This page is referenced by:

• 1 2023-01-04T08:02:47+00:00 A note on Personalization 1 plain 2023-01-04T08:02:47+00:00

  Personalising Learning

  Every teacher personalizes learning; if only by adding an additional example or giving individual attention where called for. In a sense, teaching itself is an act of personalization, as opposed to, say, a television broadcasting a lesson. Teachers change their lessons so that the students can make sense of what they learn. They help them fit the new knowledge or skill with what they already knew, their personal observances and social experiences. They help learners make what they can out of what they learn.
  
  In broad terms, Personalised learning is about creating different learning environments and experiences for the different needs, capabilities and cultural context of each student.¹ Of course, the scope and degree of personalisation vary. Experts have identified six dimensions of personalisation : The why, how, what, when, who and where learning takes place²  : 
  
  One to one tutoring is the epitome of personalisation. Benjamin Bloom showed back in the 1960s that the average student performs better with individual tutoring. He also showed that individual attention closes the learning gap between the high and low scorers. In the real classroom, even with ten students, customising content to benefit each student can demand a lot of effort. True personalisation is practically impossible. Even where the teacher knows a student has gaps in learning they might be unable to remedy it it because of lack of time. Thus, the system loses students all the time, even with the best effort of teachers.
  
  
  
  
  This is where technology can lend a hand.
   

  Technology Enhanced Personalised Learning

  You can use technology to customize the learning process, whether to a big or small degree. Here, technology includes anything from mobile apps and online platforms to standalone learning systems.² This is more effective now that Artificial Intelligence, access to data, mining techniques, cloud computing and affordable hardware have made applications seamless and practical.
  
  Well-designed technology can go way beyond helping you overcome the stumbling blocks shown above. When integrated with traditional classes, either as homework or occassional classwork, they could help learners acquire and practice a routine skill. Thus, they clear up your  time in the classroom for interaction, personal attention and problem solving. Further, you can monitor what happens during homework -  watch how far students have progressed and where they are struggling.³ 
  
  
  
  
  
  Sometimes, for some parts of a lesson, a software might actually do a better job. Think of visualizing three dimensions in math or pronunciation practice for every student in a language class; Or an animation explaining the processes inside a human cell.
  
  Click here for definitions of blended and other types of learning, often discussed along with Personalisation.
  
  All AI solutions for education can be used in different degrees to help personalise leraning. In this chapter, we discuss the use of Adaptive learning systems.
  
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  ¹ Groff,J., Personalized Learning: The State of the Field & Future Directions, Center for Curriculum Redesign, 2017.
  ² Holmes, W., Anastopoulou S., Schaumburg, H & Mavrikis, M.,Technology-enhanced personalised learning: untangling the evidence, Stuttgart: Robert Bosch Stiftung, 2018.
  ³ Feldstein, M., Hill, P., Personalized Learning: What It Really Is and Why It Really Matters, Educause Review, 2016
  ⁴ Taylor, D., Yeung, M., Bashet, A.Z., Personalized and Adaptive Learning, Innovative Learning Environments in STEM Higher Education pp 17–34,  SpringerBriefs in Statistics, 2021