The Benefits Of Personalised Learning You Need To Know

iss Meena 1 is teaching a class of 15 grade 3 students. She wants to talk about multiplication today.

She starts the session talking about multiplication and after showing a couple of videos she assigns sums to the students. But considering every child has different learning abilities, some children already knew the multiplication tables so they were able to finish the sums quickly while some of them having it heard for the first time were struggling.

The teacher asked all the slow learners to go to the back of the class and finish their sums, kids as asked to go back and still are not very comfortable with the sums. The session time is over but the kids could not finish the sum. They come home and they don't want to touch maths today because they remember the episode that happened in the school as traumatic.

As a result, they never took interest in tables again. They struggle to prepare for the upcoming tests and parents have no clue how to help the kids. Parents are looking for after-school help in form of tuition, they have burdened the kids with after-school classes now.

The kids have lost interest in learning and now they are completing the work merely as tasks assigned but the spark to learn has disappeared. The children in this group say that they don't like maths and tables and they grow to hate them all their lives.

While in another classroom, 

Miss Meena 2 is teaching a class of 15 grade 3 students. She wants to talk about multiplication today. She introduces what is tables, she talks about various ways in which multiplication can be used in real life by giving examples.

She asks kids if they know it already, she gauges their interest and prior knowledge. she gives them a form to understand how many know tables already or have understood and for many kids, this is entirely a new topic.

She makes sure that sums are not given in the first class instead resources are shared to help kids understand tables and the concepts involved. she writes a note to all the parents informing them that tables have been introduced in the class today.

The parents at home discuss multiplication and many of them help kids go through the resources and share their learning experiences.

The teacher in the next class shows kids how to do the sums and help kids individually in their assignment. The teacher makes sure to take their feedback on how much kids have understood, before the end of the session.

The teacher is aware of her student's performance and makes sure to inform the parents of the same. The kids who are struggling are being supported at home and in school.

Kids are learning and moving at their own pace but they don't hate the subject, they are just taking their time to learn. These kids grow up to face their fears and know that they can get help when needed.

These two stories would have helped you understand how the teachers in the respective class have used or not used the “one size fits all” approach to education. 

In the second narrative, the teacher guides each student on an individualized journey. The teacher is conscious of the abilities of each child in class and hence tailors the lesson to reach out to everyone. 

While teaching multiplication tables,

Miss Meena 2 ensures that each student can relate it to real-life situations and comprehends the concept.

She also encourages parents of her students to discuss various topics with kids at home which would help them learn better and make learning fun.

The teacher motivates the children by keeping in mind that each one of them is a unique individual and understanding will be at different levels based on their prior knowledge and skills.

This kind of teaching helps kids to understand the importance of being in school, they don't hate maths but like it as well.

We can use this approach to personalize learning for students across schools, with different abilities to make sure that they understand the importance of learning, so they don't feel left out and are motivated throughout their school journey.

This kind of classroom might not be a reality for every child and many of us would not have gone to schools that cater to individual needs but that doesn't mean that learning has to be the same as what it was. 

But parents can take this example to understand that each kid is different and they cannot be compared with others in the classroom, each child has their own pace of learning and development.

They would need different resources, different levels of support, and different types of motivation to succeed in school and life."

Personalized learning is an approach to education that focuses on meeting the individual needs of each learner. This approach is based on the belief that every student is unique and therefore the 'One size fits all approach in education is not effective as it doesn't take into consideration the individual needs of students.

While personalized learning is becoming more prevalent in schools today, there are still many challenges that educators face when implementing this approach. For example, it requires a great deal of time and resources from teachers, and it can be difficult to individualize instruction for large classes. In addition, not all students may thrive in a personalized learning environment and some may feel isolated or left behind.

Personalized learning can also give students the chance to become self-learners. It empowers them to take responsibility if their learning.

When parents become a partner in the child's learning they will not have to be dependent on schools entirely but can support to the best of their abilities. This will help children to progress at their own pace and not be dependent on others for their learning.

Steps to be involved in your child's learning journey:

1. Get to know your child's strengths and weaknesses and understand their learning style.

2. Identify the resources they can use to learn and develop new skills, such as educational apps or websites, after-school programs if needed

3. Talk to your child's teacher about their progress in class and work with them to come up with a learning plan that focuses on their individual needs.

4. Motivate your child by setting goals and providing positive reinforcement when they achieve these goals.

5. Support your child's interests and passions, whether it be in math, science, music, or art – the key is to help them find joy in learning.

6. Most important thing be involved genuinely, get to know your kids. Learn with them, do artworks and home works together.

With these steps, parents can help their children become active and engaged learners who are empowered to succeed in school and beyond. This way of learning can lead to higher engagement, improved achievement, and better social and emotional outcomes for all students. 

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