build meaningful applications of concepts and skills into daily

instruction and larger projects

9. Use performances to assess our academic understanding.

Seek out audiences for student work so as to underline its

authenticity and relevance

Make time for students to rehearse, critique, and revise before

their presentations

Works Cited

Berger, W. A More Beautiful Question: The power of inquiry to spark

breakthroughs. New York: Bloomsbury USA, 2014. Print.

Christensen, C. M., Horn, M. B., and Johnson, C. W. Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns.

New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008. Print.

Clarke, J. Personalized Learning: Student Pathways to High School

Graduation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2013. Print.

Cushman, K. Fires in the Mind: What Kids Can Tell Us About Motivation and Mastery. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010. Print.

Cushman, K., and Zmuda, A. “What Motivates Students to Meet a

Challenge?” Learning Personalized. 2 Sept. 2013. Web. 5 Jan. 2014.

<http://learningpersonalized.com/2013/09/02/what-motivates-

students-to-meet-a-challenge-student-answers-and-teacher-actions/>.

Tokuhama-Espinosa, T. Making Classrooms Better: 50 Practical

Applications of Mind, Brain, and Education Science. New York: Norton, 2014. Print.

Appendix B

Additional Resources for Chapter 4

Templates and Illustrative Examples to Generate

Ideas

The design of a worthy task may seem daunting, but the good news is that

you are not alone. There is inspiration everywhere: rich problems worth

figuring out, ideas that are worth tinkering with, and texts that are worth consuming and producing. You also have the talents, inspiration, and

focus of students who can seek out information, hone an idea, and

investigate what’s best given a set of parameters. Table AB.1 is the blank version of the template for you to consider in developing a new idea or

practicing using Michael Fisher’s commentary on “Butterfly Story” or

Scott Houston’s projects on the Laws of Motion (both at the end of this

appendix).

Table AB.1 Task Frame Template

Tables AB.2 and AB.3 are two illustrative examples from public school

educators: a high school civics and government example and an upper-elementary cross-disciplinary example on evaluating media messages.

Table AB.2 Task Frame: Electoral College Project

Table AB.3 Task Frame: Making Sense of Media Messages—Grades 4–6

English Language Arts/Library Media

Generating a Task Frame Based on an

Illustrative Example: Commentary on “Butterfly

Story” by Michael Fisher

The following was written by author and education consultant Michael

Fisher based on his musings after reading this manuscript. As you read,

consider what you would record in elements of the task frame. In

addition, consider how this example or another child-centered example

could be integrated into the schooling experience.

While putting together materials for a workshop on digital storytelling, I came across a video called “Butterfly Story,” accessible here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88ZQE_Kcfr0. In this digital story, three sisters, ages 14, 11, and 9, wrote, directed, filmed, and narrated a video that brought the life cycle of a butterfly alive. The script they wrote detailed the steps in the cycle of butterfly growth, from egg to larva to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly, with all stages vividly depicted on film.

This was not a school project. They did this at home because of an

interest in nature and a desire to create something interesting that they could share with others. As of this writing, they have more than nine

thousand hits on YouTube. They’ve also received comments from

multiple people praising their work and describing how they’ve found the

video useful.

These children designed their own project with very little peripheral help from their parents. In fact, their parents were relegated to small roles in

the process and are mentioned in the credits at the end of the video as having the roles of Executive Producer, Larva Wrangler, and Location

Scout. These children had a coach and a guide through this process, but

they were allowed to make all of the decisions for the finished product.

In terms of feedback, there are comments on the video, though these do

not amount to much more than praise. To be fair, these children weren’t

looking to be assessed; they just wanted to learn. When you, the reader,

watch the video, what is your assessment? Do these children understand

the life cycle of the butterfly? Are they adept at creating something

through collaboration that is accessible to multiple audiences? Does this creation lay the foundation for future efforts both in learning and in

demonstrating learning through the creation of media?

What interests me the most about this is that it is a content-rich product created solely on the basis of interest in butterflies, without regard to a grade they would get. I absolutely think it exemplifies quality work as well as demonstrated collaboration and communication. It is extremely

creative, both in cinematography and structure. The attention to detail

has a high degree of precision, evidenced by the clever script, the

interaction with the music, and the text and titles used. My only wish is that this was a school project. What would our classrooms look like if deep interactions with content and the creation of new resources were the focus, rather than a high-stakes test or a pop quiz on Fridays or a canned project that is well past its expiration date? What if students were

partners in their choices for learning rather than just recipients of

content gifts?

Generating a Task Frame Based on an

Illustrative Example: Laws of Motion by Scott

Houston, an Aveson Physics Teacher/Advisor in

California

The following is an illustrative example from a high school Physics class for a unit on motion and forces. As you read, consider what you would

record in elements of the task frame. The physics outcomes (referenced at the end of the description of each option) are as follows:

1. I can explain how motion deals with the changes of an object’s

position over time.

2. I can describe motion through the concepts of velocity and

acceleration.

3. I can describe motion using Newton’s three laws.

4. I can discuss how fundamental forces in nature govern the physical

behavior of the universe. One of these fundamental forces, gravity,

influences objects with mass but acts at a distance, or without any

direct contact between the objects.

5. I can use the concept of gravity to discuss the circular motion of

objects.

Option 1: You work for a toy company that wants to market toy cars.

Your idea is to take ten different cars and determine their speed to see

which one is fastest. You will use the winning car as the cover model for the ad campaign. You should have a slogan with a picture of the car that

indicates its speed. You will build a sloped track on which to conduct this competition. Each car should go at least five times so you can set an

average for each car. If you would like to, you can build two identical

tracks and have races as well to determine who is the fastest. You will still need to record time for this, though. You will calculate the speed of each run for each car and then turn in your report. You will also have the car strike something at the end of the ramp and determine the force with

which it hits for each car. This project is for one or two people. The purpose of this project is to get better at calculating speed, average speed, and force. Connects to outcomes 1 and 3. You may want to choose this project if you enjoy conducting experiments and playing with cars.

