Emerging Research on Personalized Learning

Personalized learning is here to stay and is being integrated into more and more public schools. Some research on the benefits of personalized learning has been conducted, and other research has been done demonstrating that this form of education will not benefit all students. Research on whether technology should be a form of personalized learning has also been conducted, and the new role that personalized learning will create for teachers has been examined. Personalized learning research is also being conducted on a smaller scale with teachers, and it will change the way professional development is delivered to educators. Despite all the new knowledge that has been gained, more research is required on this educational phenomenon. This chapter describes some of the current data available on personalized learning concerning both students and teachers.

Personalized Learning Plans and Competency-Based Education

This chapter is designed to inform teachers, administrators, and educational policymakers on the background of personalized learning plans (PLPs), the definition of a PLP, components of a PLP, and the research involving the use of PLPs. In recent years, states have spearheaded initiatives involving PLPs, either requiring the use of them through mandates or encouraging school personnel to use some sort of individualized plans for students to connect their K-12 experiences with postsecondary plans. The chapter also addresses competency-based education, which is often implemented in conjunction with personalized learning. The chapter provides an introduction, background information, and a brief history of PLPs and competency-based education. Additional resources are included as well.

Personalized Learning Case Studies

This chapter informs and educates the reader on how the personalized service delivery model is used in a variety of educational settings. Included in this chapter are four case studies from elementary, middle, and high schools. These case studies discuss the demographics of each school as well as explain the structure personalized learning took in each educational setting. Some of the schools used personalized learning only for academics, while others used it for academics as well as behavioral, social, and emotional support. The way that the personalized service delivery model is used in each school varies depending on the students' collective needs.

Personalized Learning and Special Education

Personalized learning can occur in a variety of forms. It can be done on a computer online. It can be done in a brick and mortar classroom environment. It can also be accomplished by a combination of these two, such as when the student is in the general or special education classroom for part of the school day and is online for the other half of the day. Regardless of which mode is chosen, the collective theme running through each of these modalities is that the learning is geared toward the student's individual interests. It is customized to the learner just like an individualized education plan for students with an exceptionality.

The Teacher's Role in Personalized Learning

This chapter is designed to inform teachers, administrators, policymakers, and researchers on the role of the teacher in a personalized learning (PL) environment. Teaching using a PL strategy creates a new role and set of responsibilities for teachers that also may impact the training and credentialing of preservice teachers and the professional development of existing teaching professionals. In a PL school setting, teachers may have more opportunities to settle into teacher-leader roles. The chapter provides an introduction, background information, and recent research on teaching in a PL environment. Additional resources are included as well. A survey to assess teachers' attitudes toward PL can be found in the appendix of this chapter.

Personalized Learning

This chapter is designed to inform teachers, administrators, policymakers, and researchers on the history of personalized learning (PL), the definition of personalized learning, and how it differentiates from other teaching strategies such as individualized, blended, differentiated, and adaptive. The chapter provides an introduction, background information, a brief history of personalized learning, as well as challenges associated with adopting a personalized learning strategy. Additional resources and readings are included as well.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Personalized Learning

In this chapter, the advantages and disadvantages of personalized learning are presented in detail. What the evidence will clearly show—as demonstrated in the following paragraphs—is that the advantages of personalized learning clearly outweigh the disadvantages. Students who participate in a personalized learning environment through high school are better equipped to manage a job—a position where they will need to practice critical thinking skills and creativity—because they are more focused and can work independently. Although it can be expensive to initially establish a personalized learning environment in a school, eventually the students will benefit and be better prepared for the job market.

The Administrator's Role in Personalized Learning

Schools would not be able to function effectively without administrators. They ensure that teachers instruct, that parents are happy with how their child is being taught, and that the child is being treated fairly. They also work with community members to ensure the children are safe and are being taught concepts that will be useful to them as they enter the job market. School administrators also get the blame if something is not done correctly; consequently, it is vital when making a change to the academic curriculum and wanting to incorporate a new service-delivery model like personalized learning that the school administrator works closely with all the stakeholders and gets everyone on board so changes can be made. This chapter describes how to accomplish this task effectively.

The Role of Technology in Personalized Learning

This chapter is designed to inform teachers, administrators, educational policymakers, and researchers on the role of technology in a personalized learning (PL) environment. Because technology and PL are so intertwined, it is impossible to discuss one without the other. It is still unclear the impact technology has on student achievement, but it is clear there are new and additional ethical concerns that have arisen due to the increased use of technology. The primary concern is student privacy. The chapter provides an introduction, background information, and relevant research available regarding the role of technology in a PL environment. Additional resources are provided as well.

Implementing a Personalized Learning Initiative

This chapter is designed to inform teachers, administrators, policymakers, and researchers on the research available for implementing a personalized learning (PL) program. Personalized learning can be implemented in individual classrooms or schoolwide. Both scenarios are addressed. Much of the research involving PL has been performed in charter schools, and that research is also explored in this chapter. The chapter includes recommendations and identified challenges that go along with creating a program to scale, as well as discusses the impact PL initiatives have on the teaching staff. The chapter provides an introduction, background information, and case studies involving classroom and schoolwide PL programs. Additional resources are included as well.