P O RT R A I T S A N D P O S S I B I L I T I E S ALLISON LAYLAND AND MARK WILLIAMS This topic brief is one in a series on personalized learning prepared for Conversations with Innovators, 2018. Over the past few years, much attention has been given to personalizing learning to improve student outcomes. “Personalized learning varies the time, place, and pace of learning for each student, enlists the student in the creation of learning pathways, and utilizes technology to manage and document the learning process and access rich sources of information” (Twyman & Redding, 2015, p. 3). Learning is personalized through relationships (teacher and student, teacher, student and family, student to student), engagement (students creating and navigating their own learning pathways), and building student’s personal competences (cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, and social-emotional competencies) (Redding, 2016). Personal competencies facilitate one’s learning and are necessary for successful goal attainment: • Cognitive competency is the interaction and assimilation of new information in prior learning and knowledge and promotes critical thinking, creativity and deeper understanding of concepts; • Metacognitive competency consists of self-appraisal and self-regulation, the ability to set and pursue goals by applying learning strategies; • Motivational competency is the engagement and persistence in pursuit of learning goals; and • Social/emotional competency is the sense of self-worth and regard for others which leads to learning and working collaboratively with others and making responsible decisions (Redding, 2014, Bullock, n.d,). It seems logical that students would be more successful in learning if we tailor instruction, including the environment, pace, and presentation of concepts, to each student’s needs, interests, and aspirations. However, personalizing learning is a complex process that begins with the student– teacher relationship, uses various methods and technologies to personalize the student learning experience, and involves alternative means for students to demonstrate mastery of knowledge and skills. Many have turned to student portfolios as an alternative to formal assessments to document student learning. Student portfolios are not new; however, to truly personalize learning, we need to push beyond portfolios to facilitate students developing a learning portrait of their personal competencies and learning journey. In this brief, we summarize the research related to learning and student portfolios, current practices, suggest possibilities in using use of student portraits as an opportunity to engage students in owning, reflecting on, and sharing their application of learned personal competencies to further their own learning and realize their aspirations. PORTRAITS AND POSSIBILITIES 3 SUPPORTING RESEARCH Our parents’ learning was through a traditional one-size-fits-all approach focused on teachers presenting specific content and students memorizing content-related facts and formulas. Student learning was measured through paper and pencil tests that required students to regurgitate the facts and figures. Student learning, often, led to obtaining traditional industrial jobs. Our children’s learning was defined by standards that describe what students should know and be able to do at each specific grade level. The focus of learning shifted from memorization to understanding and applying constructs through content. Academic preparation led to careers defined by the many technological breakthroughs of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Students demonstrated academic learning through standardized tests aligned to the standards; however, some learning was more difficult to measure and warranted an alternative means of documenting student learning, the student portfolio. Student portfolios emerged as a tool when new instructional approaches were being used to emphasis the student’s role in building understanding beyond memorizing facts. The early work of student portfolios occurred at the university level in an effort to better assess student writing skills (Belanoff & Elbow, 1986; Yancey, 1992; Hamp-Lyons & Condon, 2000). The Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) of the U.S. Department of Education defined portfolios as “collections of student work representing a selection of performance” and noted that they can be “a record of the activities undertaken over time in the development of written product” (1993). The use of student portfolios expanded beyond writing, from individual use to school wide use, to not only assess performance, but to engage students in the learning process (Mitchell, 1992; as cited in Lund & Kirk, 2010). Portfolios are also being used to inform educational practices (Hall, 1992; Borko, Micchalec, Timmons, & Siddle, 1997; Darling, 2001). Several states have portfolios as part of their assessment program for nontested grades and subjects. Using rubrics to define levels of performance and collecting evidence to assess a student’s level of performance and reflection on learning has become standard practice across the nation. Although portfolios have become a widely used practice, concerns have been noted, including the time it takes to manage the process and the lack of interrater reliability in the scoring (Merina, 1996; Stellwagen, 1996). Stellwagen notes that “although it is believed that the rubric and performance assessment movement is making a very positive contribution to our educational profession, it would be naïve to believe that this method is a panacea for all our schools’ assessment problems” (1996, p. 5). The learning of today’s children and our future children requires an emphasis on the foundational critical competencies that facilitate learning and lead to application of learning successful pursuit of goals matched to interests and aspirations, in addition to the achieving the established rigorous standards. Research has long supported the concept that learning is more than the acquisition of knowledge and successful students are those that have developed critical competencies in addition to academic skills (Redding, 2014, Bullock, n.d.). Ausubel and Robinson (1969) noted that the most important factor influencing meaningful learning was the quality, clarity and organization of prior knowledge. To understand a concept more deeply, it is necessary to consider new experiences in the context of past understanding (Kolb, 1984; Schön, 1991; Boud, Cohen & Walker 1993). The action of setting goals is another important element of learning which encourages individuals to behave decisively in pursuit of their goals. Bullock notes that “students must [also] acquire the confidence, skills and values to make rational and well-informed decisions about the paths they select.” Finally, student self-reflection or self-evaluation is also a critical skill for learning and success (Martin et al 2002; Twenge & Cambell, 2001). 