Giving Compass' Take:

· Writing for Education Dive, Daschell Phillips provides insight into the groundwork behind personalized learning and how schools have adopted this approach to education. 

· What are some common challenges schools face when adopting a personalized approach to teaching? 

· Learn more about personalized learning and how it is being implemented by different schools. 

Once reserved for special institutions that charged high tuition rates or parents who decided to teach their children at home, personalized learning has now been realized as a better way of learning by public schools. The traditional school model created during the Industrial Revolution — with a teacher at the board, students at desks and a one-size-fits-all curriculum — is being replaced by a school model that will better prepare students for a future globalized workforce.

In 2013, 13-year-old Logan LaPlante gave a TEDx Talk about “HackSchooling.” During his presentation, he spoke about how happiness and health should be a part of the education experience, quoting the University of California, Irvine's Dr. Roger Walsh, who said the current education system teaches people how to make a living instead of how to make a life.

Hacking his education includes what Walsh calls therapeutic lifestyle changes, or TLCs: exercise, diet and nutrition, time in nature, contribution and service, relationships, recreation, relaxation and stress management, and religious and spiritual observances.

“I don’t use a particular curriculum, not dedicated to anyone’s particular approach. I hack my education,” said LaPlante. “I take advantage of opportunities from family and community ... opportunities to experience what I’m learning, not afraid to look for short cuts to maximize results.”

LaPlante still studies math, science, history and writing, but he said he didn’t like to write in traditional school because the subject matter didn’t interest him. Now, instead of writing about “butterflies,” he’s able to write about things he’s passionate about — such as skiing.

“When you are motivated to learn something, you can get a lot done in a short amount of time and on your own,” said LaPlante during his presentation.

Read the full article about personalized learning by Daschell Phillips at Education Dive.