Everyone learns differently. We’ve known this for years. Some people are visual learners, while others may learn better independently or through hands-on experiences. Self-paced online learning is another learning style is increasing in popularity and growing prevalent since the pandemic. The recent advancements and changes in the education sector over the past three years have brought personalized learning to the front.
What is Personalized Learning?
According to EducationWeek, personalized learning can mean anything in K-12 schools and is about developing a plan or using software and resources that cater to individual student’s needs. Some students are given a chance to choose the projects they want to undertake. At the same time, some instructors will try to find adaptive software that can be adjusted to different students’ learning levels.
How is technology used in personalized learning?
At Quest Academy in Utah, technology is heavily incorporated into student learning, and the curriculum caters to different learning styles of students by class. In some classes, students can choose how to learn a new concept, whether by watching a video, listening to a podcast, or their preference.
Using technology in personalized learning means more than just increasing the use of laptops or computers. According to the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), it means developing a balance between face-to-face instruction and technology-centered instruction. Instructors can start by finding resources that will help students learn and develop skills, such as software or programs online like Adobe Express.
Personalized learning can foster an environment where education is centered around students’ strengths. Allowing students to use technology to express themselves creatively, collaborate with peers, or present their ideas and what they have learned helps to give them control over their learning process. Creating courses where students can learn at their own pace and time also helps instructors. Students can watch videos created by their instructors over and over. In contrast, instructors have the time to schedule one-on-one sessions with individual students or groups of students that need help.
In addition to all this, having an efficient LMS that can help instructors integrate smaller video lessons, assignments, webinar classes, or one-on-one sessions, and self-paced learning, is another useful tool. Instructors can use online quizzes and assignments to assess student learning and proficiency via the LMS. EdTech Magazine reports that at Quest Academy, an adaptive literacy platform is used to rate the students’ comprehension and reading skills. This, in turn, helps instructors identify struggling students who might need extra help.
Edusity could be your solution to transform your course or classroom to encourage more personalized learning.