IN South Fayette Fall 2017 | Page 39

PERSONALIZED LEARNING FOR HIGH SCHOOL
Education
Students are using tools such as Skype to tap into their network of resources . Live streaming enables students to have face-to-face contact with students , teachers , community leaders and industry experts like never before . Visualization is a proven tool for success , as teachers on the other end are able to demonstrate lessons instead of simply lecturing . This is exceedingly helpful in the matter of virtual learning . Instead of teachers working through chat , they have the opportunity to talk directly to their students , allowing for a more personalized experience for online learning .
COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
The idea of community schools was born with the thought of a school becoming the center of a community , instead of just a place located within it . A community school is built on partnerships between schools and other community resources and focuses on academics , social services , and youth and community development with the goal of being a hub for students , teachers , parents and community leaders to come together to provide support and opportunities to one another .
COMMUNITY SCHOOLS OFFER :
• Engaging Instruction – Community schools provide real-world learning and problem solving opportunities for students both within and outside of the classroom . Instruction goes beyond the teachers , encouraging students to engage with community leaders , local businesses and other public organizations .
• Expanded Learning Opportunities – Community schools , which are typically open 24 / 7 / 365 , offer and encourage students to pursue both academic and non-academic success by enhanced opportunities to learn and grow .
• College , Career and Citizenship – Whether this is readiness for college , technical school , or simply to enter the workforce , community schools focus on ensuring that students are comfortable and confident after graduation to become engaged members of society .
• Health and Social Support – A strong community starts with healthy members . Ensuring mental and physical well-being is a high priority in community schools .
• Community Engagement – Community schools are run by a collective number of teachers , community organizations and other stakeholders that monitor and grow the well-being of the entire community .
• Early Childhood Development – Community schools focus on ensuring that high-quality early learners enter school with confidence and readiness to learn .
• Family Engagement – Community schools offer critical support for family growth and development through activities to increase family engagement .
• Youth Development Activities – Students are given the opportunity to engage in hobbies outside of the classroom for the chance to find out what makes them excited to learn .
TEACHING THE FUTURE Teachers are tasked every day with correcting spelling tests , entering grades , writing lesson plans , and now with integrating technology along the way . They would be
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PERSONALIZED LEARNING FOR HIGH SCHOOL

Personalized learning adapts a structured educational environment into a malleable approach to learning and teaching . Each learning style is different , and there is not one approach to teaching that fits them all . Personalized learning provides students with attainable success in the classroom by allowing teachers to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each individual student and adapt lesson plans to allow students to work at their own pace .
Building Student Profiles : Personalized learning pulls from the strengths and weaknesses of individual students and tailors lessons to improve learning outcomes .
Teachers are able to utilize these pathways to learning to guide their students to success . Digital Approach to Personalized Learning : Utilizing data from digital coursework provides an even stronger approach to personalized learning through analytics . These analytics monitor a student ’ s performance and can predict future patterns for learning , giving teachers the tools necessary to prepare an appropriate curriculum for their students . Teacher Adaptation : Teachers develop a new approach to instructing their students when adopting personalized learning . In a typical classroom , there are students who are ahead of the curve and students behind the curve , with very few considered to be on the curve . A teacher typically aims to teach on the curve , with students on either end falling short of their learning capabilities . Personalized learning gives faculty the ability to spend more time tailoring their approach on an individual level .
Use Case : A high school in San Diego is currently implementing the personalized learning approach in classrooms after receiving a $ 10 million grant aimed at making high schools more personal . The effort launched two years ago with a small group of students . After seeing firsthand the academic success of these students , the school decided to take the approach school-wide by introducing one grade level every year , starting with the freshmen of 2017 .
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