Giving Compass' Take:

• EdSurge explains that is it important to understand variability to provide students with the most effective experience in personalized learning environments. 

• How can schools better prepare teachers to implement personalized learning methods? In what ways will a holistic approach lead to better outcomes?

• Here are some more strategies to best deliver and effective personalized learning experience.

Personalized learning is being heralded as an antidote for much that ails the education system. It is deemed by some as a way to inspire and motivate students, tailor instruction to meet student needs, and scale instruction with the support of technology. Many schools nationwide are exploring ways to personalize the learning experience. But a fundamental question to ask early in the journey to personalize education for students is: What are we actually personalizing for?

Traditional instructional methods can fail to reach students who are living in poverty, have a variety of memory or processing differences, or have significant emotional needs. Indeed, traditional methods can also fail those students considered to be traditional learners. Some may be underachieving, experiencing boredom or frustration, or masking their difficulties with learning.

While personalization holds promise, to be successful it is essential to understand the whole child, not just their cognitive strengths and challenges, but the development of their social and emotional competencies and their backgrounds as well. Effective and personalized experience is not created in isolation chambers of students sitting in cubicles in front of computers. Instead, a culture of personalization is built on embracing each learner, understanding who they are, keeping expectations high, and providing paths for success with and without technology.

Read the full article about learner variability by Barbara Pape and Vic Vuchic at EdSurge.