3 Ways to Individualize Learning Using Digital Resources

Hi, friends! Last week, we chatted about returning to in-person learning this year (read the post), and I wanted to expand on what that will look like again in this weekly chat about digital individualized learning. As most teachers have realized, digital resources are here to stay whether that means sprinkling them in from time-to-time, using 50/50 digital/hands-on materials, or using them the majority of the time. Times have changed and learning for our students look a lot different to them now than what they were used to before. This is especially true if your students are coming to class in-school for the first time since preschool.

Instead of fighting the inevitable, what if we focus on ways to use digital resources to provide an enriching learning environment and to individualize learning. As I just referenced last week’s article, we chatted about the fact that students went through a MAJOR transition and now they will have to transition back, or not. Some school districts are staying virtual, if only temporarily. We need to be careful not to overwhelm our students with abrupt changes to their learning environment. This week, I’m elaborating on my discussion with other teachers who are transitioning back to in-person learning. Let’s start with the most important thing to address with any lesson; our students’ needs.

Make Digital Resources Fit Students’ Needs and Interests

Students’ needs and interests have changed since we were last teaching in-person. We know that kids benefit from a variety of learning tools (hands-on, digital, kinesthetic, etc.). They have also gotten quite comfortable with digital resources. Our students will probably show signs of stress and frustration if we suddenly take them away. So, the plan should be to continue digital learning, to some degree, right from the start. Especially right from the start! 😊 Mix in some hands-on learning, of course. Then, reassess after a couple of months of school. Are they still enjoying digital resources? Do they need more of them or more hands-on?

My Savvy Apple community teachers chatted about how they started to create their own resources during the pandemic because they couldn’t always find what they were looking for. Did you struggle with this? With a little bit of instruction, teachers were able to put together individualized resources for their students. Creating your own resources helps you individualize learning quickly and easily. This is so important to me; to help teachers design their own resources to meet the needs of their own students. My course is going to supply teachers with incredible, easy strategies and free templates to get started. If you haven’t joined the waitlist to be the first to know when enrollment opens, and at a special price 😉, sign up here to get notified. Creating custom resources also helped teachers with the relationship building they would have done with in-person learning.

Build Quality Teacher-Student Relationships through Digital Resources

Many teachers, especially primary teachers, started their virtual learning day off with customized morning meeting slides focused on team-building and social and emotional learning. This is a fantastic way to build classroom community, even in the digital world. In the classroom, morning meetings have always been a hit and students love to share with their peers. Teachers took courses to learn how to customize slides to include students’ names, favorite activities, SEL skills, and movement breaks. Check out this course that will help you do this.

The nice thing about digital learning is that teachers can assign selected slides/tasks to select students via Google Classroom. If a small group of kids needs more practice with their addition facts, for example, and another group was ready to move onto 2-digit addition, teachers can easily assign/send relevant work to meet each child’s academic needs. You can also quickly tailor digital individualized learning for your students. For example, if you post a word problem of the day, you can easily create your own and include little problems related to your students’ interests.

It’s so easy to include their names, school activities, sports they enjoy, toys they like to play with, etc. when you have the right tips and strategies. You’ll be so amazed to see how engaged they become when you connect learning to what is in their own world. This helps build strong teacher-student relationships that are so important for student success!

Technology is Still Relevant for In-Person Learning

Finally, another idea about digital individualized learning is to email your class even before the first day of school 🏫. Send families and students customized greetings/welcoming messages. When you know how to create your own resources, making something like this is super simple. This is a great way to start building important relationships right from the beginning.

Similarly, many teachers during math instruction equip themselves with comprehensive digital resources that make teaching math virtually a breeze. Many resources included lessons/anchor charts needed to teach important concepts, along with student task cards that could be easily emailed to students or assigned via Google Classroom. Speaking to teachers in this community, feedback has been amazing, and the majority of them will continue to use these resources even back in the classroom.

What about you? How do you feel about transitioning back to in-person learning and how you will design lessons? Comment below and let’s start a discussion.

🍏 Savvy Apple Tip

I chatted about creating digital resources that are personalized to your students’ needs. Here are some resources that I created by starting with my students’ needs and interests. Check them out by clicking each image, and let me know what you think! If you’re ready to create your own, sign up here to learn more.

Have a great week!

Jess