What is personalized learning?

Since the beginning of formal, traditional education we have found and faced many problems, many changes and revolutions in styles, techniques and methods, but not as fast and opposite as in the end of the XX century and the beginning of the XXI. Yet, one of those problems have remained through it all, for this problem lies on the very same fundaments of formal, traditional education. It’s all about resources and economy, actually.

When someone wants to start giving education to a group of people, finds there the first problem: we have very few resources, very few educators, and a whole group of diverse people with diverse problems and needs all searching for quality education. We starting organizing them around their ages, even this was not an actual or total proof of capacity or knowledge- there were always students above and below the average. We also had to write all the content to be taught on a single book, designed to be delivered by a single teacher at once- of course, on a group of 30 diverse students this was practical but far from perfect. And then we had to give the students work and tasks to do, not counting on the fact that all of them have different abilities, capacities, interests and preferences and that measuring them the equal despite the differences created many problems. We also overlook students with disabilities, only to correct this situation years later. Overall, the institutionalization of education overlooked diversity and individuality to show preference to economy of resources and time. This, however, can change soon.

Technology has opened our way to many changes, particularly to the implementation of the idea of personalized learning. This is the education that takes into consideration each student’s personality, preferences, abilities, capacities interests and goals towards education, and applies these aspects to the process of learning. Now, it’s no longer impossible for the teacher to have many students in multiple tasks instead of one, or working on multiple contents instead of only one. Now, students can be much more responsible and participant of the way they want to learn, where and when they want to, thus giving them the power to learn in a more personal way. The benefits are clear: students are far more motivated, they do better works, they have better grades, and better attendance and they are much more engaged. Personalized learning was impossible many years ago, due to lack of resources and a way to make the most of them- this has changed now. They are more conscious of their own education, and by doing so, they are much more prepared for the future, which is, ultimately, the final purpose of education.

Sources:

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-04-01-five-key-elements-of-personalized-learning

https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=416

https://www.edelements.com/blog/six-examples-of-what-personalized-learning-looks-like

https://wegrowteachers.com/a-beginners-guide-to-personalized-learning/

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/10/22/09pl-overview.h34.html