Here at the Institute, we thought that February was the perfect month to show personalized learning a little love. So we encouraged our Twitter followers to #SharethePLlove and we also asked the ambassadors on our Youth Advisory Council to share some reflections of their own. We’re pleased to share a sampling of their thoughts here – as usual, their responses were spot-on and insightful!
My favorite thing about personalized learning is…
It keeps me engaged and I actually enjoy learning. It allows me to specialize into what is actually useful to me. ~ Eliot
The freedom of getting to decide where you want your learning to take you, advocating for it. ~ Niya
Working at your own pace and being able to focus on what I need as a learner. I also like being able to change my learning needs, when I need or to help me further my knowledge. ~ Giselle
Personalized learning gives me freedom and voice within my education; schooling is in my control. ~ Paige
Being able to move at my own pace and not having to wait for a teacher or my class to determine how much I can accomplish. This has allowed me to excel in the areas where I have strength and continue to improve on the areas I struggle in. ~ Ellie
That it can be personalized to fit any person’s needs and wants. Plus it can give you great opportunities to learn. ~ Sariya
What I most enjoy about being able to learn in a personalized environment is:
The difference and creativity that exists in a personalized learning classroom vs a normal classroom and the fact that you’re in charge of your learning in a personalized learning classroom drives you to do better. ~ Jahnavi
Everything is revolving around you and your abilities to learn. ~ Sabi
I feel like I will be prepared for the work world. Being able to work in different spaces with different people is an important lesson to learn. ~ Anika
The freedom and choice that comes with learning how you want/need most for your education. I think that a good environment helps the situation feel more relaxed and allows for more intense situations like public speaking or testing to be calm. ~ Chrissy
That it is usually very relaxed and you can collaborate with your peers. You can always make slight changes based on your needs and teachers will actually take your ideas into consideration. ~ Giselle
The ability to work on subjects at the time and level that is directly at the position that I am currently at. My teachers and peers also push me to continue at high expectations. ~ Ellie
The reason I think personalized learning is best for kids is:
It allows kids to be kids. ~Aiden
It helps them learn at their own pace, and helps us grow the way we want to grow. ~ Niya
They get to decide what’s the best for them and get to be creative with their education. ~Jahnavi
They are able to learn in a better environment and all of the learning is related to their ability. ~ Sabi
It enables them to actually enjoy school. The best thing is that it enables them to take control of the day, in both their time and classes. That ability to choose based on interest is truly invaluable. ~ Paxton
That every kid is different, therefore they have different needs as a learner. ~ Chrissy
The most positive change I saw when I started experiencing personalized learning was:
I was so engaged and interested, I went home and taught myself more. I could specialize in Astro Physics, my field of interest. ~Eliot
I was happier and wanted to get out of my bed. ~ Aiden
A much more vibrant learning environment. Seeing students go from sitting through classes, shifting from room to room wasn’t very inspiring. Students were coming to classes and school in general with far greater interest. For some, I saw their drive to succeed expand rapidly. Seeing school be revitalized was really quite the cool experience. ~ Paxton
Everyone was happy about learning because they could personalize how they learn. ~Sariya
I started seeing personal and academic growth when I was able to design my own learning. ~ Paige
The difference in my approach to learning. I felt in charge of my learning and felt empowered to ask my teacher of ways I could use this in the classroom. ~Anika