How has Personalized Learning Proven to be a boon to the Teachers and Learners?

In this technology-driven world, the introduction of live online classes, blended learning, online assessments, and other technological innovations has made information more accessible to the students than it was for the previous generations. The traditional education system grants uniform education to all. However, we tend to forget that every student has a unique mind, therefore, applying the same teaching patterns to all does no good to the students. This is why personalized learning came into play.

What is Personalized Learning?

“Personalized learning refers to instructions in which the pace of learning and the instructional approach are optimized for the needs of each learner.”

Every student learns in different ways and has different grasping powers. Personalized learning abides the same. Several terms such as blended learning, adaptive learning, individualized learning, and differentiated learning have often been confused with personalized learning. However, these learning approaches share characteristics with personalized learning but aren’t synonymous.

It facilitates right kind of education to every student based on their learning capacity and interests.

Features of Personalized Learning

• The study plan, teaching style, and content are prepared according to the interests and needs of the students.
• Students decide what and how to learn.
• It is technology-driven.
• The teaching speed is adjusted according to the student’s understanding.

Personalized Learning Strategies

Train Teachers how to Assess Students

The teachers should be well-trained in assessing their students and understand the methods and goals involved. Discuss the whole plan with your teachers and send them for personalized learning workshops. This will prepare them to execute these learning programs in schools in a better way.

Use Technology/EdTech

Technology helps in tracking and managing the learning needs of every student. It helps the teachers to connect with the students and engage them using variations in teaching methods. For instance, most of the teachers are adopting gamification in education to engage the students and make the lessons more interesting. Research states that personalized learning in a Maths classroom led to an improvement of 11.6% in the test scores.

Let the Students Share their Knowledge

Constantly assessing the students as they proceed with the syllabus helps the teachers to know the knowledge level of each student. Thus, the students who are struggling with a topic come into the teacher’s notice. This makes it easier for the teachers to help the students with the concept.

Prepare a Personalized Learning List

A personalized learning list helps the students to select the study method that best fits them. This inbuilds students’ interest and helps them to study in their way at their pace.

Flexible Classrooms

Flexible seating arrangements in the classroom shall reap the following benefits to the teachers:

• Increased discipline
• Improved grades
• Increased attendance
• Positivity in the classroom
• Better focus in the classroom

Benefits of Personalized Learning

Strengthens Students’ Skills

This learning motivates the students. They decide their own learning process that develops self-advocacy abilities. Self-assessment enhances self-reflective abilities among the students.

It improves their knowledge

One of the studies, it has helped in improving the test scores of the students. Two-third of the schools involved in personalized learning exhibited positive results in terms of students’ performance.

The students struggling with a particular topic do not require special-ed

The teachers can analyze the weakness of the students and help them with the same through this learning method. IT helps in the easy analysis of students’ strengths and weaknesses and helps them overcome the same.

More Targeted Teaching

Through it is easier for the teachers to address smaller groups of students through collaborative or solo teaching and focus on more targeted education.

This gives the learners complete ownership of what and how they want to learn. This is the kind of learning we require. It gives the opportunity to the students to decide what they want to learn as per their interests and strengths. Apart from this, it also helps in analyzing and guiding the students who are weak in a particular subject/topic. Such a crucial approach is vital for the development of the education sector in today’s scenario.