Classroom Environment for Personalized Learning
This microcredential represents educators' development of a classroom environment that support personalized learning. This includes classroom layout, making resources available, providing personal time with learners, and collaboration that allows learners to have choice and voice in the time, path, pace, and place for their learning.
To earn this 0.5 USBE Credit microcredential you will submit two evidence items to demonstrate how your classroom environment supports personalized learning. You will also submit a reflection. Click the Earn This Microcredential button for more information.
A classroom environment that supports personalized learning is more than just flexible seating options or the information on the walls. These types of learning environments are strategically developed to support learners in identifying goals, tracking progress, being self-directed, and other key aspects of personalized learning.
Tailoring instruction for each learner's strengths, needs and interests, including enabling student voice and choice in time, path, pace, and place of learning, to provide flexibility and supports to ensure mastery of standards.
Blended Learning:A formal education program in which learning takes place at least in part through online resources, with some element of learner control over time, place, path, and/or pace; at least in part in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home; and the modalities along each learner's path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience.
Competency-Based Learning:Ten distinguishing features of competency-based education follow: Purpose and Culture 1. Learner success outcomes are designed around preparation for college, career and lifelong learning. 2. District and school make commitment to be responsible for all learners mastering learning expectations. 3. Districts and schools nurture empowering, inclusive cultures of learning. Pedagogy 4. Learners receive timely and differentiated instruction and support. 5. Research-informed pedagogical principles emphasize meeting learners where they are and building intrinsic motivation. 6. Assessments are embedded in the personalized learning cycle and aligned to outcomes including the transfer of knowledge and skills. Structure 7. Mechanisms are in place to ensure consistency in expectations of what it means to master knowledge and skills. 8. Schools and districts value transparency with clear and explicit expectations of what is to be learned, the level of performance for master, and how learners are progressing. 9. Strategies for communicating progress support the learning process and learner success. 10. Learners advance based on attainment of learning expectations (master) through personalized learning pathways.
Framework:Provide a structure or lens through which to consider lesson planning or a view for teaching and learning; helps us understand what teaching and learning should or can look like and help us move toward a more meaningful blended instruction. Also provides a common language to help guide and further understanding.
Model:Provides a replicable, content-independent way to describe how learners interact with content. They can be implemented at different levels (e.g., school-wide, grade-wide, classroom-specific) depending on the goals of a blended learning initiative.
Student-Centered:Refers to a wide variety of educational programs, learning experiences, instructional approaches, and academic-support strategies that are intended to address the distinct learning needs, interests, aspirations, or cultural backgrounds of individual learners and groups of learners. To accomplish this goal, schools, teachers, guidance counselors, and other educational specialists may employ a wide variety of educational methods, from modifying assignments and instructional strategies in the classroom to entirely redesigning the ways in which learners are grouped and taught in a school.
Classroom Environment:The social climate, the emotional and the physical aspects of the classroom. The idea that teachers influence learner growth and behavior. The learner's behavior affects peer interaction—the responsibility of influencing these behaviors is placed with the instructor.
Katie walks into Ms. Anderson’s classroom and finds a seat near the center. Today she wants to participate in a mini lesson because she didn’t understand the assignment. Her friend was able to complete the assigned work and chooses to sit towards the back of the classroom in the individual desks that have been set up for students who want to work independently. There are groups set up on either side of the classroom for students that need to collaborate. Ms. Anderson welcomes everyone to class. Some students have headphones in and are opening their computers to the next lesson that is available on the class webpage. She explains what mini lesson she will be going over and asks the students at the center to get out their work while she walks around the classroom to answer any questions other students might have. Ms. Anderson works with the groups asking them what their goals are for the day and how each one will participate in collaboration. She checks on the independent students and has them write a post it note or on their screen what they will accomplish by the end of class. Each student needs to have a goal for the day. Once Ms. Anderson has surveyed the room to ensure each student knows what their own goal is she begins the mini lesson. After the lesson she again strolls the room interacting with the groups and working one-on-one with students. At the end of the class Ms. Anderson has students check off their name if they accomplished their goal for the day. She wants to make sure they know they are responsible but also have them self-reflect on how they are working in the class. Next time, if they didn’t reach their goal, she will ask them to try a different seat that may be a better fit for them. When the class leaves Ms. Anderson moves all the tables to the outside of the room as her next class will participate in a class discussion for the first 5 minutes and them move the tables back for work time. The classroom needs to be flexible and easy to rearrange. The classroom environment needs to support student’s ability to choose different types of learning and instruction.
