A1 #engsschat Hi- I’m Roxanne. I started teaching English 20+ years ago- I switched to an ed tech focus because it empowered me with the efficiency I needed. Something I learned recently: how to play Pokemon with my 8 year old and how to build my own deck so I could beat him.
Chris from Bloomington, IN. Teach world history for a private online HS affiliated w/ Indiana Univ. Also one of the #sschat co-leaders. I learned today that the British Commonwealth of Nations started in 1931. :) #engsschat
A1 Hi #engsschat, this is Bill Chapman, a retired secondary social studies teacher, checking in from Berkeley, CA. I've recently learned that precision is an idea whose development is responsible for the modern world.
Hello #engsschat! I learned today that the author of The Feather Thief made a breakthrough in his research when he discovered the Wayback Machine. He should've asked a librarian years earlier!
A2: Personalized learning involves Ss choice. Ss can move at their own pace, demonstrate knowledge in a variety of ways, and use strengths to build skills. #engsschat
A2) Personalized learning to me is learning that is connected to individual interests and needs. In my online world history course, Ss choose a historical theme or essential question as their lens through which to study the past. #engsschat
A2 I see personalized learning as adjusting instruction to the existing knowledge and acquired skills of each student, so that s/he can build on what s/he currently possesses. #engsschat
A2 #engsschat In my classrooms, I use informal assessment, through online chats, to identify students who may need to practice some basic skills before tackling larger tasks.
A2: As more technology enters the classroom, there has been more talk about personalized learning and providing more ways to develop Ss skills. #engsschat
A2 As for how I implemented it in my classes, I focused on development of skills, so I allowed students great freedom to choose content on which to develop the skills they were developing. #engsschat
“The elite already benefit from #plearning, and will do so more in the future. Will public school students’ opportunities also grow, so the gaps in skills & incomes don’t continue to widen and might even narrow?” @CRPE_UW’s Paul Hill https://t.co/kU7kBMs65D#personalizedlearning
Yes, that is my question. Personalized learning can manifest in so many different ways. I'm excited to learn how you have implemented it in tech-focused and non-techie ways. #engsschat
Sometimes it is. Primary sources that struck the chords prevalent in popular culture - sex, drugs, crime, scandal, etc. - will almost always resonate. #engsschat
A3: Personalized learning can seem to like Ss working in isolation or simply completing tasks to complete a course. Authentic learning can occur, but it is hard to visualize without experiencing it firsthand. #engsschat
A3) I think technology can be useful for facilitating personalized learning. However, I have concerns about personalized learning programs that basically involve a static computer program with some different branches Ss progress on depending on answers. #engsschat
My view on this can be unpopular because I love tech. I'd like to rope tech into the conversation about how to make personalized learning experiences less isolating. How we can use machine learning to include teacher and student voices in the mechanized instruction? #engsschat
Yes, that is my question. Personalized learning can manifest in so many different ways. I'm excited to learn how you have implemented it in tech-focused and non-techie ways. #engsschat
Are your classes all personalized learning based? Do you have flexible class meetings? As colleagues explore personalized learning. I'm curious what you have found works best! #engsschat
A3 one challenge is having rubrics in place for the different products and having time to meet with Ss to make sure they are heading in the right direction. #engsschat
I love tech, too! Tech is the best way to be efficient, challenge Ss to write more, and provide them with authentic audiences if it's implemented effectively! Share your success stories! #engsschat
I can definitely see time being a challenge. Individualizing feedback to Ss doing a variety of different tasks can be time consuming and challenging. #engsschat
Are your classes all personalized learning based? Do you have flexible class meetings? As colleagues explore personalized learning. I'm curious what you have found works best! #engsschat
#engsschat I have a friend who will teach an entire summer course for pre-service teachers at Kennesaw State this summer using this model. So, she is scheduling personal phone calls with all students to make their plans. (Part 2)
Are your classes all personalized learning based? Do you have flexible class meetings? As colleagues explore personalized learning. I'm curious what you have found works best! #engsschat
A2) Personalized learning means that each student is learning what he/she needs to learn, at the pace they need to learn it and in the way they need to learn it too. #engsschat
I have a colleague in my building who is moving to the personalized learning model as a pilot program. I want to learn everything I can to help her! #engsschat
A3 #engsschat The misconception I fight is that assessment cannot be rigorous. Rubrics help with this. If a rubric is flexible enough for a project focus, students can personalize their approaches but still get feedback that follows learning criteria.