Option 2: You are a trial witness with an expertise in speed mechanics.

Many times lawyers try to get their clients acquitted by saying that a

person’s speedometer is broken or that a speed gun isn’t properly

calibrated. Your job is to learn how one of these devices really works and explain what could go wrong with it. You will research your device and

the types of malfunctions it has, and can even take one apart and put it

back together if you can get your hands on one and show me what you

learned about how it works. Your report should be about four pages long

typed, and with pictures to emphasize your points. This project is for one or two people. The purpose of this project is to get students familiar with how physics is being used to design machines that can gauge velocity.

Connects to outcome 1. You may want to choose this project if you enjoy learning how things work or have an interest in mechanical things.

Option 3: You have your own YouTube channel and are trying to help other people who are in physics. You feel that physics is boring and hard and want to take confusing concepts and make them simple to

understand. You also know that people who watch YouTube do not like to

be bored, so your video has to be not only educationally sound but also

entertaining. You will do a video that compares Newton’s Three Laws of

Motion. You must make sure that all three laws are included in the video

and discuss how they are different from one another. This project is for

one to three people. The purpose of this project is to be able to

understand Newton’s Laws of Motion in depth. Connects to outcomes 2,

3, and 4. You may want to choose this project if you enjoy designing

scientific examples, teaching others, and being on camera.

Option 4: You are a model designer for a company that deals in historic memorabilia. They have asked you to build mini working catapults that

can be used to throw small objects across an area. They also want to be

able to market this to physics teachers to be able to teach their students about projectile motion. You will research how to build a mini-catapult,

design it to look like one from a specific time period, and then choose five different types of small projectiles to shoot across a room and then find their projectile motion. This project is for one or two people. The purpose of this project is to learn how to determine and explain projectile

motion. Connects to outcomes 1, 2, and 5. You may want to choose this project if you enjoy doing lab experiments, building things, and math.

Create a project: If you would prefer to develop your own project based on these standards, write a proposal and submit it to the instructor. He

will determine if it is rigorous enough and aligned to the outcomes.

My Vision-to-Action Project Planner

In the text of chapter 4, Allison’s son used the Vision-to-Action Project Planner to share his ideas, plans, and challenges. Table AB.4 is a blank version of that template. Table AB.5 was generated by a staff member of Charlotte-Mecklenberg Schools to indicate what it might look like for a

science project on the “Garbage Patch.”

Table AB.4 Personalized Learning Vision-to-Action Project Planner

Cocreated by Allison Zmuda and Jill Thompson

Table AB.5 Sample Personalized Learning Vision and Action Project Planner

Appendix C

Additional Resources for Chapters 5 and 6

Sample of Developing Unit or Project Ideas from

an Intersection of Theme and Topic

Figure AC.1 represents a more detailed look at how to use themes and topics together to “open up” learning for students in a more personalized environment. This simple example is derived from program planning at

the Futures Academy of International School of Beijing. It shows that a

theme (in this case, change) can take on many forms when viewed

through the lens of various topics (in this case, health, environment, economics, and community). The result is different contexts for exploring both the theme and the topics with a focus on appropriate disciplinary

and cross-disciplinary outcomes. These contexts can become either units

of study or projects. The framework also allows students to compare

themes and topics as a way to target personalized learning opportunities.

Figure AC.1 How to Use a Theme to Reimagine a Course or Unit Developed by Greg Curtis

Day-in-the-Life Examples for Middle School and

High School

Here are two additional narratives to illustrate the process and

environmental shifts described in chapter 5. These examples may be

idealized or unrealistic right now given your conditions and resources,

but they challenge you to see what could be, to craft a collective

personalized learning vision, and to pose questions about “how” rather

than “why.” Table AC.1 may be helpful to support the connections to the Personalized Learning Evolution.

Table AC.1 Decoding a Day-in-the-Life Example (Template) Elements

Disciplinary Outcomes

Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes

Feedback

Environment

Mindsets

Relevance:

Growth Mindset:

Self-Efficacy:

Sense of Belonging:

Middle School Day-in-the-Life Narrative

Mateo and Kyle spoke together as they walked through the door of the

school. “Man, I spent most of last night on science,” said Mateo. “I was

having a hard time with the cell structure stuff, so the system kept

redirecting me back to things I missed. I got it in the end, but I’m glad I moved through the math simulations pretty quickly.”

Kyle laughed. “I did that stuff the night before. I spent last night getting the draft of my opinion piece for the school’s blog ready. Every time I

thought I fixed something, the writing coach system kept finding

something else…but I think it’s good now.” The two boys said hi to friends as they walked into their classroom.

“Now don’t forget,” said their teacher, Mr. Gwyn, above the noise, “you

need to get stage 2 of your individual project plan ready to share with me before lunch.”

“Stage 2? What’s that one again?” asked Kyle.

“That’s the learning plan part…how you’re going to learn what you need

to complete the project,” answered Mateo.

“Oh, yeah. I think I know what I need to do.”

“Just use the template and attach it to your project planner online.” The students gradually took their seats as Mr. Gwyn asked for their attention.

“OK,” he began. “Last night I finished going through your recent progress in the math, science, and English learning system. I can see that many of you have made some good progress, but many of you are also getting a

little unbalanced as to where you are spending your time.

