What Is Personalized Learning?
Personalized learning is a student-centered approach that tailors instruction, pace, and environment to meet the needs of each learner. According to the U.S. Department of Education, it's “a student experience in which the pace of learning and the instructional approach are optimized for the needs of each learner.”
In practice, it means students have more voice, choice, and ownership—supported by educators who serve as mentors, guides, and collaborators.
In practice, it means students have more voice, choice, and ownership—supported by educators who serve as mentors, guides, and collaborators.
Why Personalized Learning Matters
K–12 education is evolving—and learning environments need to evolve with it. Personalized learning helps schools:
Support the Skills
Students Need Most
Equip learners with 21st-century skills like creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication.
Prepare Students for an
Ever-Changing World
Help students become self-directed, adaptable learners who are ready for college, career, and life.
Increase Student
Engagement and Ownership
When students have choice and agency, they become more invested in their learning journeys.
Foster Social-Emotional
Growth and Connection
Empathy, curiosity, and community are key outcomes of personalized learning environments.
Shifting Roles in a Personalized Learning Environment
- Students become collaborators, mentors, and decision-makers.
- Teachers become adaptive coaches and guides.
- Leaders empower both educators and students by promoting voice, trust, and flexibility.
What Makes a Learning Experience Personalized?
Steelcase Education’s research identifies three essential characteristics:
Learner-Led
Students take the lead in their education—making choices, setting goals, and taking responsibility for their learning.
Character & Community-Focused
Personalized spaces develop skills like empathy, curiosity, and collaboration—building meaningful connections with peers and teachers
Dynamic Use of Resources
Time, space, and technology are used flexibly to support different activities, paces, and learning styles.
Learner-Led
Students take the lead in their education—making choices, setting goals, and taking responsibility for their learning.
Character & Community-Focused
Personalized spaces develop skills like empathy, curiosity, and collaboration—building meaningful connections with peers and teachers
Dynamic Use of Resources
Time, space, and technology are used flexibly to support different activities, paces, and learning styles.
8 Research-Based Strategies for Implementation
Know & Respect the Learner
Nurture Trust by Granting Freedom
Use Technology, Space, and Time as Resources
Encourage Reflection & Responsiveness
Build Habits of Character
Establish Simple, Guiding Principles
Empower Student Voice & Choice
Develop Community
How Space Design Supports Personalized Learning
The classroom itself can make or break the personalized learning experience. Steelcase has identified 7 design principles that create the right environment:
- Offer a variety of settings
- Allow student-controlled spaces
- Integrate teachers into communal areas
- Enable technology everywhere
- Leverage vertical space to display thinking
- Create home-like environments
- Design for varying degrees of visibility and distance
Ready to Bring Personalized Learning to Your School?
We offer free Personalized Learning Workshops to help schools and districts:
Assess their current learning spaces
Understand how design supports pedagogy
Map out strategies and space plans tailored to their goals
Assess their current learning spaces
Understand how design supports pedagogy
Map out strategies and space plans tailored to their goals
Interested in a Personalized Workshop?
Tell us a bit about your school and we’ll follow up to schedule a session that fits your team’s goals, timeline, and learning needs.