Over the past 100—or even 1,000—years, learners haven’t changed much. They have always learned in their own unique and
variable ways. What has changed is technology, and
it continues to evolve at a breakneck pace. Even five
years ago, learners didn’t have the access to information right at their fingertips that they do today. Now,
perhaps for the first time, we have the ability to meet
learners where they are, to teach them all in the ways
that they learn best, and to facilitate optimal learning
experiences for everyone, anytime and anywhere. And
we have no time to waste.
What Is Personalized Learning?
Personalized learning is a buzz phrase that educators use as an
alternative to “one-size-fits-all” instruction. But many are confused
about what personalized learning really means, as it’s often used
in conjunction with the terms differentiation and individualization.
The U.S. Department of Education defined all three terms in the
2010 Education Technology Plan ( 1.usa.gov/14AnJbu):
Personalization. Instruction is paced to learning needs,
tailored to learning preferences, and tailored to the
specific interests of different learners.
Differentiation. Instruction is tailored to the learning
preferences of different learners.
Individualization. Instruction is paced to the learning
needs of different learners.
These definitions focus mostly on instruction—not on the
learner—which motivated us to create this chart comparing
the terms as they relate to teacher and learner roles:
Personalization vs. Differentiation vs. Individualization
Personalization Differentiation
The learner: The teacher:
Drives his or her own learning Provides instruction to groups of learners
Connects learning with interests, passions, and
aspirations
Adjusts to learning needs of groups of learners
Develops the skills to select and use appropriate
technology and resources to support learning
Selects technology and resources to support the
learning needs of groups of learners
Demonstrates master of content in a
competency-based model
Monitors learning based on Carnegie unit (seat
time) and grade level
Employs assessment as learning Employs assessment for learning
Becomes a self-directed learner who monitors
progress and reflects on learning based on
mastery of content and skills
Uses data and assessments to provide ongoing
feedback for groups and individual learners to
advance learning
This is a condensed version of the PDI Chart by Barbara Bray and Kathleen McClaskey. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
License. Download the complete chart at bit.ly/XUx7Sq and contact Personalize Learning, LLC, at personalizelearn@gmail.com for permission to make copies.
Individualization
The teacher:
Provides instruction to an individual learner
Accommodates learning needs of the individual
learner
Selects technology and resources to support the
learning needs of the individual learner
Monitors learning based on Carnegie unit (seat
time) and grade level
Employs assessment of learning
Uses data and assessments to confirm progress
and report what the individual learner has learned
