What is the connection between personal learning and transferable skills like collaboration and groupwork? Since I just taught a class on groupwork and Vermont is working towards more personal learning, I have been getting this question from many educators.  There seems to be a misconception that personal learning is somehow individual learning.  There are many images of “personalized” learning where students are using their devices to work through some kind of learning material alone and at their own pace.  While this might be one aspect of a student’s experience in a more personalized learning environment, personal learning is not solely about moving at your own pace; it is about learning in ways that are personally meaningful. Personal learning environments offer students choice about what, how, when, and where they learn.  They provide authentic learning opportunities and allow students to go deep.

In a personal learning environment, teachers facilitate opportunities for students to identify strengths and passions and then they structure learning opportunities that allow exploration of these areas. Teachers might structure a learning task so that students choose a content area or topic to focus on and then work in groups of students with common interests to complete a learning task.  Perhaps students have a choice about where they complete groupwork, how they divide up tasks within a group or how they use their time.  These are all ways to personalize learning while still learning within a group.  The teacher’s job then begins to focus on communicating clear learning goals with clear expectations for success and mastery of the learning goals.  In addition, they will need to stretch their thinking to find authentic tasks so students can find purpose and meaning in the learning goals.  It’s tough to get all these pieces in place but these are the pieces that create a personal learning environment and groupwork and collaboration are an important part of this.  How are your groups providing opportunities for personal learning?