Category: Implementation
Select ONE of the evidence options below to demonstrate your implementation of a classroom environment for personalized learning.
Submit a short (5-8 minute), narrated video of your classroom (or other instructional environment). The video and narration should demonstrate how your classroom utilizes different spaces for different types of learning. Examples of spaces that could be included are a space for independent learning, collaboration, hands-on learning, mini-lessons, and guided-learning facilitated through videos or teacher-instruction. The video should demonstrate how learners will choose their own space to complete work/activities to support their learning, places for learners to work, as well as a transition period into different activities. Be sure to follow your district/charter guidelines for student privacy.
Submit results from an administrator or colleague's observation of your classroom (or other instructional environment). These observation results should explain how the classroom utilizes at least 4 different spaces for different types of learning. Examples of spaces include: independent learning, hands-on, collaboration, creation, guided mini-lessons (teacher or video instructed). The observation report should demonstrate how students choose their own space to complete work/activities to support their learning as well as a description of the transition period into different activities.
Category: Preparation and Planning
Select ONE of the evidence options below to demonstrate your preparation and planning to develop a classroom environment that supports personalized learning.
Submit a map of your classroom (or other instructional environment). Include a detailed description of the classroom layout, movement/transition features, or stations available for students. At least 4 different sections and stations should be labeled with a short description of how it is used in the classroom as well as an explanation of how it contributes to a positive classroom environment. The evidence should also include a brief description explaining how transitions are facilitated.
Review Criteria
Criterion 1: The evidence demonstrates that the candidate uses best practices to create a classroom environment that supports learner choice and flexibility.
Criterion 2: The evidence demonstrates that the candidate has created a classroom environment that offers opportunities for the use of collaboration among learners.
Criterion 3: The evidence demonstrates that the candidate has created a classroom environment that supports smooth transitions for learners between activities.
Describe the elements that contribute to a personalized learning classroom environment. Give specific examples of the stations/areas that are used daily in your classroom. Explain why you chose to include these in your classroom environment.
Discuss how your students benefit from your personalized learning classroom environment. Give specific examples of the types of positive changes you have seen in your students since implementing this type of environment. Explain why you think your students have benefited from learning in a personalized learning environment.
How do you plan to develop, or what changes will you make, to create a stronger classroom environment? Give specific examples of things you would like to change or add. Explain why you think these will aid in the learning of your students.
Review Criteria
Criterion 1: Reflection explains how the candidate has implemented a personalized learning classroom environment.
Criterion 2: Reflection explains how the candidate uses the personalized learning environment as an instructional tool in student learning.
Criterion 3: Reflection explains how the candidate will continue to develop and change the personalized learning classroom environment to meet the needs of students.
https://dsd.instructure.com/enroll/ALPAKN
This Canvas course was created by Davis School District and is open to all educators in Utah. This is a self-paced learning experience that will introduce you to Personalized Learning. In this course, participants will learn about personalized and blended learning, explore models and frameworks, and view examples from Davis School District. This course is designed to give participants an understanding of personalized and blended learning along with effective strategies to start doing personalized learning in their classroom. Included in the course will be quizzes to check your knowledge of the content. You will need to score 100% on each quiz. You will be allowed to take the quiz until you score 100%. Use the provided link to register for the course.
Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools by Heather Staker and Michael Horn
Blended is a practical field guide for implementing blended learning techniques in K-12 schools. It is intended not only to be a resource for those wanting to make significant changes in their schools, but also an eye opener for people who feel content with what they have. Readers will find step-by-step framework upon which to build a more student-centered educational system along with real-world advice for creating the next generation of K-12 learning environments.
Bold School: Old School Wisdom + New School Technologies = Blended Learning That Works by Weston Kieschnick
Technology is awesome. Teachers are better. Blending new technologies into instruction is a non-negotiable if we are to help our students gain these skills they will need to thrive in careers. And so too is educators' old school wisdom in planning intentional blended learning that works: Bold school thinkers embrace Blended pedagogies and Old school wisdom. In Bold School blended learning is demystified and distilled into the powerful, yet simple Bold School Framework for Strategic Blended Learning to help you enhance your instruction and learning.
What is Personalized Learning- article from iNACOL
https://www.inacol.org/news/what-is-personalized-learning/
This iNACOL article defines and describes personalized learning, providing a number of examples and models.
Stages of Personalized Learning Environments by Barbara Bray and Kathleen McClaskey
http://www.personalizelearning.com/2016/02/new-version-stages-of-personalized.html
This infographic delineates the stages of personalized learning implementation to help you identify where you currently are, and what the next steps might be.
Are you Teacher-centered, Learner-centered, or both? by Bernard Bull
http://etale.org/main/2014/12/03/3-types-of-teacher-centered-5-types-of-learner-centered-which-ones-are-you/
In much contemporary education, there is a growing trend toward praising the benefits of learner-centered versus teacher-centered education, but what do we actually mean by those terms? This article answers the question.
Power Up Blended Learning: A Professional Learning Infrastructure to Support Sustainable Change by Catlin R. Tucker
This book provides an effective and actionable framework for school leaders looking to implement a long-term professional learning plan that extends professional development beyond a handful of days each year to create a 'coaching culture' that supports teachers as they move toward blended learning.
Six Examples of What Personalized Learning Looks Like
https://www.edelements.com/blog/six-examples-of-what-personalized-learning-looks-like
Article showing six examples of what personalized learning looks like in the classroom. This article follows the four core elements of targeted instruction, data-driven decisions, flexible content, and student reflection and ownership.
Blended Learning in Action: A Practical Guide Toward Sustainable Change by Catlin Tucker, Tiffany Wycoff, and Jason T. Green
Blended Learning has the power to reinvent education but transitioning to a blended model is challenging. Blended learning requires a fundamentally new approach to learning as well as a new skill set for both teachers and school leaders. Loaded with research, examples, and resources, Blended Learning in Action demonstrates the advantages a blended model has over traditional instruction when technology is used to engage students both inside the classroom and online. This is a resource teachers and leaders need to help them shift to a blended learning model and transform education for the 21st century.
What is Competency-Based Education?
https://www.competencyworks.org/about/competency-education/
This article from Competency Works provides a detailed description of competency-based education.
How to Create Higher Performing, Happier Classrooms in 7 Moves: A Playbook for Teachers, by Heather Staker
https://www.christenseninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/How-to-create-higher-performing-happier-classrooms-in-seven-moves.pdf
This article describes how schools can shift from traditional structures to a personalized learning approach, with a focus on the classroom environment.
Blend: In Seven Days or Less, Successfully Implement Blended Strategies in Your Classroom, by Jenny Hensley-Hooie, Melissa Voss, Dr. Tom Fry
Are you interested in trying blended learning, but you are not sure where to begin? Are you simply trying to figure out what blended learning means? Are you looking for an easy way to try a couple blended lessons in your classroom? Are you hoping to find a way to blend instruction using FREE resources? If you answered yes to any of these questions--this book is designed just for you!
Katie Marin
Mary Wade
Kacee Weaver
Deanna Wilson
250 East 500 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84111-3204
Phone: 801.538.7807