“The first thing I want you to do this morning is go into the system and

get your progress summary for the past seven days. Then go to your goal

setting page and compare where you’ve been spending your time with the

goals you set for yourself a couple of months ago. Then I’d like you to

enter a reflection around this sentence: ‘Given the goals that I have set, I should spend more time doing X, Y, and Z in the adaptive learning

system.’ Obviously, I want you to contribute more than this, but this is

your focus for this reflection. I’ll give you twenty minutes for that, and I’ll give feedback to you as your reflections come into my inbox.”

After about twenty minutes, Mr. Gwyn said, “OK…I have sent you all an

appointment request to take the next math challenge assessment in your

list. Tonight, please try the practice scenarios for the assessment to see how prepared you are, and set a date this week to take your assessment.

Now it’s time to get together in your teams to work on your exhibition

projects. You should check in with your project plan together and decide

on your areas of focus for today.”

There was a scraping of chairs as students rose to join their team

members. Most of the small groups of three and four people gathered in a

semicircle around a single tablet screen to look at their project planner to see where they were and what they needed to do next. Everyone was

doing a project on something he or she thought was important to address

in their town. Mateo’s team had chosen the topic of public spaces in town and the difficulties in keeping them maintained and supervised in a time

of budget cuts. They were proposing that residents would volunteer their

time to maintain a few central spaces if the local government would

maintain the equipment and pay for insurance. It would be presented to

town council for approval.

“OK, where are we at?” asked Francesca, this week’s team leader. “We

only have two weeks until the exhibition at the town hall.” They went

through the list of contributions: Mateo had just about completed the

blog with their research and proposal. He was ready to open that up to

the public at any time. Ethan and Francesca had completed gathering

data through the survey and were working on infographics to display the

data. Ethan was good at the graphics, and Francesca was good with the

data. Salena, always good with laying out a plan, was working on

scenarios for cost-saving recommendations.

“Great,” said Francesca. “Mateo, it looks like you can open up the blog

with the survey. We need the survey numbers on how many people are in

favor of this idea and a few good sample quotes. We need to combine this

with what Ethan and I have…If we give you our stuff, can you do that?

Remember, we’re hoping to show support for the idea from different

places. Salena, if you could get your stuff together by the end of the week, I could start getting things lined up for the presentation on the weekend.

Ethan, maybe you could put the pamphlet together? That would give us a

week to tune this up and practice for the exhibition. Sound good?”

Mateo said, “Yeah, great! I’ll update the project plan with this stuff so that Mr. Gwyn can see the progress.” After he finished this, Mateo finished up stage 2 of his learning plan for his individual project. He had already

identified the things he needed to learn to complete the project and how

he might learn them. He just needed to finish up the “Strengths” piece to identify how he was going to use strengths in his learning profile to

effectively accomplish what needed to be done. He noted that his strength at sifting through information quickly and organizing it efficiently was

something he really needed to use in order to learn all of the things he

needed to learn for the project.

When Mateo met with Mr. Gwyn before lunch, Mr. Gwyn agreed with

him that this was a reasonable learning plan and that his identification of the strength he would use was accurate. “Now,” Mr. Gwyn said, “I want

you to keep track of your use of this strength in your project blog. I’d like to see what learning approaches and skills you bring to that learning task.

Just put everything down as you do it, and you can trim up the blog later.

I’d like to know which strategies worked, which ones didn’t, and what

changes you made along the way. This will be a part of your evaluation on

this project, as usual.”

“Got it,” said Mateo as he packed up for lunch.

After lunch, Mateo and his classmates broke up for their enrichments and

options. Right now, he was enjoying his current selection of team sports

and fitness, early engineering, music studio, and graphic design. He was

able to take extra-long periods of two of the four on alternating days. This schedule gave him time to be more involved, get more done, and figure

out if he wanted to pursue these areas further in the next semester.

As Mateo and Kyle left the school, they both laughed at things that had

happened in their different afternoon experiences. They also shared what

was on their to-do lists for the evening.

“I’ve got to check to see if I’m ready for my math assessment. I think I am

’cause all the practice I did on the weekend showed that I was really close.

I’ve also got to do some research for my independent project and update

my blog for that.”

“Yeah,” said Kyle. “Same for me with math, but I’ve got to run some more

writing through the writing coach system. I keep having trouble with my

sentences, but I think I’ve just about figured it out.”

“All right. See you tomorrow,” said Mateo.

High School Day-in-the-Life Narrative

Jing spent the first part of the morning at home working on her writing

modules. She knew she had to get her research paper ready by the

beginning of next week and wanted to finish her draft before she met with her writing coach. She liked to do this in the morning when she felt fresh.

When Jing got to school, she met with her disciplinary standards advisor

to go over her progress toward her diploma requirements. Jing was in the

middle of grade 11 and had to map out how and when she would show

that she had achieved the necessary standards for the diploma level she

hoped to achieve.

“Come on in, Jing,” said Mrs. Gonzales as she walked into the workroom.

“So, where are we?”

“We were trying to see how I can design my capstone project to bring

together standards from across different subject areas,” said Jing.

“Right. We have to get your proposal ready by the end of the month. First, we need to see what we can tie together for your capstone and then we

can start planning for how you might demonstrate other standards

through smaller projects or stand-alone assignments. Remember, if we

can bring things together from different subject areas, you can account

for a number of standards and make your capstone stronger.”

Jing said, “I started looking at standards based on our last meeting. Since my capstone is about the importance of ‘play’ in the twenty-first century, I’ve been able to look across the standards and choose some obvious

ones. See, I have a bunch I think might work from science, social

sciences, history, and psychology.” They looked over Jing’s list and talked about how she might demonstrate mastery of the standards in her project

and broke some of these down into smaller areas of skills and knowledge

to make a stronger connection with her capstone focus.

