One student project involves ankle covers that would prevent your legs from getting wet. Another centers on adding mirrors to glasses to prevent people from sneaking up on you. “It’s silly stuff” that promotes open thinking and lets kids incorporate things that interest them, Komykoski says.

“With personalized learning, the focus is on the process and the thought process behind it,” he says. “Each student goes through and views that process a little differently. That’s how you can really personalize your classroom.”

Other educational formats at the school include instructional modules that students can access via their laptops, as well as peer and group learning.

Shannon Alvarez is helping MHS students memorize topics covered in her introductory coding course by having them create a Microsoft Flipgrid presentation. Students must touch on one of the four areas they learned about in the unit in the presentation.

Personalized Evaluations Target Knowledge as an End Goal

To check students’ understanding of a subject, MHS teachers can also distribute quizzes through the school’s learning management system.

“In our robotics class, every time we get to the end of a section, they’ll have a one- or two-question quiz to reinforce the concepts,” Alvarez says. “We’re able to see their results right away. Sometimes all of the students are struggling on a certain question, which enables us to revisit that topic and say, ‘We recognize a lot of you didn’t understand this; we’re going to touch base on this one more time.’”

DISCOVER: Explore four ways to teach students self-management skills.

After learning about electronics components in teacher Tony O’Neal’s class, he administers a quiz with five to 10 questions. If students struggle, they can try again.

“I usually let my kids retake the test three times, and I keep the highest score,” O’Neal says. “I just need them to know what the component is and how it works. I don’t want to just shut them down after the first test and then they are behind constantly until the end.”

Customized Class Time Can Help Multiple Grade Levels

While some of the more autonomous aspects of personalized learning may seem better suited for older students, the approach also benefits younger learners.

In Marissa Torchia’s kindergarten class, students are split into groups based on their academic performance, which allows the New York City Public Schools teacher to tailor reading, writing and math instruction to meet each group’s needs.

Students who might find hands-on work helpful for understanding math concepts, for example, will use manipulatives to solve problems.

Torchia says the approach can be particularly effective at her grade level because kindergarten is often a child’s first exposure to a structured learning environment.

“Many students enter kindergarten with clean slates,” she says. “Often, some fall behind because they do not learn the same way as others. Without the opportunity for personalized instruction, these students aren’t able to catch up to their peers. Starting personalized learning at a young age allows these students to have a strong academic base, as well as the opportunity to understand how they learn best.”

KEEP READING: Lay the groundwork for esports in kindergarten.

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