Personalized Learning Begins Takeover Of The Education World

Over the past few years, digital content has become a preferred way for the younger generations to receive information on a wide variety of subjects. Now, the preferences of today’s generation are fueling a paradigm shift in education. Education is slowly being reshaped by the demands of people in the digital age. This trend can be seen most readily in the rise of personalized learning.

Every student learns a little bit differently. Some like working in groups while others prefer to work on their own. Some learn better from reading the material while others absorb more information by hearing the lessons spoken aloud. Each student also proceeds at their own pace through the lessons. Personalized learning allows the teacher to assess each student’s learning style and adapt the lesson to that student’s particular needs.

Educational institutions and students that have embraced personalized learning have seen massive success. There are many benefits to this type of learning. Personalized learning allows students to shape their skills at a pace that they feel comfortable with. It also gives students the dedicated attention they need to thrive.

Several startups have arisen focusing on enhancing personalized learning. Volley lets students scan the content of a textbook or assignment using their phone’s camera to get tips and study guides about the topic. Another startup, Newsela, compiles news stories about current events for various reading levels and creates comprehension quizzes for the topics. Indigo works with schools to create a more personalized education experience for each of their students.

With schools having up to 3,000 students, it can be difficult for teachers to keep track of who students are, and what their strengths and motivations are. Personalized learning helps them monitor each student’s understanding of each topic, and provide them with a way to adjust the pace of instruction so the students are never forced to proceed before they are ready. Students who grasp a concept really quickly can move ahead, while students who find a concept particularly hard can have more time to learn it.

The road to universal personalized learning may be long with many bumps occurring along the way. However, with classroom sizes ballooning and teachers underpaid, communities have to find a solution that will increase the effectiveness and economy of learning. Every parent and teacher wants to see students succeed in their educational endeavors. Personalized learning just may be the best path forward for reaching this goal.