“These look pretty good, and I’m sure we can come up with more

connections as we move along,” said Mrs. Gonzales. “These will help with

the research and theory behind your work. How about the design and

action component?”

“I thought I could design a play-based program for Alzheimer’s patients

at the home down the road to help stimulate them and maybe even slow

down the loss of brain function,” said Jing. She went on to explain to Mrs.

Gonzales how she hoped she could propose a program to the home’s

administration and make it into a service project for kids at her school.

“That’s great,” Mrs. Gonzales said, smiling. “Let’s just make sure you also do this in a way that demonstrates achievement based on the disciplinary

and growth outcomes.”

Jing replied, “I was thinking for metacognition of doing a research trail where I can show how what I discovered through my research influenced

my thinking and my design for the action piece. For problem solving, I

have my problem already with the degenerative brain disease. And, for

critical thinking…” Jing went on to list the ways in which she would use

these skills and how she would also develop them through the long

capstone project. She and Mrs. Gonzales put these ideas into the system

as part of their proposal log.

“Well, Jing, I think you’re getting pretty close. We’ll just need to fine-tune this a bit to present it to a sponsor at the home and a capstone advisor

here at the school. In the meantime, I suggest you research some other standards you might be able to bring into your project. I think there

would be some good stuff you could do in statistics and science to plan a way for the home to test whether your program is achieving what you

hope it will. I’ll send you some starting points for this.”

“That would be great, thanks,” said Jing. “I’ll be so happy to get this part done.”

“Yes, the planning and alignment with the standards is always the hard

part. Now, remember,” said Mrs. Gonzales, “once this is done, we can

look at the other standards you’ll need to demonstrate for your diploma.

Then we can look at smaller projects, individual and group, that can

incorporate these, or stand-alone pieces for the ones we need to deal with that way. Then we’ll have your plan for next year pretty much figured out, OK?”

“Yup, got it. I’ll see you in a couple of days and show you what other

standards I’ve found that might help with the big project,” Jing said as

she gathered her things.

Jing made her way to the science center. She had worked last night to

prepare for one of her independent labs, and she felt that she was ready

to do the lab. She went to the kiosk in the middle of the science center

and asked to check out the materials for her lab. The lab technician asked her to review the procedures and safety elements of the lab and scanned

the lab kit out for her.

Jing went to an open station and proceeded with the lab. She decided that she wanted to run through the experiment twice to make sure that the

probes were logging the data properly. When she was done, she

downloaded the data, went to the work area, and completed her lab

through the online tool. When she was done, she submitted the lab,

heaved a big sigh, and got up to leave. She liked the science labs because she could choose much of what she did, and the lab assistants always got

her performance marks back to her quickly.

After a quick lunch with her friends, Jing met with her writing coach.

They reviewed her progress in the “Writing Machine.” Her coach talked

to her about some of the mistakes that had been common in her early

drafts and how she had corrected these. They also spoke about the

sequencing of her paper and the flow from opening paragraph through to

concluding paragraph. Jing decided to move a couple of pieces around to make things fit together properly. Her coach asked her to send him her

next draft after she had made some changes and said that they would

meet again in a few days.

Jing had some time to go to the Learning Center to check in on her

MOOC. She was taking a course in media design from a college on the

East Coast. It really helped her with her work placement at the

advertising agency. There were also people in the course from all over the world, and she often got to work with them in smaller groups. She

checked in with her group in their project space. They were doing a cool

project on cultural icons in a globalized world. There were people in her group from three different countries; they got to share their cultural

images and were trying to mash these up to show cultural fusion. It was

pretty cool, and it counted toward the collaboration portion of her

diploma.

Toward the end of the day, Jing met with her group to work on their

engineering project. This was a math-science project, and she was in the

math subgroup. The project itself wasn’t hard (a materials and

construction focus), but the math behind it was. She and her two math

partners were working through some of the data, and Jing struggled a bit

with the data tables, probabilities, and so on. One of her partners, Max, said, “I had a really tough time with that too. But there was a simulation module online that really helped me out. I’ll send you the link…It’s on the blended learning site.”

“Thanks, that would help me out. I have to know how to explain this stuff better,” Jing laughed.

Before she left to join her dance group, Jing logged her day’s sessions for her advisor and tuned up her work schedule for the night.

Probability module

Math simulation for tomorrow’s assessment

Remix my research paper a bit

Check in with my MOOC

Then she put aside her tablet and books and got ready to dance.

Student-Driven Project Model

This last illustrative example highlights how a high school in New

Zealand described four principles and related questions to generate

student ideas. Table AC.2 inspires students to think about what difference they want to make in the world and how to grow the project.

Table AC.2 The Four Principles of Impact Projects at Albany Senior High School

Possible

STUDENT

SUBSTANTIAL

A QUALITY

Questions OWNERSHIP

LEARNING

PRODUCT

AND AGENCY

BEYOND THE

How is it amazing?

Student

CLASSROOM

ownership leads Why is this worth

your project,

learning to you?

how is it your

What new learning

interest/passion? is there for you?

Possible

How does this

How can you build

What are the

Questions

link to the “ideas

upon the learning

deliverables you

generation” that

you have done in the

are working on

you completed

relevant specialist

today?

with your tutor?

subject(s)?

How do these

So what are each

Who outside the

(deliverables) help

of you

school might have

you get quality at

particularly

expertise in this

the end?

interested in

field?

How will you

with this

Who else in the

decide who in your

project?

school might be able

group is the best

What appeals to

to support you with

person for each

you about the

this project?

deliverable?

project?

How will the skills

How are you

What do you

you are learning

researching what

expect of the

help you once the

will make your

other members

project is complete?

product the most

of the group?

effective/best

What might the

quality?

