Flexibility Matters: A Qualitative Look at Four Middle Grade Teachers’ Implementation of Personalized Learning

<p>Personalized learning (PL) has emerged as a trend in K-12 teaching and learning (Netcoh, 2017). This instructional strategy provides a customized learning experience, allowing students to work on their own path and at their own pace while learning and instruction is developed to students’ ability levels, interests, and learning modalities. While some scholars and many educational organizations have published definitions of PL, these definitions are often vague and sometimes conflicting. Furthermore, there is limited in-depth research presently available regarding the implementation of personalized learning in K-12 classrooms. Due to the lack of clear definitions and descriptions of PL, educators struggle to conceptualize and implement PL. To bridge this gap, this case study will examine how four exemplary middle school teachers implement PL in a Title 1 middle school in a large urban K-12 school district in the Southeast. The study will also describe these teachers’ perceptions of PL. </p> <p><em>Keywords</em>: personalized learning, technology, 1:1 computing, professional development, transformation, middle school </p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education in Instructional Technology

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Instructional Technology

Year

2020

Author dc:creator

• Evans Heath, Christa

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Julie Moore
• Dr. Anissa Lokey-Vega

• Personalized Learning
• Middle School
• Transformation.1:1 Computing
• Technology
• Professional Development
• Curriculum and Instruction

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/instruceddoc_etd/8

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu:instruceddoc_etd-1009