ABSTRACT
The authors respond to recent research and commentary about personalized learning in the middle grades. Responding to criticism that personalized learning research seldom considers critical, sociocultural perspectives, the authors argue that personalized learning is most powerful when driving questions and instructional practices are developed collaboratively in communities of students and teachers. However, to create these essential conditions, teachers must have well-developed learner-centered orientations that they can negotiate in reference to other priorities. When they implement personalized learning interventions, teachers consider goals and educational purposes, determine priorities, and draw from a range of possibilities for personalization. They balance concerns for external accountability with their perceptions of the needs of students and their personal identities as teachers. In response to concerns raised about impact and implementation fidelity and sustainability, the authors note that personalized learning likely yields benefits on an individual level that are very personal and may not be perceived or understood by a researcher. Thus, they call for research on personalization from student-centered, asset-based perspectives.
