Core 4: flexible content & tools

Differentiated Path

Differentiating the learning path for a student means giving a variety of methods or resources to achieve a learning goal. A learning path might be structured according to needs, as when students require content to help fill in critical knowledge gaps, or interests, as when students can choose from a variety of culturally relevant materials in order to customize the lens with which they approach an area of study.

Differentiated Pace

Differentiating the pace of learning means creating conditions in which students can explore and master concepts faster or slower than their peers according to their needs and interests. Traditionally, a teacher sets the pace of instruction and all students must follow the lead on a tight timeline, which can frustrate both struggling and advanced learners. Personalized learning teachers are more fluid with time requirements because the focus often shifts to mastery - this requires flexibility in the content students can access in order to drive their own inquiry into a topic or access resources to review essential skills.

Differentiated Performance Tasks

A performance tasks provides students the opportunity to apply knowledge in authentic and relevant contexts. Differentiating the requirements or topics of that task allows teachers to customize the learning experience for students. In a traditional classroom, all students might work through the same material in a unit and be asked to demonstrate knowledge in the same way on the same final test. Personalized learning teachers may rely on common systems to gauge student progress, but they also ensure assessment is an opportunity for learning relevant for individual students and connected to the world around them.

You can read more about Path, Pace and Performance Task here.