How will you

different skills be

take the passion

that you need [to]

What similar

beyond yourself?

make your product

products that

quality?

others have made

What is it about

could you look at?

X that interests

What types of skills

What can you

you?

do you want to

learn from their

develop?

What makes this

experience?

a good idea to

How will you seek

What other

investigate

feedback to further

solutions

further?

develop and refine

(products) can you

your ideas on what

So far, what is in

think of that might

learning there is in

this project that

solve your original

this project?

will keep you

question/problem?

interested and

What are you

What is the

learning across

learning about

purpose of making

the whole

yourself or projects

X?

semester?

or working with

people etc. that will

What are the key

be useful later and

steps you have

how do you think it

identified to make

might be useful?

your product?

What will be

particularly

amazing about it?

How do we know it

From the feedback

is time to stop and

provided, what will

reflect on the

you do to improve

learning in relation

your final

to our original idea?

outcome?

And, who can we

How have your

talk to for feedback

success criteria

on this?

changed as your

How do your

project has

ideas/work/learning

progressed?

so far support you to

Do you think you

produce your final

have developed

product?

your ideas of what

In what areas do

quality looks like

you need to extend

enough to revisit

your

and change your

understanding?

success criteria?

What processes do

How do we know it

you need to learn

is time to stop and

more about?

reflect on the

product in relation

to our original

idea?

And, who can we

talk to for feedback

on this?

Used with permission from Albany Senior High School Auckland, New Zealand

Appendix D

Additional Resources for Chapter 7

The Personalized Learning Vision-to-Action Plan deliberately resembles

the student planning tool but is geared toward the personalized learning

model. Table AD.1 is a blank template for your use. Table AD.2 is an illustrative example of how balanced literacy can be used as part of an

elementary school personalized learning model.

Table AD.1 Personalized Learning Vision-to-Action Plan OUTCOMES

What is your vision for personalized learning?

Design

Implement

Institutionalize

How will we design a

How will we

How will we

personalized learning

ensure quality

ensure

pathway toward academic

control?

sustainability?

and growth outcomes?

How does the

How will we know if our

plan evolve

design is viable?

over time?

INDICATORS

What is evidence of success at each stage?

PATHWAYS TO ACTION

WHAT: What actions will we take? What is the optimal

sequence?

WHO: Who should be involved, in what role/capacity? How

will we build ownership?

WHEN: How much time is needed? When will this occur?

What timing is optimal?

INDICATORS

WHAT

WHO

WHEN

Connection to Evidence

Task and

Key

Timeline

of Success (listed above)

Resources

Partners

Needed

CULTURE AND MINDSET

In what ways will current values, beliefs, and behaviors

support attainment of our vision?

In what ways will current values, beliefs, and behaviors

challenge attainment of our vision? What changes may be

needed?

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

What are potential challenges? Immediate? Long term?

Personnel

Job descriptions

(What’s my job?)

Staff development

Staff appraisal

Financial

Priority budgeting

Support (e.g.,

substitute,

stipends,

instructional

coaches)

Incentives (e.g.,

conference

attendance, iPads)

Structures

Schedule for

students

Schedule for staff

Grading and

reporting

External Factors

State/national

accountability

tests

College tests (SAT,

AP, ACT)

Graduation

requirements

GPA/college

admissions

Cocreated by Allison Zmuda and Jay McTighe

Table AD.2 Sample Personalized Learning Vision-to-Action Plan OUTCOMES

What is your vision for personalized learning?

We want to create a balanced-literacy personalized learning environment.

The goal is to create students who want to read and want to think about their reading by themselves and with others.

Design

Implement

Institutionalize

How will we design a

How will we

How will we ensure

personalized learning

ensure quality

sustainability?

pathway toward

control?

academic and growth

How does the plan

outcomes?

evolve over time?

How will we know if

our design is viable?

Draft essential

Test-drive “look-

Feature student

components of a

fors” and revise

work via multimedia

balanced literacy

language to make

publications,

program based on

it clear

rotating hallway

research and best

displays, classroom

Hold team

practice

visits, and digital

meetings to

portfolios

Create a “toolkit” for

analyze student

each component: a

work and

place where teachers

determine

can find playlists,

additional (or

tools, strategies, and

revised) resources

prompts

for the toolkit

Create “look-fors” in

Submit PD

teacher-friendly

requests based on

language as a self-

specific problems

reflection and peer

or challenges

feedback tool

Hold student-led

Create student self-

conferences/confer

reflection tools to

on progress as a

monitor progress as a

reader (both

reader and a writer

strengths and

weaknesses) and

Create personalized

identify next steps

learning task frames

based on a student-

driven problem,

challenge, or idea

Develop a structure for

student-led

conferences/conferring

INDICATORS

What is evidence of success?

Every toolkit resource has been both vetted on a rubric and “teacher

tested.”

Featured student work demonstrates key components of balanced

literacy.

Student drafts demonstrate how they used the design process to guide

them through a problem, challenge, or idea.

Teachers analyze their own balanced literacy practice (self and peer) by

using “look-fors.”

Student-led conferences are developmentally appropriate, but

regardless of age or skill level, the student owns the experience.

All PD requests on balanced literacy from teams are followed up on—the

teachers’ needs are used to design and deliver quality content.

PATHWAYS TO ACTION

WHAT: What actions will we take? What is the optimal

sequence?

WHO: Who should be involved, in what role/capacity? How will

we build ownership?

WHEN: How much time is needed? When will this occur? What

timing is optimal?

