Personalized Learning and Meaningful Connections

In chapter 7 of the course text (Blankstein, Noguera, & Kelly, 2016), contributing author Zmuda (2015) expresses the importance of “shifting toward a personalized learning structure: one where students collaborate with teachers as learning partners to have a mutual stake in performance” (p. 135). Zmuda contends that, “while the original idea has become modernized, especially due to the advent of technology, the challenge of doing this in schools remains quite daunting” (p. 136).

Whether daunting or not, with the diverse classrooms teachers face today, personalized learning has become a necessity.

Olivares-Orellana (2015) states, “Meaningful connections with students can take a variety of forms…. Connections with students’ families are of equal importance. Whenever possible, an effort should be made to include the families and the community in the education of their children” (p. 167).

Respond to one of the following questions:

• For this post, you will explore how to make personalized learning a reality in all classrooms.
  • How do you ensure the learning needs of every student are being met in your classroom?
  • In what ways are you able to know that your personalized learning strategies are successful and meet the specific learning needs of your students?
• For this post, you will explore what forms of meaningful connections are critical.
  • How are families included in building an effective relationship between the teacher, student, and family?
  • How do you reach out to and engage with the parents or caretakers of the students in your classroom? And how do you know those efforts have been successful?

Note: If you are not currently teaching, respond to one of the questions based on your personal or professional experiences such as how do you reach out to the external clients you serve? Or, in what ways to do you positively engage and interact with those in your personal or professional environment?

Support your statements with evidence from the required studies and your research. Cite and reference your sources in APA style.

Click here for information on course rubrics.

References

Blankstein, A. M., Noguera, P., & Kelly, L. (2016). Excellence through equity: Five principles of courageous leadership to guide achievement for every student. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.

Olivares-Orellana, E. (2015). Equitable ways to teach science to emergent bilinguals and immigrant youth. In A. M. Blankstein, P. Noguera, & L. Kelly (Eds.), Excellence through equity: Five principles of courageous leadership to guide achievement for every student (pp. 163-182). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.

Zmuda, A. (2015). Personalized learning. In A. M. Blankstein, P. N. Noguera, & L. Kelly (Eds.), Excellence through equity: Five principles of courageous leadership to guide achievement for every student (pp. 135-154). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.

Communication Norms

Zmuda begins chapter 7 of the course text (Zmuda, 2015) by stating, “In every school, regardless of its resource, staffing, and leadership challenges, the one constant goal is creating a school and classroom culture that engages students to do their best work” (p. 135). What is factored into the word “their” spans the spectrum of students from English language learners, students who are talented and gifted or receiving special education services, students living in poverty to affluence, and students of differing cultural backgrounds, while being careful not to forget student interests. The list can go on and on.

Communication norms are those communication patterns that are considered proper and respectful (Schmult, n.d.). This is a learned and cultural entity, a part of the cultural socialization process. Cultural norms are learned in the family and in the community and are also a function of ethnicity and race. These norms are the unwritten rules for how people act and what people do. They are the rules that govern how individuals interact with each other, how teachers teach, how people make decisions, how one communicate with students and families, how families communicate with educators, how people dress. Norms are part of the culture in which one lives, learns, and teaches. They exist whether acknowledged or not.

In the video How Types of Group Norms Influence Individual Behavior, Wengrzyn (n.d.) proposes an analogy:

In the movie
The Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion learn about themselves as individuals, but they also learn about how they act in a group once they’re faced with a task that requires all of them to contribute. Individually, they have their own separate traits, but once they have to work in a group, they exhibit different behaviors based on the group norms. For example, on his own, the Cowardly Lion is a self-proclaimed coward. But, when these three characters go to rescue Dorothy from the Wicked Witch, the Cowardly Lion overcomes his fears and learns to work within the performance norms present in the group.

So why do I make this point? You see, when individuals are in groups there are forces at work that shape how they behave while in that group. These forces—very much like how our characters in the movie found a heart, courage and a brain—influence how we act as individuals when we are in a group without us knowing if there are “things going on behind the curtain” that consciously or subconsciously impact how we act.

Those things, if you will, are norms, and there are several types that do impact how we behave in a group. Thus, let us take a look at some of the norms that are present, so we can understand how they impact our actions and behavior when in a group. (0:00-1:22)

There are things going on “behind the curtain” even when not overtly obvious. This week will look at some of the “norms” that are present in educational settings and review how they impact students, families, and communities.

References

Schmult, C. (n.d.). Communication norms; A comparison of cultures. Retrieved from http://ebooks17.com/doc/communication-norms-a-comp… or http://www.quia.com/files/quia/users/tknight11/Cul…

Wengrzyn, R. (n.d.). How types of group norms influence individual behavior [Video file]. Retrieved from http://study.com/academy/lesson/how-types-of-group…

Zmuda, A. (2015). Personalized learning. In A. M. Blankstein, P. N. Noguera, & L. Kelly (Eds.), Excellence through equity: Five principles of courageous leadership to guide achievement for every student (pp. 135-154). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.

Weekly Objectives

Through participation in the following activities, the candidate will:

• Describe how they will create a classroom climate that emphasizes both equity and access for all students. (3o)
  • Personalized Learning and Meaningful Connections
  • The Same—Differently
  • Advocacy Action Plan Part 2
• Identify aspects of student learning diversity that may impact the learning process and develop strategies for collaborating with students and families as appropriate. (3a)
  • Personalized Learning and Meaningful Connections
  • The Same—Differently
  • Advocacy Action Plan Part 2
• Structure curriculum and instruction practices so that the classroom community is inclusive. (3a)
  • Personalized Learning and Meaningful Connections
  • The Same—Differently
  • Advocacy Action Plan Part 2

Required Studies

The following materials are required studies for this week. Complete these studies at the beginning of the week and save these materials for future use. Full references for these materials are listed in the Required Course Materials section of the syllabus.

Excellence Through Equity (Blankstein, Noguera, & Kelly, 2016)

• Chapter 7: Personalized Learning (Zmuda, 2015, pp. 135-154)
• Chapter 8: Who Wants a Standardized Child Anyway? (Littky, pp. 155-162)
• Chapter 9: Equitable Ways to Teach Science to Emergent Bilinguals and Immigrant Youth (Olivares-Orellana, 2015, pp. 163-182)

Read

• Communication Norms: A Comparison of Cultures (Schmult, n.d.) [PDF]

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