Personalized Learning: The Key for Inclusive Academic Growth

We’ve come to accept that each individual student has their own style, needs,
and pace for learning ever since the characterization of different learning styles. Despite
this, it is apparent that the current educational model in the country has stuck with the
linear model of learning delivery where every student is basically taught the same
concepts and assessed in the same manner. Thus, one of the prevailing problems in
our educational format is that some of the students would often fall behind the curve as
they struggle to keep up with most of the class.
For this reason, personalized learning has been gaining traction and popularity
around the world. This emerging trend in learning style allows for the customization of
the different learning components to suit the capabilities of each student. Hence, each
student will be able to set the pace, strategize classes, and prioritize learning objectives
depending on their knowledge, ability, and prowess on a given subject.
Personalized learning is considered to be one of the many new learning styles
that gives a huge emphasis on the freedom factor. Specifically, personalizing learning
breaks the barriers that hold students back from receiving the right kind of education
that suits their abilities. It also deviates from the traditional method of teaching and
instead relies on a student-oriented learning process which has proven to be very
effective. It gives the students ownership of their learnings which would, more often than
not, encourage them to work harder on subjects where they are lacking.
Furthermore, educators that practice this style of teaching also note that students
get to establish a sense of accountability amongst themselves under personalized
learning. Students are required to do self-assessments and reflect on their performance
to help teachers in their instructions. This creates a healthy balance of practicing
freedom and responsibility among the students
Nonetheless, as is the case with many new trends in education, personalized
learning also has its drawbacks. For instance, educators would need to do a lot more
work as they need to prepare lessons and assessments for each individual learner.
They would need to be consistently in touch with every one of them in order to
effectively tailor a teaching system for each individual. It is very laborious and time-
consuming. However, if it is not carried out properly, then they would ultimately be
defeating the purpose of the system itself.
As it is expected, however, there are a lot more unexplored benefits from
personalized learning that could potentially outweigh the bad. Since it is a relatively new
style of learning, it is yet to be exploited. If there is a better time to break ground and
make transformative strides in our educational system, personalized learning and other
student-centered learning methods might be the direction we need to pursue.
References
Alexy, N. (2021). Pros and Cons of Personalized Learning. Understanding ECommerce.
https://understandingecommerce.com/pros-and-cons-of-personalized-learning/
Raudys, J. (2021). 7 Personalized Learning Strategies and Examples. Www.prodigygame.com.
https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/personalized-learning/
The Definition Of Personalized Learning. (2013). TeachThought.
https://www.teachthought.com/learning/definition-personalized-learning/
Vago, J. (2017). Six Examples of What Personalized Learning Looks Like. Edelements.com.
https://www.edelements.com/blog/six-examples-of-what-personalized-learning-looks-like