9 research outputs found

    Balancing Freedom and Limitations: A Case Study of Choice Provision in a Personalized Learning Class

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    This qualitative case study explored how middle school teachers and students experienced and perceived choice within a newly implemented personalized learning class. It found that teachers and students had different values, expectations, and interests related to student choice, which contributed to struggles for power and control within the personalized learning class. Findings suggest teachers may benefit from foregrounding personalized learning as a partnership in which students and teachers bring their voices into conversation while framing choice as a means toward collaboratively developed learning targets as opposed to an end in and of itself

    Students\u27 Experiences with Personalized Learning: An Examination Using Self-Determination Theory

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    In recent years, personalized learning has become a buzzword in the field of education and an approach that schools across the United States have adopted in their attempts to account for the diverse interests, aspirations, and needs of their students. Despite the growing interest in personalized learning, there is a dearth of empirical research on this educational approach, particularly as it relates to the student experience. Given the paucity of research in this area, little is known about the extent to which personalized learning can offer students a more beneficial quality of experience than traditional educational methods. This question is further complicated by the fact that personalized learning has been defined and put into practice in diverse ways. Given these conditions, the purpose of this study was to explore students\u27 experiences with more humanistic forms of personalized learning at three high schools in Vermont. A pragmatic approach to qualitative research was used along with self-determination theory (SDT) as a framework to investigate students\u27 perceptions of their autonomy, competence, relatedness, motivation, and well-being within the context of personalized learning. SDT was used as framework because it offers a lens for analyzing how social contexts affect people\u27s experiences and proposes that individuals experience higher qualities of motivation, engagement, and performance when their basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are met. Study findings, which are based on interviews with 28 students from three Vermont high schools, suggest participants generally felt autonomous, competent, and related in their personalized learning environments, which contributed to their intrinsic motivation, engagement, and well-being within these settings. Some features of personalized learning that supported multiple facets of students\u27 basic psychological needs were the individualized nature of instruction, student-driven curriculum, and structures that enabled and supported community-based learning. Although many students suggested personalized learning supported their basic psychological needs, some struggled to direct and manage their own learning, which diminished their feelings of competence while others indicated that the individualized nature of their projects undermined their sense of relatedness to their peers. Overall, the findings indicate that humanistic approaches to personalized learning have the potential to contribute to a more beneficial quality of experience for high school students than traditional educational methods. The study has implications for educational policy and practice as it suggests personalization may be an effective approach for engaging a variety of students with their education and promoting the skills and dispositions for lifelong learning

    A Nascent Look at Theoretical Frameworks in Middle Level Education Research

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    This paper describes a qualitative content analysis of research articles published on middle level education in the last decade. This analysis was conducted on manuscripts appearing in two premier middle level education journals: Middle Grades Research Journal (MGRJ) and Research in Middle Level Education Online (RMLE) to explore the following questions: 1) What theoretical frameworks are being used in middle level education research?; and 2) How are the theoretical frameworks specific to the field of middle level education, and/or how are they borrowed from other disciplines? The findings depict how authors of research articles have applied theories from other broader disciplines. Echoing the recommendation of Bickmore and colleagues (2003) to address both theory and practice in single research articles, the authors suggest a more nuanced and in-depth look at how knowledge is constructed in the middle grades field

    Professional Learning with Action Research in Innovative Middle Schools

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    This article illustrates how action research can be used as a model for professional development with middle grades educators in rapidly changing and technology-intensive schools. Drawing upon ten years of using this model, the authors present three examples of educator action research to highlight five characteristics of effective projects: (1) appropriate scope, (2) a collaborative approach, (3) accountability, (4) various data sources, and (5) a clear link to practice. Action research with these characteristics can help middle grades educators address emergent problems in 21st-century class- rooms and respond to the evolving needs of young adolescents

    Teacher Roles in Personalized Learning Environments.

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    As school districts, major cities, and entire states in the United States adopt personalized learning as a reform strategy focused on the co-construction of learning opportunities between teachers and students, educators face shifting roles. This study examined the roles of teachers in personalized learning environments within a policy context of statewide legislation of personalized learning plans, flexible educational pathways, and proficiency-based assessment. The study used data from interviews with a purposefully selected group of 20 elementary and middle school teachers from 11 schools. Findings revealed teachers’ perceptions of their roles as (a) empowerers, (b) scouts, (c) scaffolders, and (d) assessors, as well as associated strategies within each role that participants perceived to be constructive. The use of role theory illuminated the potential for intrarole conflict and role strain between and among these roles along with the cultural dimensions of the shift to personalized learning

    Droppin’ Knowledge on Race: Hip-Hop, White Adolescents, and Anti-Racism Education

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    In this essay, the author examines how Hip-Hop can be mobilized in anti-racism educational initatives.  The author claims that existing research on Hip-Hop and white adolescents suggests a negative corrleation between white youths' engagement with Hip-Hop and their understanding of how race and racism function in American society.  In response to this research, the author argues Hip-Hop's diverse racial discourses and ideologies must be made the subject of direct and critical inquiry in secondary and post-secondary classrooms to maximize its democratic potential.  The author outlines specific approaches for how teachers can employ Hip-Hop in anti-racism curricula in secondary and post-secondary classrooms.  Collectively, the essay serves as a preliminary investigation of Hip-Hop pedagogies of race and whiteness

    Mixed Feelings about Choice: Exploring Variation in Middle School Student Experiences with Making Choices in a Personalized Learning Project

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    While providing choice can be a powerful way to personalize learning for young adolescents, there is also evidence that choice can be challenging for learners. This study investigated middle school students’ (N = 72) feelings about making choices in how they learn during a personalized project. Findings include students’ self-reported enjoyment and stress associated with choice within the project as well as five student vignettes illustrating some of the variations across student experiences. Informed by this variation, we offer several implications for research and practice related to supporting students in making choices in their own learning

    Informing the Implementation of Personalized Learning in the Middle Grades through a School-Wide Genius Hour

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    Over the past decade, personalized learning has emerged as a major aim in the contemporary education systems of many countries. This qualitative case study examined middle school educators’ perceptions of how their school’s collective experimentation with Genius Hour supported the broader implementation of personalized learning. Teachers in the study perceived Genius Hour to foster student self-direction and to engage students through relationships and choice provision. Teachers benefited from experiencing a model of personalized learning in practice and participating in its initial success, although logistical, personal, and curricular considerations kept them from integrating the practice into their classrooms more generally. Implications of the collective experiment with school-wide Genius Hour are discussed, including considerations for practice and future research

    An Analysis of Approaches to Goal Setting in Middle Grades Personalized Learning Environments

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    This study investigated the goal-setting approaches of 11 middle grades teachers during the first year of their implementation of a statewide, personalized learning initiative. As an increasing number of middle level schools explore personalized learning, there is an urgent need for empirical research in this area. Goal setting is a critical aspect of personalized learning and, thus, an important instructional area for researchers to investigate. This qualitative study found five dominant trends in teachers’ approaches to goal setting. The researchers analyzed the key features of each approach and then analyzed them using three key elements of personalized learning. The authors offer implications for practitioners and researchers engaged in teaching and research related to personalized learning environments in the middle grades
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