Thursday, January 25, 2018

Creating Clarity

Personalized Learning is the buzz in educational circles today. Regardless of who you ask to define personalized learning, you are sure to get a different response. This is the beauty of this reform as it morphs into what works for each learning community and school district. Essentially, personalized learning plays to the strength of our school community.

At Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton we continue to hone in on our specific definition and framework. The personalized learning team has been working diligently to finalize our mission, key terms, and frequently asked questions. Our hope is that these items will help strengthen everyone's understanding of what we are trying to accomplish here at Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton.

We have been able to identify and eradicate misunderstandings regarding personalized learning in an effort to provide clarity. Clearly identifying what personalized learning is not has assisted in the development of understanding:

What personalized learning is not:
  • Learners always working in isolation.
  • Learners choosing whatever they "feel like" learning.
  • A lack of teacher guidance, instruction, or control.
  • Chromebooks completely replacing instruction.
  • Different curriculum for every learner.
  • A single structure, such as self-paced or flipped classroom.
  • More work for learners and teachers.
To see key terms, frequently asked questions, and other important data regarding JWP's personalized learning work, please use the following link: https://goo.gl/uWkmQi