Whenever I'm in a conversation about personalized learning, I recall the impact on me of James Burke's Connections series: https://t.co/k9PahLlHwR#engsschat
That sounds really interesting. Do you have an idea of her course load (# of students/sections)? I wonder if she'll blog about it or otherwise share her experiences. #engsschat
#engsschat I have a friend who will teach an entire summer course for pre-service teachers at Kennesaw State this summer using this model. So, she is scheduling personal phone calls with all students to make their plans. (Part 2)
Are your classes all personalized learning based? Do you have flexible class meetings? As colleagues explore personalized learning. I'm curious what you have found works best! #engsschat
#engsschat
A2) To me personalized learning is a student being able to show content mastery in a way that is most beneficial for them. Let the writer write, let the artist draw, etc. If the show me they know the material, I am happy.
I have a colleague in my building who is moving to the personalized learning model as a pilot program. I want to learn everything I can to help her! #engsschat
Whenever I'm in a conversation about personalized learning, I recall the impact on me of James Burke's Connections series: https://t.co/k9PahLlHwR#engsschat
#engsschat Another challenge is the flexibility of due dates for different types of projects that may all speak to the same learning criteria. Some of these challenges are born of trying to get this model to suit traditional models.
A3) I would love to understand how to roll this out in an elementary classroom. I have times during the day where the students work on different assignments, but find it hard to do this all day long. Can it be an all day long thing? #engsschat
That's a really important point and something that also affects standards and competency based learning, I believe. As long as students master material, does it really matter WHEN they master it - except for report cards/marking period deadlines. #engsschat
#engsschat Another challenge is the flexibility of due dates for different types of projects that may all speak to the same learning criteria. Some of these challenges are born of trying to get this model to suit traditional models.
I teach a lot of AP courses which don’t traditionally allow for a ton a flexibility. However, I don’t feel like what I did this year worked...so I’m going back to the drawing board & getting creative this summer. #engsschat
A4) I'd like to explore using MasteryPaths in Canvas, which is our LMS. I'd also like to take advantage of some formative assessment tools to check S comprehension of important facts & main ideas of readings. #engsschat
A4 #engsschat The most common example we all know of tech and personalized learning is Khan Academy. It taught us that almost all students will eventually "get it" if they have a tool that responds to their personal progress. The goal is to expand that lesson into our own lessons
A4 #engsschat I've spent many years working on a reading tool to allow for personalized interaction for students as they read. It's been quite challenging and requires constant input from teachers and students and feedback cycles to try to make it work for the classroom.
I thought that The College Board had rewritten the AP tests so that they no longer focused as much on content, as on assessing thinking and other skills. #engsschat
My kids are 11 and 13. When they want to learn how to do something, they go to YouTube. I go to Google a lot when I need to find information. #engsschat
A4: Tech allows for Ss to share their work with authentic audiences, research more thoroughly, and create a variety of products. These elements can all enhance a personalized learning experience. #engsschat
A4 #engsschat Success stories with tech include: requiring students to submit planning docs and reflections for all "choose your own adventure" type approaches #personalizedlearning and asking THEM to align their proposals with learning objectives or criteria with my oversight
I haven't taught an AP course since 2003 but my niece seemed to feel that the APUSH exam content was pretty out there. Granted, it was her first one and as a HS freshman so I take it with a grain of salt. APWH is getting cut down to only 1450 to present. #engsschat
I thought that The College Board had rewritten the AP tests so that they no longer focused as much on content, as on assessing thinking and other skills. #engsschat
A4 #engsschat A #1 focus for my personalized learning lessons is authentic audience- the sense that there is a purpose for the work outside of the grade and a reader besides their teachers.
A4: Tech allows for Ss to share their work with authentic audiences, research more thoroughly, and create a variety of products. These elements can all enhance a personalized learning experience. #engsschat
Yes! As teachers we can curate playlists for our Ss to help them find information more efficiently and guide their learning to our content / while providing choice to Ss. #engsschat
I use Google and YouTube too, but as we are learning almost daily, while very convenient, they are not really free. The price we pay individually and culturally though not in $, may prove quite high. #engsschat
I’m talking to my students about what worked & what didn’t, doing a lot of reading, & reaching out for help when I need it. There’s a lot of flexibility in the design of the course, not as much in the final outcomes.
