Personalized Learning Stories
At the end of each of chapters 4–8, we provide classroom scenarios based on observations and interviews Mark and Blane conducted for this book, inspired by real teachers’ classrooms across the United States in schools that have begun to implement personalized learning approaches. In these stories, we illustrate one elementary and one secondary example of a personalized learning element in action while also highlighting at least one of the five key instructional strategies for addressing question 4 students. These stories not only illustrate how a teacher might practically use personalized approaches to extend the learning for question 4 students but also show how this can realistically occur in a classroom where a teacher is simultaneously responding to all students’ varied needs.
While we will focus on one main element in each classroom story, the reality is that to fully extend learning, all elements play a role, so you will see multiple elements being utilized throughout these stories. In fact, we believe that at least two elements need to be present to extend learning, personalize learning, and design engaging learning activities. The same can be said for the gifted instructional strategies. You may see a blend of various components, and that is OK. The important thing is that you are able to see practical examples of these strategies being implemented. As we authors have worked with educators to implement innovative ideas, one thing we have learned is how beneficial it can be to access specific examples to make the ideas more tangible. That is our intent with these stories, so we are hopeful that readers will be able to make connections between the stories and the work they do in schools.
While some of the examples we provide may seem advanced, be assured that these teachers did not begin teaching in this manner the first day they started. They tried a few activities and ideas, watched how students responded, made some tweaks, expanded some ideas for the next unit, and continually moved forward. That is exactly what we are asking you to do in your teams as well. Not only is it OK to start small, it is also recommended. Before diving in and ultimately trying these ideas in a lesson, an activity, or a unit, we suggest you and your team consider the sample steps to begin your work that we outline in chapter 9 (page 207).
Individual and Collaborative Team Reflections
This book is a hands-on guide and reflection journal you and your team should use while gaining knowledge of personalized learning and how it will help you and your team extend learning for students who have demonstrated competency with the instructional content. As a collaborative team working in a PLC focusing on your own learning, be prepared to engage in thoughtful and meaningful discussion after each chapter. As you read about each element, take time to answer the various questions and participate in the reflection opportunities. At various intervals throughout this book, you will be asked to individually reflect on readings from the text. When you get to these points, you will see the following image.
This will be your cue to stop and reflect on what you just read. At the end of each chapter, you will be asked to look back at what you individually reflected on and have a collaborative team discussion about your findings. For this type of reflection, you will see the following image.
This structure is intentional. The individual reflection allows you to internalize the content and honestly reflect on current practices. Individual reflection also allows for personal creative thinking that is specific to your students and thus most actionable. Additionally, learning is social. So, after you have the opportunity to internalize the content and creatively apply it to your students, the collaborative team discussion occurs in a safe, professional space where you can share your own thinking, receive feedback, and try new approaches with the support of your peers.
With this book, K–12 educators working in collaborative teams can engage in nine collaborative book study meetings. We offer the following sample collaborative team schedule (see table which you may choose to use in addition to your regular norms and ways of operating as a collaborative team.
Table I.1: Sample Collaborative Team Schedule
| Collaborative Meeting | Topic | Items to Complete |
| Premeeting | Addressing critical question 4 of a PLC through personalized learning to extend learning for question 4 students | Prior to first meeting, read the introduction and chapter 1. Complete the reproducible “Individual Reflection: Teaching Approaches” (page 26) while reading. |
| 1 | Review of introduction and chapter 1 | Discuss individual reflections and complete collaborative team discussion. Assign chapter 2. |
| 2 | Review of chapter 2 | Discuss individual reflections and complete collaborative team discussion. Assign chapter 3. |
| 3 | Review of chapter 3 | Discuss individual reflections and complete collaborative team discussion. Assign chapter 4. |
| 4 | Review of chapter 4 | Discuss individual reflections and complete collaborative team discussion. Assign chapter 5. |
| 5 |
Review of chapter
|