INDICATORS

WHAT

WHO

WHEN

Connection to

Task and

Key

Timeline

Evidence of Success

Resources Needed

Partners

Every toolkit resource has Create a rubric

Literacy

By the

been both vetted on a

team

opening of

rubric and “teacher

Learning

school 2015

tested.”

and

teaching

literacy

specialist

Test-drive each

Teachers

First quarter

resource

(more

(end of

than one) October)

As needed

based on

continued

development

CULTURE AND MINDSET

In what ways will current values, beliefs, and behaviors

support attainment of our vision?

In what ways will current values, beliefs, and behaviors

challenge attainment of our vision? What changes may be

needed?

Some educators believe that students need to learn one reading

comprehension strategy at a time.

Some educators believe that spelling and vocabulary/word study should

be a stand-alone set of activities and assessments.

Some educators believe that writer’s workshop is too cumbersome to

use regularly.

Some educators separate out “reading” from “writing”—both in terms of

time blocks as well as genre or structure.

Cocreated by Allison Zmuda with Charlotte-Mecklenberg Schools

Index

A

Access technologies

Adaptive technologies

Advancement (Element 12)

Advisor, teacher as

Aguilar, Elena

A la carte model

Albany Senior High School (Auckland, New Zealand)

Arizona

Art installations

ASCD

A+ Schools

Asia Society

Asperger’s syndrome

Assessment(s):

of cross-disciplinary outcomes

of mindset outcomes

summative

Assessor, teacher as

At-risk students

Audience (Element 5)

Aveson Charter School (California)

Avon Public Schools (Avon, Connecticut)

B

Balcony thinking

Bean, Kate

Beijing, China

Belonging, sense of, see Sense of belonging

Berger, Ron

Bill of rights, student’s

Blended learning

Bolton, England

Boss, Suzie

Brain Pop

Briceño, Eduardo

Brick, Peyton

British Columbia

Business operations

“Butterfly Story”

C

California

CCSSO

Center for Collaborative Education

Change, management of

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (North Carolina)

Chicago, Illinois

Children, personalized learning and growth of

China

Clarke, John

Classroom facilitator, teacher as

Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Education

Coach, teacher as

Coalition of Essential Schools

Collaboration

Colorado

Common Sense Media

Communication (as cross-disciplinary outcome)

Communicator, teacher as

Concerns-Based Adoption Model

Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents

Connector, teacher as

Consortium for Public Education in Pittsburgh

Consortium on the Chicago Schools (University of Chicago)

Contemporary literacies

Content, in Instructional Core

Content standards

Control of learning experience

Cornally, Shawn

Costa, Art

Council of Chief State School Officers

Creative Problem Solving

Creative thinking

Critical thinking

Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes (Element 2)

acquisition of

aims of, vs. disciplinary aims

assessment of

collaboration

communication

creative thinking

critical thinking

demonstration of

development of

disciplinary outcomes vs.

illustrative examples of

with LearningBoard

metacognition

problem solving

recommendations

resources

Csikszentmihalyi, Mihalyi

Culture, school

Curriculum, standards vs.

Curriculum planner, teacher as

Cushman, Kathleen

Customized learning experiences

D

Dalton Plan

Dalton School

Daniel, David

Darling-Hammond, Linda

Day-in-the-life narratives

high school

middle school

Deci, E. L.

Demonstration of Learning (Element 10)

authentic assessment tasks

with LearningBoard

recommendations

Denver Montessori School

Dewey, John

Digital portfolios

Disciplinary Outcomes (Element 1)

cross-disciplinary outcomes vs.

for English Language Learners

with LearningBoard

for mathematics

recommendations

resources

for science

Dopamine

d.school (Stanford University)

Duckworth, Eleanor

Dweck, Carol

E

Educational equity

Education Commission of the States

Education Leadership

Education on the Dalton Plan (Parkhurst)

EduTect

eMAPS

Enabling Innovation: Transforming Curriculum and Assessment

(British Columbia Ministry of Education)

England

English Language Learners, Disciplinary Outcomes for

Enriched virtual model

Environment (Element 9)

and access technologies

and adaptive technologies

and facilitative technologies

narrative example

ePALS projects

Equity, educational

“Ethic of excellence”

An Ethic of Excellence (Berger)

Evaluation (Element 7)

Exhibitions

F

Facebook

Facilitative technologies

Feedback (Element 6)

Ferlazzo, Larry

First impressions

Fisher, Michael

Five Levers to Improve Student Learning (Frontier and Rickabaugh) Fixed mindset

Flex model

Florida, Richard

“Flow”

Ford, Henry

Freelancing

Frontier, Tony

Fullan, Michael

G

Games for Change

Gateways

Gerjoy, Herbert

Girls on the Run

Global literacy, and task design

Glossary of Education Reform

Gloyd, Jesse

“Golden Circle”

Goodenow, C.

Growth mindset

H

Hampshire College

Harms, Bryan

Harvard Graduate School of Education

Harvard University

Hattie, John

Heathfield Community Primary School (Bolton, England)

Heifetz, Ronald

Henry County Public Schools (Virginia)

Henry Street School for International Studies

Hernandez, Andrea

High school day-in-the-life narrative

High Tech High School

Houston, Scott

HydroPod

I

Illinois

Independent Project

India

Instructional Core

Instructional level, personalized learning at

Environment (Element 9)

Process (Element 8)

Instructional Rounds in Education (City et al.)

International Baccalaureate Diploma Program

International School (Beijing, China)

International Studies School Network (Asia Society)

Interviews

J

Jacobs, Heidi Hayes

Jobs, Steve

Jones, Makeba

Jordan

Journal of Emerging Investigators

Joyce, Bruce

K

Kallick, Bena

Katy Independent School District (Texas)

Khan Academy

Knewton

L

Labor market

Lake Havasu Public Schools (Arizona)

Langworthy, M.

