WEBVTT

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[Music] Welcome to the overview

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on personalizing the
learning environment.

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Dwight goes to a
large high school.

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He sits in the back, when
he bothers to show up,

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and doesn't really pay
attention to the lesson.

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The teacher doesn't
talk to him in class

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and just puts check marks
on his work, good or bad.

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He doesn't really feel
that anyone notices him,

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no matter what he does.

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According to research,
as many as 40-60 percent

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of high school students
can relate to Dwight.

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They don't have any sense of
belonging to their schools.

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Without a connection
to either the textbooks

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or the instructors,
their engagement is low,

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their performance unmotivated,
and their likelihood

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of dropping out is high.

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Schools that have implemented
personalized learning

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environments have seen
higher performance

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and lower dropout rates.

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A common component among schools

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that have seen success
is a combination

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of strong academic focus with
smaller learning communities.

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There are a number of
ways to reduce the size

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of learning communities.

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On the district level, new
smaller schools can be opened

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with limited enrollment of
four- to six-hundred students.

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Studies suggest that
students enrolled

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in smaller schools had higher
attendance rates and were more

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on track to graduate than
students at larger schools.

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For existing large schools,
it's possible to create smaller,

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physically separate communities
within an existing building.

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These "schools within schools"
can operate as independent,

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autonomous schools or be
interlinked in various ways.

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For example, a school may
divide ninth-grade students

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into grade-level clusters
that are taught by a core,

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interdisciplinary
group of teachers.

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Upon entering tenth grade,
students would return

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to a more traditional
whole-school setting.

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Another school may create
thematically oriented

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"schools within schools."

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Students can elect
to participate

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in these their whole
high school career,

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staying with the same
core group teachers

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and like-minded classmates
all four years.

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Regardless of the degree
of school reorganization,

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small class sizes of between
18-30 students have been shown

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to have the most beneficial
impact on students.

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Smaller classes and school
environments help create a

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personalized learning
environment

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that gives teachers the time to
focus on each student's learning

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and provides the opportunity for
caring, supportive relationships

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between students to develop.

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Teachers who are able to connect

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with each student can get a
sense of what motivates them,

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notice problems early,

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and determine why they
are having difficulty.

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This understanding not only
helps teachers individualize

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their encouragement but
also allows teachers

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to effectively tailor their
instructional techniques

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to the needs of their students.

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Studies show that when
this kind of connected,

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supporting environment
is combined with

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"academic press" focus on
learning and high expectations

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for student achievement
student outcomes

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show improvement.

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Many effective models

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of personalized learning
environments feature small

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learning communities with
interdisciplinary teams

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of teachers who stay with
students through one, two,

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three, or all four years.

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By staying with the same
groups of students for more

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than one year, teachers
can form stronger

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and more powerful
relationships with them.

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These teams also allow teachers

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to build stronger working
relationships with each other

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as they work together
on curriculum

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and develop a better
understanding of how

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to serve each student's needs.

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This approach can also work
at the classroom level,

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with two teachers
working together,

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sharing common lesson
plans and decision-making.

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While one teacher leads
a given class session,

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the other can focus on more
one-to-one interactions

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with students.

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Teachers benefit from each
other's particular teaching

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strengths and have a built
in support system for working

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with students who
are struggling.

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By working together teaching
teams become more effective

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instructionally and are able

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to develop stronger
relationships with their kids.

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School schedules also
play a significant role

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in keeping students engaged.

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Block scheduling, extended class
periods, advisory/study periods,

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and other strategies for
extending time can allow

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for teachers to have more
connection with students

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and more opportunity to learn
about and meet student needs.

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One study found that
ninth-grade students taught

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by interdisciplinary teams

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over four 80-90 minute periods
each day earned more credits

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towards graduation and were more
likely to move on to tenth grade

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than students outside
the program.

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Implementing such
radical adjustments

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to a school's culture may be met
with skepticism from students,

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faculty, and board
members alike.

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It's essential to get principal
and staff input at the beginning

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of the planning process.

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Timelines for implementation
need to be openly discussed

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and realistic given
school resources.

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Professional staff development
will be needed to help teachers

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and staff learn new
instructional strategies,

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develop collaboration
skills, and understand how

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to build a different kind

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of relationship with and
belief in their students.

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Lots of collaborative planning
time should be scheduled

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to maximize stakeholder buy-in.

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As students enter the system,

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they will likely be
uncertain and resistant.

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Patience and persistence
will be necessary

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as these relationships
are built.

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Dwight wasn't sure about some of
the new changes at the school.

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The idea of fewer classes
each day appealed to him,

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but spending more time with
each teacher seemed like a drag.

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He was surprised to find that 
some classes had two teachers now,

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but he was even more
surprised to find

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out that the teachers
knew who he was and wanted

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to help him with his studies.

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He doesn't feel quite
so invisible anymore,

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and Ms. Conners recently
suggested he check

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out the after-school
soccer team.

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He's starting to think about
what he can do at school

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and less about getting
away from it.

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To learn more about personalizing 
the learning environment,

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please explore the
additional resources

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on the Doing What Works website.