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Personalization with Playlists

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Playlist Definition

Playlists are tasks compiled using multiple media resources such as links, videos, articles, images, files, and assessments. Often playlists are a unit or concept broken down into tasks for students to be able to learn at their own level, pace, and time. Playlists are often used in a blended learning classroom when the teacher is facilitating a small group while other students are working on a playlist that is individualized for them based on their needs.

The What and Why of Playlists

• What are they? Playlists are learning pathways that give students an element of control and choice over how, when, and where they access content.

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• Why use them? Giving students control of the time, place, path, and/or pace of learning increases engagement and allows for greater differentiation. Playlists are great for homework, flipped classrooms, and personalizing content to help students meet their IEP or personal learning goals.

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What’s In A Playlist?

• Objective
• Short videos
• Articles
• Problem Solving
• Partner work
• Checkpoints along the way
• Assessment

Playlists Allow Students To...

• Work at their own pace by moving away from the whole group model
• Complete or revisit work any time and place
• Receive automatic, real-time differentiation
• Choose how to direct and “own” their learning

Playlists In Your Classroom

• Assign a playlist for asynchronous work
• Have a playlist station
• Use a playlist to introduce a topic or project
• Use playlists to collect real-time data
• Have students create a playlist to demonstrate their learning

How Do I Get Started?

• Go over the concept with your students
• Start out simple (no more than 5 tasks)
• Ask students for feedback
• Begin to include your own videos
• Ask students to create videos
• Before you know it you’ll have resources to use in the future

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Examples Of Playlists

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Simple Playlists

Industrial Revolution (Draft)

Kindergarten/1st Grade Literacy

1st Day of School Expectations

Marie Antoinette

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More Advanced Playlist

Blended Learning Playlist (Professional Development)

A Playlist For The First Day (Expectations)

Proportional Lengths (Math)

Decimals Playlist (Math)

State And Local Governments (Social Studies)

Playlist: Evil Architecture (Art)

Personalized By Level Playlist

Demonstrating Learning Options

• Consider having students create their own playlist for a school project and include this option in a choice board.
• Use academic protocols to model how students can express their learning metacognitively.
• Add checkpoints along the way to provide formative feedback throughout the entire process.
• Include opportunities for students to provide each other with feedback that follows a protocol (i.e. TAG).

Things to Consider

• If you adopt a playlist model in your classroom think about not assigning homework. Allow students to have the option to complete unfinished playlists at home instead.
• Add a checklist to the playlist so that students can keep track of the work they completed if they need structure for organization and accountability.
• Although playlists are a digital resources, you could transform them into device-free tasks lists or cards to support independent work.

Tips For Making Your Own Videos

• Screencastify or ScreenPal
• Hearing your own voice takes getting used to–hang in there!
• Keep them short (1-2 minutes)
• Think about your audience

The Choice is Yours...

Explore more with these articles:

1. Using Playlists To Differentiate Instruction
2. Blended Learning: Building a Playlist
3. Playlist Building 101
4. Playlists: A Path To Personalization

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Build Time!

Build a playlist and try it in the classroom with your students. Use one of the templates below:

• Playlist Template
• Playlist Planning Document
• Description Playlist Template
• Must Do, May Do Playlist Template
• Advanced Playlist Template
• Visual Playlist
• Watch-Read-Make Playlist Template