Giving Up the Reins: The Changing Roles and Responsibilities of Teachers in Personalized Learning Classrooms

• In Event: Roundtable Session 39
  In Roundtable Session: Middle-Level Teacher Preparation and Induction

Abstract

Although many American schools are transitioning toward various forms of personalized learning, there is minimal empirical research, particularly at the middle level, on how teachers are experiencing this shift. This qualitative case study aimed to provide insight into one middle school teaching team’s experience enacting a team-wide personalized class. It found teachers 1) perceived the primary success of the class to be strengthened relationships with their students and 2) struggled to scaffold student-directed learning, facilitate and manage diverse student projects, and individualize student assessment. The study has implications for teacher preparation, policy development, and schools’ approaches to professional development as efforts to “scale up” personalized learning continue across the country.

Authors

• Steven Netcoh, University of Vermont

• Penny A. Bishop, The University of Vermont