A4. I think the Question Formulation Technique could be the most effective tool anywhere for personalized learning approaches. Low tech, high return. #QFT@RightQuestion#engsschat
This is something I'd really like to work on for my world history course. Of course, some of our parents have Ss in online school b/c of concerns about privacy and limiting interactions w/ others so challenges there as well. #engsschat
A4 #engsschat A #1 focus for my personalized learning lessons is authentic audience- the sense that there is a purpose for the work outside of the grade and a reader besides their teachers.
A4: Tech allows for Ss to share their work with authentic audiences, research more thoroughly, and create a variety of products. These elements can all enhance a personalized learning experience. #engsschat
That's very true but I was just talking about them being convenient for learning, not free. It is important for everyone to understand that "free" tools aren't really free. #engsschat
Hey! Have you heard of Themespark? They have a rubric maker that is super easy to use! This could be helpful for you! Check it out. https://t.co/oJxoCwqgWo#engsschat
Hey! Have you heard of Themespark? They have a rubric maker that is super easy to use! This could be helpful for you! Check it out. https://t.co/oJxoCwqgWo#engsschat
Gotta go, but thanks for the #engsschat on personalized learning. I'll leave you with this amazing photograph for Memorial Day from @librarycongress: https://t.co/vlcJE0qA0u Veterans of Gettysburg tossing flowers from an airplane!
A5: When I have used differentiation in the classroom, I have used a variety of types feedback - including screencasting. Video feedback has saved time and allowed me to assess more than just Ss writing (portfolios, slidedecks, videos, etc.). #engsschat
A5) I think that feedback & grading practices would very busy two-way street with much interaction between Ss and T. Feedback should be given during the process, not just when the final product is submitted (though this should also be done in traditional settings). #engsschat
A5 As our earlier responses reveal, #personalizedlearning introduces challenges for grading and feedback. If you have a mastery focus, timelines may need to be flexible. Also, accurate assessment is imperative if we want a learning path to respond to student need. #engsschat
Yes! Feedback during the process is often more meaningful and more effective, although I must confession I don't utilize this as much as I'd like. #engsschat
#engsschat as a composition teacher, feedback during the process was the only way I ever learned or knew how to teach. It is TIME CONSUMING- which is why I have learned to rely on tech so much.
LOL It's harder for me right now b/c I have an office mate so I hate to talk at a conversational level when he's there but the Ss do respond so positively to it. #engsschat
Thanks for the tip, @ReadAhead1! You are definitely helping expand my thoughts on personalized learning and best practices in this model of learning. Thank you! #YouRock#engsschat
Yes, that's a good point. Something I need to work on. So hard when my feedback is the main instruction aside from my curation of resources & tasks for them to do in the online course (totally asynchronous). :( #engsschat
#engsschat I quickly sort in-line comments and use shortcut commands to get them placed. This provides personalized feedback but gives me the efficiency I need for that kind of personal focus for each student.
Haha, I had a colleague stop by my classroom one more and actually ask why I was talking to myself. I started shutting the door when I do video feedback now! #TechNerd#engsschat
I use Auto Text Expander extension a lot. It works in the Canvas gradebook though, sadly, not in commenting on Google tools. However, there are workarounds for that as well that I need to take advantage of. #engsschat
#engsschat I quickly sort in-line comments and use shortcut commands to get them placed. This provides personalized feedback but gives me the efficiency I need for that kind of personal focus for each student.
Q6: #engsschat Have you explored personalized learning in your classes? Please share examples. If you haven’t, how might you use personalized learning next fall?
Have you ever used Permanent Clipboard. It is my favorite grading hack! It's a Chrome extension that allows you to build a comment bank: https://t.co/Tw4ecwo97y#engsschat
Have you ever used Permanent Clipboard? It is my favorite grading hack! It's a Chrome extension that allows you to build a comment bank: https://t.co/CDpEuaSeY0… #engsschat
#engsschat A7: I invite all of you to check out Read Ahead. It's free. I'm putting together a research study now on machine learning and how WE as teachers and students can drive the development of our own tools: https://t.co/Egtt0yMsTT
I just read "Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools" - it was an awesome read that might be applicable to tonight's chat. #engsschathttps://t.co/6PCW2MP5sU
Thank you so much, @ReadAhead1 for leading tonight's #engsschat. Thank you everyone who was able to participate and lurk on this holiday! Happy Memorial Day to all who have served and will serve our country.
