How To Create a ‘Personal Learning Environment’ to Stay Relevant in 2013 “Our understanding of learning has expanded at a rate that has far outpaced our conceptions of teaching. A growing appreciation for the porous boundaries between the classroom and life experience…has created not only promising changes but also disruptive moments in teaching.” EDUCAUSE Review, 2012 This quote from Disrupting Ourselves: The Problem of Learning in Higher Education (Bass, 2012), gives a good a reason as any for educators to develop a Personal learning Environment [PLE]; a space where we can keep up with the experimental modes of learning, instruction, changing pedagogy and instructional methods that surfaced in 2012. Three Reasons Why Educators Need a PLEEducation is in a phase of disruption (not news to anyone)—and it’s not just a blip or a bump, but is what Harvard professor and author Clayton Christenson describes as disruptive innovation. We need to disrupt ourselves: The model of higher education is at a turning point. Closing Thoughts Resources: Like this:
personal-learning-environments - home Personalized Learning - K-12 Education When learning is personalized, teachers help students find what they like and want to learn about and what their strengths and needs are. Then, the teacher sets up projects that are in line with the students’ interest and with academic standards. This growing movement is focused on changing the learning environment so students can take more ownership of their learning and teachers can work with them to discover their passions and interests. The breakthrough idea in personalized learning is the striking shift in the teacher-student team. In traditional learning, the teacher is the leader and the student is a mostly passive recipient. In personalized learning, the student is the leader, and the teacher is the activator and the advisor. In personalized learning, the teacher-student bond doesn’t matter less; it matters more. Continued Progress: Promising Evidence on Personalized Learning (2015) > Early Progress: Interim Research on Personalized Learning (2014) >
Developing a PLE Using Web 2.0 Tools Continuing my search to find out more about new techniques for eLearning has brought the PLE, the Personal Learning Environment, to my attention (see previous posts on PLEs ). In short the PLE seems to be an update to the VLE, but with a greater emphasis placed on the student and the learning materials, and less on the Institution ‘structure’ and management needs. Read this: What is a PLE? Much searching brought me to this presentation by Sarah Guth where she uses Web 2.0 tools (wiki, blog, podcast, etc) to encourage the students to self-develop their own PLE. Developing a PLE (Personal Learning Environment) for Language Learning Using Web 2.0 Tools This work, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License . Learning Tools: what do you use? PLE … what is it? Reading: "Developing a better understanding of technology-based pedagogy" Learning Tools: for the Educator/Teacher
Competency-Based Learning or Personalized Learning Transitioning away from seat time, in favor of a structure that creates flexibility, allows students to progress as they demonstrate mastery of academic content, regardless of time, place, or pace of learning. Competency-based strategies provide flexibility in the way that credit can be earned or awarded, and provide students with personalized learning opportunities. These strategies include online and blended learning, dual enrollment and early college high schools, project-based and community-based learning, and credit recovery, among others. This type of learning leads to better student engagement because the content is relevant to each student and tailored to their unique needs. It also leads to better student outcomes because the pace of learning is customized to each student. By enabling students to master skills at their own pace, competency-based learning systems help to save both time and money. State efforts District efforts Alternative/credit recovery schools and programs
My Personal Learning Environment Lately I've been fascinated by the concept of personal learning environments. As an instructional designer and trainer, I've spent a lot of time trying to develop learning experiences for other people. But through my own personal experiences with Web 2.0 tools, as well as my ongoing belief in constructivist theories of learning, I've come to believe that the future of staff development lies in our ability to go beyond structured training to facilitating informal processes and learning experiences that occur on a daily basis. While there may always be a place for very structured "event-based" learning, I think that we can get more "bang for our buck" if we think about how to help staff use a variety of tools to construct their own learning experiences. To get an idea of what I mean by a personal learning environment (or PLE) , here's a working definition from Ron Lubensky who has written a nice summary on the concept: Note that I mention that informal learning is a big part of the PLE.
First Steps to Personalize Learning If you wait until you’re ready for personalized learning, you’ll never get started! Our antiquated, factory-style education system is failing our students. It’s also failing our teachers. Personalized learning (PL) is the opportunity our students are waiting for, are craving, and deserve to experience. The work of implementing personalized learning isn’t easy and in fact there may well be resistance from many within the educational system when a district or campus leadership team begins the work of shifting to PL. I’d like to offer a few ideas for how your district can get started along the PL journey. First, seek out local and national organizations that are doing work around personalized learning and find out what resources they have that can help your district implement your vision. For West Oso ISD, our first step was to reach out to a Texas-based education advocacy group called Raise Your Hand Texas (RYHT). The work of PL cannot be carried out by a select few in the organization.
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