Educationists have discovered a newfound love in the form of personalized education. But is it really new? We bet it is not. Experts represent diverse views on whether education should be personalized or not. But teachers have been implementing this without even making a fuss about it for years.
Personalized education has become one of the most controversial topics. When you research about it, you will most likely get drowned in a variety of opinions. So, it is crucial to look at the matter from a practical perspective.
Personalized Learning: A Comprehensible Explanation
The confusion for a layman starts with fancy definitions of the term that hardly make any sense. In simpler words, personalized learning is all about finding and implementing learning methodologies for students to help them master what they are ready for.
Some students are quick to grasp, while others take their time to understand a topic. Traditional education is based on the assumption that every student is similar and can learn at an almost equal pace. It also assumes that every student finds interest in all the primary subjects taught in school.
While this approach was fitted for generating a workforce for top-class entrepreneurs in the 1800s, it is not relevant anymore. Personalized learning revolves more around individual learners. Teachers intervene and evaluate the progress of every individual. They develop further roadmap using advanced tools and technologies.
Students are even given access to certain software programs that help them delve into self-learning. These programs
- track their progress;
- evaluate their understanding;
- suggest further actions based on analysis.
From simplifying studies to enhancing student’s engagement, personalization makes way for all of it. Personalized learning also supports referring to an essay writer to help one with academic assignments.
So, in an ideal world, personalized education would be a perfect combination of
- technology-based learning;
- collaborative activities;
- in-class sessions;
- systematic teacher guidance and supervision aimed at each student.
Before the advancement of technologies, teachers used to personalize learning through tailored lessons and doubt sessions. So, the concept is not completely new. Nonetheless, the idea is more feasible now than before.
The Two Sides of Personalized Education Argument
In modern definition, personalized education is an education system where students are given control over time, pace, and learning methods. This system has two modes: path-driven and pace-driven.
Path-Driven Personalization
According to its advocates, students often struggle to assimilate new information when they are not fully acquainted with the knowledge required for it. The need to keep up with the current lessons despite the subjects being irrelevant to their goals causes them to fall in grades. This is where path-driven personalization plays a savior.
Students are taught or encouraged to self-learn based on their goals, interest, and level of understanding. Teachers have a crucial role in personalizing curriculums for their students by tracking individuals’ progress over time. They can also conduct surveys to understand their students’ interests and form groups for collaborative learning.
Pace-Driven Personalization
Some people aren’t very quick to understand concepts. But traditional schools seem to ignore the plight. To address this issue, enthusiasts look up to pace-driven personalization. This personalization frees students from stereotypes and stresses learning at a speed they feel comfortable with.
Teachers can either schedule classes based on the categories of their students or use online learning platforms to let them study at their pace.
But Is It Really This Perfect?
The above section would make you believe that personalization is the solution for every major problem a student faces in school. But there are challenges with what we perceive to be perfect. The ideal models of personalization seem to assume that students are self-motivated, self-learners, and know well about the good and the bad.
The drawback with the path-driven argument is that the majority of the students ranging from the first grade to tenth grade don’t have any goals determined. Some of them keep jumping from one aim to another, still trying to figure things out. The path-driven model cannot be a success in such a case.
With a pace-driven model, deducing that students know what pace is best for them is a mistake. Many people find it easy to give in and procrastinate when there are no deadlines. How would you think students have it all put together? When they have a time limit for them to finish a chapter, they will force themselves to complete it.
So, What’s the Solution?
The need for personalized education is certainly there. The basic education system lacks the diversity students require to thrive in today’s world. In addition, every responsibility a teacher has to endure leaves them with very little time to deliver their best.
The correct approach to personalized education will enable teachers to apply out-of-the-box teaching techniques in the classrooms. It will also allow them to pay attention to all students in the class.
The ideal model of personalized education requires teachers to be the center point of instructions. The role of teachers would be to guide students to lessons and online tools that they can use for learning.
They will help students pick lessons based on their learning pace and capabilities, setting deadlines for tasks. They can utilize the time left from teaching to conduct group activities and assist in collaborative assignments.
Conclusion
With personalized education, teachers can be creative and build an environment that works best for both parties. To include technology or not should be a teacher’s call. Also, personalized education, if applied appropriately, will help students perform amazingly well at studies despite the differences in learning capabilities. So, yes, education should be more personalized.