Natural science in education can be summarized as a complex system. The professional and methodological task in the teaching of natural sciences is to convey this complexity. The terms and models of graph theory can be used to model the system approach, such as networks. Networks consist of elements and connections between them, which can be well…

It's a paradox: technology to individualize curriculum has made classrooms less personal. Let's instead trust educators to make learning personal by supporting student agency, self-awareness, and the intimate personal connections found in authentic learning experiences. In the second edition of this groundbreaking book--newly streamlined, and…

The social, economic and technological changes of the 21st century have increased the awareness of teachers and educational researchers of the importance of a relevant and interesting learning environment, collaborative learning, personalization and values in education. However, most of the currently available programs focus on only one of these…

The immediate shift to virtual instruction during the spring of 2020 forced educators worldwide to quickly adopt distance learning philosophies, technologies, and pedagogies. This lean adoption of virtual learning tools saw an unprecedented number of educators embrace new modalities of providing feedback to students. This paper explores those…

I present a brief overview of the key elements of personalized learning and Montessori education, a related pedagogical approach, aiming to examine common theoretical principles and key elements. I discuss the common features of personalized instruction and the Montessori approach of education. Both personalized instruction and the Montessori…

Since 2021, Bellwether has conducted research on flexible learning options, including interviews with 85 policymakers, state administrators, funders, navigation organizations, technology providers, and many others. The goal was to address inquiries in a nascent and fast-growing field, such as how families and students access learning within a…

This paper presents the ontological design and implementation of the differentiated learning environment in the domain model of an intelligent tutoring system for children with specific learning disabilities. It addresses the learners need for differentiated instruction in a preferential learning environment. The proposed model helps to identify…

The purpose of this paper is to consider new possibilities for higher education, where the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provide a framework for creating digital and physical environments that honor every learner's unique lived experiences and support the expectations of learners for their individual life goals. Each learner…

Personalized learning is defined as "tailoring learning for each student's strengths, needs, and interests--including enabling student voice and choice in what, how, when and where they learn-- to provide flexibility and supports to ensure mastery of the highest standards possible". Personalized learning offers school librarians a way to…

Approximately 65% of young children with visual impairments have another disability such as developmental delay, cerebral palsy, or hearing loss. Furthermore, cerebral/cortical visual impairment is the most prevalent visual condition among young children with severe visual impairment in the United States (Hatton et al., 2013). This article…

Montessori Education is over a century old. Since its inception, Montessori schools have been opened worldwide. While most are pre-schools serving three- to six-year-old children, many people are not aware that Montessori spoke and wrote about middle level education before her death in 1952. Her concept for the Erdkinder, an intentionally designed…

This paper describes the development of the BE COOL! learning environment that gives all children, gifted and non-gifted, the opportunity to learn at a level matching their specific needs and abilities within the social context of regular education. BE COOL! uses the ability-adjusted jigsaw method, in which children of varying ability levels work…

The Region 12 Comprehensive Center supports the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) with implementation and scaling of the Kansans Can Redesign Initiative. Schools engaged in redesign are guided by four core principles--personalized learning, student success skills, family/business/community partnerships, and real-world application--to…

The Professional Learning Reimagined Framework, developed by the West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) and the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE), provides a model for coordinated, cohesive professional learning and leadership processes and opportunities for West Virginia counties. A wealth of research has proven that the methods…

This article introduces a special issue comprising research on efforts to personalize learning in different academic subjects. We first consider the emergence of personalized learning (PL) and the myriad of definitions that describe its essential features. Thereafter, we introduce the articles in the special issue by examining their alignment to…