"This book is on my mandatory reading list for educators who want to transform schools into learner-centered environments. Bray and McClaskey clear away the hype and buzzwords to focus on the crucial aspects of personalized learning. They provide a clear, research-supported rationale for why personalized learning is imperative, outline practical steps for implementation, and share examples of where personalized learning is already working. The book is simultaneously visionary, motivational, and practical. It is an excellent resource and I highly recommend it."
"If you have done any investigation into personalized learning, then you have certainly come across the names of Barbara Bray and Kathleen McClaskey. These women have provided a number of resources for teachers, administrators, and districts to help understand how to better personalize learning in the classroom. After reading their first book, Make Learning Personal, you have been motivated to make changes in classroom practice.
"The authors gather and interpret the many forms in which educators worldwide seek to 'personalize' the learner's experience. Over years of use, that term has taken on many meanings, and this valuable guide helps users clarify their own."
"I became a classroom teacher in the 1980's motivated to create educational experiences that engage all learners, replacing my own one-size-fits-all schooling. This pursuit has been my compass through out my educational career.
"Deep learning only occurs when it has meaning for the learner and this book is a solid example of how this works. Bray and McClaskey provide a tour through learning opportunities that is spiced with personal learning stories told by both students and teachers. These narratives provide a sense of reality for pre-service teachers to envision and in-service teachers to acknowledge.
"Bray and McClaskey are pioneers in the field of personal learning communities, and their new book provides an overview of personalized learning: what it is and what it is not, scenarios from schools and districts who are already engaged in personalized learning, professional development to support changes in teaching to achieve effective personalized learning, and much more! Most importantly, perhaps, is the chapter on why personalized learning is a good idea, including its effects on student engagement, keeping students in school, and increasing the graduation rate.
"The core or central theme of this book is having the leaner at the center of learning. This differs from the current educational paradigm and many educational publications in that often curriculum and instruction are the focus of the discussions rather the learner. The book is nicely and strategically divided into who, what, wow, where, and why.
"Barbara and Kathleen have done an amazing job writing about Personalized Learning. I totally connected with both authors from the start of the book, where they openly share their own stories with deep emotion and raw honesty. Barbara and Kathleen both write from the heart and I found their stories inspirational and touching.
This book has given me a deeper insight into personalized learning in all areas, from the 5 W's—what, who, wow, where, and why—to 'me', as the reader, and how I can personalize learning.
"This is a must read for those embarking on a teaching career, those who are just starting out, and those experienced teachers who want to reflect on why they went into to teaching and how they can improve the experience for themselves and their students. This book is my cup of tea: it is very well researched, replete with fabulous examples and great advice on how to give students a voice in their own learning. In this book every story matters because every student matters."
"Bray and McClaskey have clarified what it means to truly personalize learning. They not only explain why this is such a powerful way to help learners of all ages learn, but they guide educators through the process of creating powerful personalize learning environments that work."
"If every educator could articulate what true 'personalized' learning looks like, our schools and classrooms would be much better places for students. It's time for us to stop talking about getting away from the factory model of schools and actually start doing it. This book is critically important reading for anyone who cares about empowering kids as learners."
"In this book, Kathleen and Barbara have performed a wonderful service to the future of personalized learning design – grounded in research, supported by real-world examples and centered on the learner."
"Many books claim to be about learning - few live up to the claim: this is one of the few. It addresses the key focus for changing classrooms: the culture and language.With many important and useful clarifications and distinctions, it helps the move from today’s dominant depersonalized classrooms toward greater learner motivation, engagement and achievement.It is packed with a rich range of examples from US and elsewhere, and a great model of the journey of change, including teachers’ stories.The authors have considerable expertise in this territory; this book deserves to becom
"This is a book that should be read by every educator and should be a part of every teacher preparation program. Weaving learning theory, research, and practical strategies together to create a deep understanding of what it means to personalize learning, Bray and McClaskey are masterful in guiding educators as they create learner-centered environments. Sharing success stories and practical examples, this book provides exactly what is needed to help teachers create learning environments that motivate and engage ALL learners."
"Barbara and Kathleen do an outstanding job of really capturing what personalized learning can look like in your classroom. They take you step by step through a journey of how you can turn your classroom into an environment where all learners have a voice and choice."
"As an educator for more than 30 years, I have seen a myriad of ideas to improve education, many of which have been met with mixed results. I believe that personalized learning could truly be the game-changer! Barbara and Kathleen have certainly done their homework in clearly defining what it means to personalize learning. They identify stages that can help teachers gradually adapt their role, moving from a teacher-centered classroom to a learner-driven environment that is truly transformational.
"Too many in education believe that “personalized” is a synonym for “individualized” or “differentiated,” thus enabling them to feel current while justifying outdated, teacher-centered approaches. After reading this book, educators will never look at their jobs the same way again."
"One of the biggest issues with personalized learning is the lack of common understanding about exactly what it means to personalize learning. While some are talking about personalization, what others are referring to is actually individualization or differentiation. This book is THE handbook for all educators, administrators, and community members as it provides the essential background and language needed to understand how to help learners take ownership of their own learning. Each section – the what, who, wow, where, and why – provides extensive research and examples tha
"How do we create a school culture where students own their learning? Where being a learner is more valuable than being a student? Personalizing learning for each student seems like a daunting task, but this book is filled with examples from multiple grade levels that will help any naysayer understand not only why we need to do this, but how it can be done. This is not about adaptive learning, but rather a sensible approach to teachers purposefully designing learning with each learner in mind, based on what we now know about how the brain works.
"Personalizing Learning is the key to reforming public education and is a hot topic nation-wide. In the last two weeks I’ve spoken at a statewide conference and on two webinars, sharing experiences of over ten years in personalizing learning. At each event, I share the exciting news of this fabulous new book: Make Learning Personal. In it, Barbara and Kathleen provide more than theoretical background, offering guidance for the requisite cultural change necessary to transform both teachers and students to become co-learners.