Personalised Learning

Learning can happen in a myriad of different places, activities, methods, and time frames. From the lecture hall populated with hundreds of learners listening to an instructor to a one-on-one mentorship program, from interactive online games to complex technical textbooks, there are so many formats that learning can take.

There are many different learning techniques, as well as many styles of teaching and learning, all of which combine to make every learning experience different and personalized. Each type of learning has pros and cons and will offer different things to different learners.

In a personalized learning approach, the learner’s personal experience, knowledge, and habits are connected with learning methods, so that they can learn faster, understand new concepts more easily, and improve their learning performance.

Personalised learning centers around the task of connecting a learner’s previous knowledge, experiences, and abilities with training materials that will link that understanding with new information. The simplest example of personalized learning would be when an instructor provides learning material with proper content and context, and in the best way for the learner.

This is done by using the existing knowledge that the instructor has of the student. The instructor understands how best to connect the learner’s previous experiences and abilities to the new information, building links between existing knowledge and new information.

The best way, for each learner, is delivery of information in such a way that the learner is able to acquire the new information easily. This could be the type of material (video, text, or interactive games, for example), the time spent, the amount of material covered in each session, and the order in which new information is explained. This will vary for each learner, as everyone has different learning styles.

This, of course, is not a scalable solution, but it is the simplest explanation of how personalized learning can be actioned. It is a process of connection, of delivering the right tools to assist the learning path. Nowadays, to make this type of approach happen, and more importantly, be scalable, organizations need to be able to create a digital learning infrastructure that can automate this process and make it cost-effective.

To do so, organizations need to use a variety of digital solutions. These can include communication channels (e.g. Slack), AI technologies (e.g. machine learning and automation), data analysis, learning platforms, mobile technologies, and more.

IMPORTANCE:-

Empowering student voice and student choice

An important reason to invest in personalised learning is that it empowers students to take responsibility for their learning. To do this, you need to provide an avenue for students to voice their preferences and give them options, that is choices, in how they learn and showcase their learning. Find out what your students are interested in; ask them how they like to receive information, how they want to express themselves and how they prefer to engage with learning materials. The role of the teacher is to be a guide, to assist the student to achieve their learning objectives. But, it is the student who selects their method or path to get there.

Higher student engagement

With personalised learning comes higher student engagement. By addressing the different interests of students, you will enhance and improve student engagement. With higher engagement, your students will spend more time learning and actually absorb the material. Greater engagement also leads to high levels of motivation within students. As they have a level of choice in the learning path they take, this sense of ownership will propel students to become invested in their learning journey. This motivation will prevent distractions, disengagement from learning materials, and overall poor performance in their studies.

Increased productivity

Personalised learning also leads to increased productivity. By understanding the needs of each student, you can target the areas that require focus. This means material that is already familiar can be skipped and more time is spent on those topics and areas that are proving to be challenging. By delivering content as students need it, there is greater efficiency in the learning journey which provides teachers and students the opportunity to invest in areas that require attention.