Personalized learning platform to debut this fall at Lead-Deadwood Elementary

Personalized learning, which allows students to learn at their own speed, is slated to make its elementary school debut during the fall of the 2019-2020 school year.“Right now, we’re only focusing on the math conversation,” Kosters said. “The real benefit of personalized learning is that kids can learn at their own pace. The thing about personalized learning is it’s basically just removing the time structure from our kids’ education, so that instead of everybody sitting in front of the class, everybody doing the exact same instruction, you’re able to do some things at your own level.”Math teacher Pam Smith said mathematics is a subject area that lends itself particularly well to personalized learning.“In mathematics, the content builds on itself. Some students need more time to process the content. Others learn quickly. We want both types of learners to be successful and enjoy learning,” Smith said. “With personalized learning, the students and teachers can work in small groups to address needs, while other students can be working independently on their goals.”Smith said the true benefit of personalized learning is that it provides more opportunities for teachers to differentiate students’ learning at their specific level and build upon that foundation. “It also gives opportunities for students to take more ownership in their learning,” she added.The introduction of the new learning style coincides with this year’s math curriculum review and currently, two different curriculums are being considered.