Begin with the end in Mind (Fulgie 2015).
Identify standards. Design measurements. Then prepare learning experiences. When done continuously and thoughtfully, this process informs instructional practice, enhances learners’ experiences, helps them become self-reflective, engaged, passionate lifelong learners. Ah, if it were just that simple. Like scientific investigations and engineering designs, lesson planning, classroom experiences, assessments, and pedagogy are filled with feedback loops, evaluations, modifications, and continuous change. This process is not perfect, in fact, it can be filled with missteps – because we are not dealing with Newtonian physics where laws are universally predictive. Instead our subjects are unique learners – each with different styles, preferences, backgrounds, cultures, life stories, and yes ,with dissimilar degrees of motivation.
How do these differences inform both instruction and philosophy? Personalized learning experiences and assessments allow learners to understand how they learn. As each learner becomes aware of how he/she learns – then he/she will become more engaged in the learning process. It is this metacognition that provides learners agency and allows them to become kinetic participants, not just passive receivers. The simple truth is that learners become self-curator of their learning when they reflect on their experiences and their learning styles. Indeed, the more reflective learners are, the more self-actualized they become. When learners are self-actualized, they embrace their learning styles and thrive in managing their earning direction. For teachers, this self-actualization is also necessary for the learners’ emotional growth, content mastery and for closing learning gaps and practice improvement (Kennedy 2015).
Our learners are indeed unique creatures. They are wired differently. Learners’ likes, dislikes, languages, art, culture, social and economic structures are all different and reflect the wonderful diversity of our classroom ecosystem. Our chromosomes give us sameness, while at the same time give us choice, opportunities, and unique definition. With diversity comes wonder and beauty as well as challenge and obstacles. Personalized and differentiated instruction help us reconcile their experiences and learning preferences. Learning Profiles, for example, provide remarkable insights into how style and preferences might impact our learners’ understanding, and engagement, and development. To navigate this ocean of diverse profiles requires passion, direction, training, and continual feedback. To assume that we can take a single path to content mastery is honestly a disservice to the learners we serve. Understanding learners’ unique learning profiles and matching them to differentiated learning experiences offer them a customized pathway to achievement and engagement (Wiggins & McTighe 2005).
What learners are interested in plays a crucial role in learning (Wiggins & McTighe 2005). When students are interested in the subject matter, they tend to learn more actively and display more engagement and retain information at a higher rate. My teaching philosophy is evolving continuously. I no longer write a single plan, but numerous – writing and rewriting engaging lesson experiences which meet students where they are – not simply where the standards are. When learners’ interests are piqued, the lessons move from abstract conceptualization to personalized experiences and experimentation. Learners can and will make more links between activities and content
Understanding the importance of learning preferences has led me to rethink my own assumptions about utility, personalization, and differentiation. Instead of the nice to do exercises, personalization is now an important tool of the modern classroom craftsman – because it guides learning, informs instruction, and becomes the foundation for instructional innovation and learner growth.
Place-Based Learning 