A trend to shift to personalized learning in schools has caught public attention in this province. It isn't a new idea - since the '70s, educators in alternative education have embraced and implemented the concept of individualized learning. It's the cornerstone in meeting unique needs of students who do not learn in conventional ways. For these students who are intellectually capable, yet learn differently, a more purposeful direct instructional approach leads to academic success. It is the evidence of this success that gave impetus for the establishing of specialized schools.
Kenneth Gordon Maplewood school (KGMS) is a specialized school. Our school has served students who learn differently for the past 40 years. Long before the advent of technology, we have used our most valuable resource, people, to meet students' individual needs. Each student is assigned to a team of professionals to implement an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP). The team consists of classroom teacher, tutor, and resource teachers. The IEP creation process is driven by each child's unique strengths and needs; and parents and students have input in the decision making process. No two children are alike, and at KGMS, we pride ourselves in offering tailor-made, customized individualized instruction that empowers students to be self directed and successful. The individualization, or personalizing as we call it now in the main stream, is possible in part due to funding from the ministry of education. Our instructional programming is aligned with the prescribed learning outcomes in the B.C. curriculum. Today, our highly qualified staff meets the standards of B.C. College of Teachers. They provide instruction using best practices validated by credible research in academia. With the advent of technology, our school is now equipped with state of the art equipment. Students have dedicated assigned laptops. Classrooms are equipped with sound field systems and SMART Board technology to motivate and engage students in learning.
For further information on personalized learning at KGMS, please log on to www.kgms.ca.