Laurie, Donald

Leading the New Literacies (Jacobs)

Learn4Life

Learn4Life Charter Schools (California)

Learning:

blended

reconceptualizing

LearningBoard

Learning experience, control over

Learning management systems (LMSs)

Learning outcomes, personalized learning and attainment of

Learning process, ownership of

Levin, Sam

Linsky, M.

Literacies, contemporary

Liu, M.

Local challenges, and task design

Local enterprises

Local experts, seeking out

Long-term transfer goals

M

Macedonia

Maine Department of Education

March, Tom

Massive open online courses (MOOCs)

Mathematics, Disciplinary Outcomes for

McClure, Larry

McCusker, Shawn

McTighe, Jay

Metacognition

Meyer, Dan

Middle school day-in-the-life narrative

Miller, Mark

MindMeister

Mindset (Dweck)

Mindsets (Element 3)

acquisition of

aims of, vs. disciplinary aims

assessment of

demonstration of

development of

and giving back the work to teachers

growth mindset

recommendations

relevance

resources

self-efficacy

sense of belonging

Mindset Works

MindShift (blog)

Mitchell, David

Montessori, Maria

Montessori schools

MOOCs (massive open online courses)

The Motivation Equation (Cushman)

Moulton, Jim

Mt. Abraham High School (Vermont)

MY HERO

N

Narrative

high school day-in-the-life narrative

middle school day-in-the-life narrative

National Academy of Engineering

National SAFE KIDS Campaign

New Hampshire State Department of Education

Newport News, Virginia

Newport News School Division (Virginia)

New York State

New Zealand

Northgate High School

O

Obstacles

100 People Foundation

Oneida-Herkimer-Madison Board of Cooperative Educational

Services (New York)

One-sentence project

“One-size-fits-all schooling” end of

One Young World Summit

Online learning model

Osborne, Alex

“Òur’ Curriculum vs. `Their’ Curriculum” (Richardson)

Owning the learning process

P

PACE (Performance Assessment for Competency Education)

Parker, Clay

Parkhurst, Helen

Parnes, Sydney

Pederson, S.

Pennsylvania

Performance Assessment for Competency Education (PACE)

Personalized Learning (Clarke)

Personalized learning (PL):

articulating and creating urgency for

and attainment of learning outcomes

and children’s growth

definitions of

differentiation vs.

and giving back the work to teachers

historical roots of

individualization vs.

and managing change as it occurs

power of

recent popularization of

Personalized Learning: Student-Designed Pathways to High School Graduation (Clarke)

Personalized Learning Evolution,. See also individual elements Personalized Learning Foundation

Personalized Learning Plan platform

Personalized Vision-to-Action Plan

Phi Delta Kappan

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Physics

Pink, Dan

Pirsig, Robert M.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

PL, see Personalized learning

Problem solving

Process (Element 8)

Prosper Independent School District (Texas)

Public Education Leadership Project (Harvard Graduate School of

Education)

R

Reilly, Erin

Relevance

Remix Culture (Reilly)

Remixing

Richardson, Will

Rickabaugh, James

Riley, Benjamin

Rosin, Carl

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques

Ryan, R. M.

S

School culture

Schoology

Science, Disciplinary Outcomes for

ScootPad

Self-efficacy

Seligman, Martin

Senge, Peter

Sense of belonging

and task design

Service projects

Showers, Beverly

Siemens

Sinek, Simon

Six-word memoir

Sizer, Thodore

Skyline High School (Michigan)

SMART goals

Smart Sparrow

Social media

“Social-Psychological Interventions in Education” (Yeager and

Walton)

Social studies

Software & Information Industry Association

South Korea

Special education

Stafford, Shauna

Stakeholders, engagement of

Standards, content

Stanford University

Starbucks

Stories

Strauss, Valerie

Student(s):

changing role of, in task design

role of, in Instructional Core

Student-driven model, power of

Student’s bill of rights

Summative assessments

Summit Public Schools

Surveys

Svitack, Adora

Systems level, personalized learning at

Advancement (Element 12)

Demonstration of Learning (Element 10)

Time (Element 11)

T

Task (Element 4),. See also Task design(s)

design process

recommendations

Task design(s)

changing role of student in

changing role of teacher in

and going global

and going local

and going personal

process of

transdisciplinary tasks

Task frames

illustrative examples for generating

template for

Teacher(s):

changing role of, in task design

personalized learning and giving back the work to

role of, in Instructional Core

“Teaching to What Students Have in Common” (Willingham)

Technology(-ies):

and blended learning

leveraging of

Texas

This I Believe

ThunderRidge High School (Colorado)

Time (Element 11)

Timperley, Helen

Traditional classroom walls, breaking down

Traditional school model, disconnect of, with today’s world

Transdisciplinary tasks

Trello

Twitter

U

Ullman, Diane

US Consumer Product Safety Commission

US Department of Education

University of Chicago Consortium on the Chicago Schools

V

Virginia

Vision-to-Action Plan

Personalized learning

Vision-to-Action Project Planner

Visual and performing arts

W

Wagner, Tony

Walton, Gregory

Washington Post

Wesley College (Australia)

Why School? (Richardson)

Wiggins, Grant

Wiley, Brandon

Wiliam, Dylan

Willingham, Daniel

Willis, Judy

WordPress

World Digital Library

Wright, Paul

WriteItNow

Y

Yeager, David

Yonezawa, Susan

Young, Ethan

Z

Zambia

Zmuda, Allison

Zmuda, Zoe

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Document Outline

- Title Page

- Copyright

- Dedication

- Foreword

- Acknowledgments

- About the Authors

- Introduction

- Chapter 1: Making the Case for Personalized Learning

- Disconnect between Traditional School and Preparation for a Postsecondary World

