Today I learned in the GAFE Level 2 training about Personalized Learning. Personalized Learning is instruction that offers curriculum and learning environments to meet the individual student's needs. Their experiences are tailored to the learning preferences and the specific needs of different learners. 

Photo courtesy of: http://www.andrewkmiller.com/tag/personalized-learning/

According to this Edweek article, "Each student should have a "learner profile," or a record documenting his or her academic strengths and weaknesses, motivations, and goals; students should have personal learning paths that encourage them to set and manage their individual academic goals; students should follow a "competency-based progression" through topics; and their learning environments—in most cases, schools—should be flexible and structured in a way to support their goals."

The Good and Bad:

Determining a learner profile for each student, especially at first grade, is important because they are interested in so much as they are natural explorers. However, the bad news, throughout the year, it will change. Educators must keep this in mind and continually redetermine this. 

I would love my classroom to become a mini Starbucks, in order for their learning environments to be flexible.  This would be phenomenal in allowing students to determine where and how they work best.  The difficulty with this is money. Realistically, students need choice but I'm given a classrooom with the standard desk for each student.