Dive Brief:
- Personalized learning-focused nonprofit New Classrooms surveyed 4,000 students using its Teach to One: Math platform and found high levels of support for personalized learning opportunities.
- Seven in 10 students said personalized learning empowered them to improve as independent learners, and they said working independently on a computer supported their learning about as well as in a more traditional classroom (75% vs. 77%).
- Six in 10 students said solving math problems using multiple approaches was beneficial, and more than two-thirds said working with different students and teachers throughout the year was, too — while 80% of students appreciated getting multiple opportunities to solve the same problem, and 70% said quick, formative assessments are a good way to ensure they are learning.
Dive Insight:
Differentiating instruction has been a core element of teacher strategy for a very long time. Now, differentiating instruction for every student is called personalized learning and has been embraced by the ed tech sector as a way to transform the education system. The Facebook-backed Summit Personalized Learning Platform is one of the more celebrated innovations in the area, with 120 schools this year using the system to give students more control over their own learning.
The Every Student Succeeds Act may actually spur even greater growth in personalized learning in classrooms. Unlike No Child Left Behind, ESSA explicitly supports the model and offers advice for schools interested in bringing it into their classrooms, as well as funding to make it happen. The same is true for blended learning, which, in the technology age, is the driver for much of the new ideas for personalization.
