Personalized Learning: More Than A Buzzword

These days, everyone seems to be talking about Personalized Learning. And for good reason – with all the research and tools available in education today, why wouldn’t we want to ensure each and every child has access to an education that fits how they learn best? If you go to any school website, chances are you’ll see multiple references to personalized learning. The question is, what is it?

To us, personalized learning is:

• Student-driven: Keying in on actual student interests helps them engage and take ownership. Remember when our parents made us earn money to buy the things that were most important to us? Most likely, the primary reason was so that we’d appreciate it more. Student-driven learning is much the same way.

• Fun & Engaging: Students learn more when they’re having fun and engaged…not just going through the motions. As adults, we’re the same way. Education that draws students in and makes them excited to learn – in ways they learn best – is personalized learning.

• Asynchronous: More often than not, personalized learning is self-paced and differentiated on a student-by-student basis.

• Competency-based: Student success is based on actual measured learning, not how much time is spent in class.

• Adaptive: Curriculum adapts to the needs of each student, often in real-time. Through technology, education delivery can be modified regularly at the point of delivery to match actual needs.

• Leverages technology: Truly personalized leverages existing and emerging technology to adapt and modify learning to suit each student in a cost-effective way.

• Cost effective: Education that isn’t adapted to individual student needs is wasteful. Maximizing the use of space, and minimizing wasted time, is a hallmark of a truly personalized learning program.

• Informed: True personalized learning is enabled through effective use of data – often in real-time. This allows instruction to modify as needed along the way to ensure each student is only receiving content and instruction most beneficial to them.

• Safe: Personalized learning allows students to take chances and make mistakes.

Personalized learning is more than a buzzword; it’s a self-paced and engaging journey that is adapted to each student. Today’s technology tools, research, and innovative education environment is making personalized learning a reality.

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