Why Personalized Instruction Can Lead to Powerful Learning Experiences

Personalized instruction is a topic that raises many questions. Today we are seeing the differences in learning approaches and other factors that make modern classrooms more challenging. We are also faced with an expectation of all our students meeting standards.

How do we align achievement of learning outcomes with diverse student needs? How does a teacher navigate learning, cultural, and economic diversity? How can we get 100% of our students to the finish line properly?

Let’s begin by framing a perspective on personalized instruction below. Here's what it both is and isn't.

Personalized instruction is:

• A design focused on patterns of student need
• A response to learner variance
• A versatile approach to instruction that can take many forms
• A student-focused way of looking at teaching and learning
• A balance between the needs of teacher and student
• A desire to give every student a chance to succeed

Personalized instruction isn't: 

• Incompatible with standards and testing
• More work for some students and less for others
• An approach that makes students lazy or dependent
• A fancy term for individualization
• Just another form of group instruction

Versatility in Personalized Instruction

In the past, traditional education fostered a whole-group instructional approach. The purpose of the school system was to create industrial workers, so it made sense long ago. Many of these workers would perform the same tasks every day for much of their lives. 

Today, all teachers must differentiate their instruction to some degree. We still teach in groups today, but we teach a different student in those groups. The digital learner is unique, challenging, and rewarding to have as a student.

Now we nurture problem-solvers, independent thinkers, and entrepreneurs. Part of making this happen requires personalized instruction approaches. Before you dive in, you've got to know where your students are at.

Teachers will always begin with a pre-assessment of some kind. They'll quiz or survey students to find out different things. These include current knowledge, preferences, learning styles, and others. This knowledge helps them design the most engaging lessons possible.

As stated earlier, differentiation or personalization takes on many different forms. Teachers can differ lesson content, process, and curriculum. They can change things a little or a lot. It doesn't have to be something that happens all day every day. Continuing formative assessment practices help determine where and when to differentiate.

Here are some resources to explore:

• The Edutopia community offers 18 Teacher-Tested Strategies for Differentiated Instruction
• Look at tons of differentiation ideas from Teachers First
• Lily Jones from the Teaching Channel has some DI strategies for new teachers
• Scholastic.com has 8 Lessons Learned on Differentiated Instruction

Personalized instruction requires patience and passion. It means meeting students at every level to help them achieve new heights. Start small, with one approach. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen over time. This is what truly powerful learning is. Not a quick fix, but rather a meaningful lifelong journey.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in 2017 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Originally published May 28, 2017, updated October 8, 2021