I have spent the better part of 25 years servicing learners of all ages, providing academic and social-emotional coaching, tutoring, and personalized training.  I have worked with a variety of learners and grades ranging from Kindergarten to college-age learners. I have provided targeted personalized instruction (TPI)  in a variety of subject areas: reading, written expression, mathematics, civics education, and social studies.  Various formats have been implemented throughout the years; much of my earlier work was face-to-face and one-to-one.  Small group instruction in basic foundation skills and targeted topics have also been designed. In the past 5 years, online, digital, and remote practices in both synchronous or asynchronous platforms have been employed.

 

Targeted personalized instruction (TPI) is first and foremost about building a relationship with each learner and guiding that learner into discovering what they already know and connecting it to what they are trying to learn.  TPI begins with assessing where a learner is, identifying what a learner knows, and determining where the learner needs to get to. Most learners already have what it takes to succeed but often lack the confidence or executive function skills to pull it together.  

 

At other times, learners have gaps in their knowledge that need to uncovered and then remediated or enhanced by reteaching the skill and helping the learner make the connection to the new material.  Targeted personalized instruction also involves practicing skills to help solidify a learner's proficiency so that they will have the capacity to use and integrate this skill in the future. 

 

Being an effective personalized learner coach/instructor requires collaborating with the learner, it is not about being a subject area expert. It is about facilitating the learning process and guiding each learner to maximize their neural pathways. Being authentic and genuinely caring about the learner is essential.  In designing the learning plan, it is imperative to use humor, make the learning engaging, be flexible, ask lots of questions, foster independence, and continuously assess, reflect, and readjust as needed.