- The Power of a Student-Driven Model

- Contemporary Issues of Control

- Personalized Learning Evolution

- Conclusion and Reflective Questions

- Works Cited

- Chapter 2: The Aims of Contemporary Schooling

- Element 1: Disciplinary Outcomes

- Element 2: Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes

- Element 3: Mindsets

- Conclusion and Reflective Questions

- Works Cited

- Chapter 3: The Design of a Student-Driven Learning Experience

- Element 4: Task

- Element 5: Audience

- Element 6: Feedback

- Element 7: Evaluation

- Conclusion and Reflective Questions

- Works Cited

- Chapter 4: Tasks That Demonstrate Personalized Learning Evolution in Practice

- Inspiration for Task Designs

- How the Role of the Teacher Shifts

- How the Role of the Student Shifts

- Needed Systems and Supports beyond the Classroom

- Conclusion and Reflective Questions

- Work Cited

- Chapter 5: What Personalized Learning Looks Like at the Instructional Level

- Element 8: Process

- Element 9: Environment

- A Day-in-the-Life Narrative

- Conclusion and Reflective Questions

- Work Cited

- Chapter 6: What Personalized Learning Looks Like at the Systems Level

- Element 10: Demonstration of Learning

- Element 11: Time

- Element 12: Advancement

- Conclusion and Reflective Questions

- Works Cited

- Chapter 7: Leading the Change for Personalized Learning

- Clearly Articulating and Creating Urgency for Personalized Learning (the “Why”)

- Giving Back the Work to Teachers (the “How”)

- Managing Change as It Is Occurring (the “What”)

- Conclusion and Reflective Questions

- Works Cited

- The Conclusion of the Era of “One-Size-Fits-All Schooling”

- Appendix A: Additional Resources for Chapters 1–3

- What Is Personalized Learning?

- Development of Disciplinary Outcomes

- Development of Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes

- Five Steps to Develop Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes

- Connecting Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes and Task Frames “by Design”

- Strategies and Tools to Support Growth and Development in Metacognition

- Strategies and Tools to Support Growth and Development in Questioning

- Mindsets: What Motivates Students to Meet a Challenge?

- Works Cited

- Appendix B: Additional Resources for Chapter 4

- Templates and Illustrative Examples to Generate Ideas

- Generating a Task Frame Based on an Illustrative Example: Commentary on “Butterfly Story” by Michael Fisher

- Generating a Task Frame Based on an Illustrative Example: Laws of Motion by Scott Houston, an Aveson Physics Teacher/Advisor in California

- My Vision-to-Action Project Planner

- Appendix C: Additional Resources for Chapters 5 and 6

- Sample of Developing Unit or Project Ideas from an Intersection of Theme and Topic

- Day-in-the-Life Examples for Middle School and High School

- Student-Driven Project Model

- Appendix D: Additional Resources for Chapter 7

- Index

- End User License Agreement

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Foreword

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Introduction

Chapter 1: Making the Case for Personalized Learning

Disconnect between Traditional School and Preparation for a Postsecondary World

The Power of a Student-Driven Model

Contemporary Issues of Control

Personalized Learning Evolution

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

Works Cited

Chapter 2: The Aims of Contemporary Schooling

Element 1: Disciplinary Outcomes

Element 2: Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes

Element 3: Mindsets

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

Works Cited

Chapter 3: The Design of a Student-Driven Learning Experience

Element 4: Task

Element 5: Audience

Element 6: Feedback

Element 7: Evaluation

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

Works Cited

Chapter 4: Tasks That Demonstrate Personalized Learning Evolution in Practice

Inspiration for Task Designs

How the Role of the Teacher Shifts

How the Role of the Student Shifts

Needed Systems and Supports beyond the Classroom

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

Work Cited

Chapter 5: What Personalized Learning Looks Like at the Instructional Level

Element 8: Process

Element 9: Environment

A Day-in-the-Life Narrative

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

Work Cited

Chapter 6: What Personalized Learning Looks Like at the Systems Level

Element 10: Demonstration of Learning

Element 11: Time

Element 12: Advancement

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

Works Cited

Chapter 7: Leading the Change for Personalized Learning

Clearly Articulating and Creating Urgency for Personalized Learning (the “Why”)

Giving Back the Work to Teachers (the “How”)

Managing Change as It Is Occurring (the “What”)

Conclusion and Reflective Questions

Works Cited

The Conclusion of the Era of “One-Size-Fits-All Schooling”

Appendix A: Additional Resources for Chapters 1–3

What Is Personalized Learning?

Development of Disciplinary Outcomes

Development of Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes

Five Steps to Develop Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes

Connecting Cross-Disciplinary Outcomes and Task Frames “by Design”

Strategies and Tools to Support Growth and Development in Metacognition

Strategies and Tools to Support Growth and Development in Questioning

Mindsets: What Motivates Students to Meet a Challenge?

Works Cited

Appendix B: Additional Resources for Chapter 4

Templates and Illustrative Examples to Generate Ideas

Generating a Task Frame Based on an Illustrative Example: Commentary on “Butterfly Story” by Michael Fisher

Generating a Task Frame Based on an Illustrative Example: Laws of Motion by Scott Houston, an Aveson Physics Teacher/Advisor in California

My Vision-to-Action Project Planner

Appendix C: Additional Resources for Chapters 5 and 6

Sample of Developing Unit or Project Ideas from an Intersection of Theme and Topic

Day-in-the-Life Examples for Middle School and High School

Student-Driven Project Model

Appendix D: Additional Resources for Chapter 7

Index

End User License Agreement