4 PORTRAITS AND POSSIBILITIES C U R R E NT P R A CT I C E S Cognitive researchers and innovative educators have recognized that an important part of student success are personal competences—the cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, and social-emotional skills and behaviors that successful students demonstrate in learning and life. Figure 1 shows the critical components of designing instruction to personalize learning for student mastery of knowledge and skills. Teaching and assessing personal competencies is a difficult task; however, technology combined with testing and educational theory, is providing promising Figure 1. solutions. Building on John McConnell’s AMSOFT computer software, Stellwagen has created a diagnostic tool whereby students can self-assess and diagnose their own performance. Instructional style, question format, thinking style, and attention duration are analyzed, resulting in a learner profile. Students use the profile to identify strategies that could increase their assessment performance. In this example, students took ownership of their profiles and were challenged to learn strategies, thus guiding their own learning. Teaching and assessing personal competencies is a difficult task; however, technology combined with testing and educational theory, is providing promising solutions. Building on John McConnell’s AMSOFT computer software, Stellwagen has created a diagnostic tool whereby students can self-assess and diagnose their own performance. Instructional style, question format, thinking style, and attention duration are analyzed, resulting in a learner profile. Students use the profile to identify strategies that could increase their assessment performance. In this example, students took ownership of their profiles and were challenged to learn strategies, thus guiding their own learning. The Career and Technical Integrated-Basic Education and Skill Training Program (I-BEST) implemented throughout the state of Washington integrates career pathways with contextualized education, providing students with industry-recognized credentialing and basic education for advanced training. Contextualized education is integrated instruction with an emphasis on vocational training. The I-BEST program includes evaluation and assessment mechanisms to identify academic competencies, behavioral traits and overall interest, and monitor performance so supports can be provided. Students are highly engaged in designing their pathway to achieve sustainable employment outcomes (Couch, Ross, & Vavrek, 2018). The International Baccalaureate Program(IB) uses a Learner Profile which describes a broad range of learner capacities and responsibilities that go beyond academics to successfully prepare students for 21st century careers. The profile focuses on developing learners who are inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, and reflective. These can be clustered into four broad themes (Bullock, n.d.): • The cognitive processes of acquiring in-depth knowledge and understanding (knowledgeable, thinkers, reflective) • The conative or personal capacities of personal intention and self-efficacy (inquirers and principled) • Personal qualities and emotional skills related to wellbeing and self-belief (caring, risk-takers, balanced) • Contribution to the community, collaboration and culture (communicators and open-mindedness) Students use the Learner Profile to guide and document their successes and their challenges in developing capacities across the four themes. Students use the Learner Profile to guide and document their successes and their challenges in developing capacities across the four themes. PORTRAITS AND POSSIBILITIES 5 POSSIBILITIES FOR PERSONALIZED LEARNING learning of personal competencies in addition to academic skills, If diagnostic assessment tools like the themes in the IB Learner such as the ones discussed Profile, but more individualized. earlier were used to design career The Portrait information in turn pathways based on students’ would be used to determine preferences, interests and needs, a career pathway matched to engaged students in monitoring student desired possibilities. their progress by collecting Teachers and students work to evidence of both struggles integrate academic learning with and successes, and facilitated the development of personal students’ use of this information competencies, capturing salient to make adjustments throughout moments using digital diaries. the student’s education journey, Entries are used to further inform learning experiences would be learning and make adjustment more personalized and lead to to the student’s pathway. Each successful pursuit of further study teacher would then use the body and employment. Furthermore, of collected information to hone if student Portraits, based on the instruction and supports to further concepts of assessment portfolio student progress. The Portrait and learning profile, beginning in also documents the twists and kindergarten through high school turns that occur along the varies and even postsecondary study, pathways students explore as their students, families and teachers interests and aspirations evolve would have documentation of the over the educational journey. By learning journey to further shape the time the student graduates, opportunities and pathways to a complete map of learning is success. What would this look like? available to assist the student, Teachers would plan for and instructors or future employers facilitate student learning based on postsecondary experiences on their needs and interests that capitalize on the student’s through meaningful, relevant, competencies and life goals. open-ended instructional activities. This possibility is not far away. Students would use technology- Advances in technologies, alternate based performance assessments ways of measuring performance, to create authentic products and advances in planning for and that demonstrate their learning. teaching personal competencies Work collected would not focus are developing that will lead to on the best, but on telling the more meaningful, relevant, and learning journey, the struggles challenging learning experiences and challenges, strategies used that enhance student engagement to address the challenges, and in owning and designing their reflective lessons learned as well pathway for learning success and as successes. Students would build life success. a continuous Portrait documenting 6 PORTRAITS AND POSSIBILITIES R E F E R E N C E S Ausubel, D and Robinson, F. 1969. School Learning: An Introduction to Educational Psychology. London, UK. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Belanoff, P., & Elbow, P. (1986). 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Aldershot, UK. Ashgate. Stellwagen, J. B. (1996). Beyond rubrics and performance standards: Student learning profiles and cognitive assessment. American Secondary Education, 25(2), 25–31. Twenge, J. and Campbell, WK. (2001) “Age and Birth Cohort Differences in Self-Esteem: A Cross-Temporal Meta- Analysis”, Personality and Social Psychology Review Vol 5 number 4 Pp. 321-344. Twyman, J., & Redding, S. (2015). Personal competencies/Personalized learning: Lesson plan reflection guide. Washington, DC: Council of Chief State School Officers. Retrieved from http://www.centeril.org/ ToolsTrainingModules/assets/personalizedlearninglessonplanreflection.pdf Yancey, K. B. (Ed.). (1992). Portfolios in the writing classroom. Urbana, IL: NCTE. For more information about Personalized Learning please visit: www.centeril.org The contents of this publication were developed under a grant from the Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.