In the international school, personalized learning must go deeper than a vision statement or motto displayed on a banner. Personalized learning environments place international students—with their wealth of culturally specific knowledge—at the center of the learning experience.

Students’ history, culture, interests, and abilities are considered as teachers create a learning environment for their students. In order to succeed, teachers are required to become leaders of individual student learning, rather than keepers of inflexible curriculum. This session will focus on how teachers’ understandings, beliefs, and perceptions of international mindedness impact their structure of personalized learning environments.

The session will examine the connection between reflective practice, international mindedness, and personalized learning using Merryfield’s (1993) strategies of reflective practice in global education and practical methods of reflective teaching as a guide. Process approaches for teacher reflection will be shared and practiced during this session.