The notion of students as consumers of knowledge has become outdated as we live in a rapidly evolving, expanding and changing world of technological advancements. We have to consider the diverse learning needs of students to ensure that they are not merely consumers of knowledge but increasingly take ownership of their own learning and are able to interact with knowledge by linking it to real life experiences. The diverse learning needs don’t only encompass learning abilities; they have a much wider connotation and include their past learning experiences, strengths, interests, skills, cultural differences and learning styles and preferences. Therefore it is important that each individual student is provided with learning opportunities according to their personal learning needs.

U.S. department Education’s 2016 National Educational Technology Plan (NEPT) came up with the following definition of personalized learning:

‘Personalized learning refers to instruction in which the pace of learning and the instructional approach are optimized for the needs of each learner. Learning objectives, instructional approaches, and instructional content (and its sequencing) may all vary based on learner needs. In addition, learning activities are made available that are meaningful and relevant to learners, driven by their interests and often self-initiated.’ http://www.dreambox.com/personalized-learning

For providing personalized learning we need to consider the following:

Learner profile
Flexible learning environment
Competency based progression
Personal learning paths
Blended learning
Learner autonomy
Formative assessment on the go
A variety of resources including digital technologies

By personalized learning it doesn’t mean that students will be learning individually; they can work collaboratively and contribute to collaborative tasks according to their strengths and skills. Technologies and digital spaces provide the best opportunities for personalized learning as students can use a variety of resources according to their learning styles and skill sets to come up with a product of their choice. They can then upload and share their work on digital spaces for others to review and comments on. They can learn from others’ comments, reflect upon their work and make improvements. Personalized learning opportunities are most effective when they are linked with blended learning as students naturally learn and work at their own pace. Designing an achievement criteria and rubric along with formative assessment strategies including peer review can help students achieve the learning outcomes of any learning experience. Let’s take an example of a learning environment which provides personalized learning experiences. Students have flexible seating and students’ organization. They have a choice of working on a task individually, in pairs or groups. With the help of technologies they can use a variety of instructional resources according to their learning preferences. They are allowed to search for information using BYODs, mobile devises or classroom computers. Students can choose the product they want to work on. For example if students are learning about eco-systems, they can decide whether they want to make a pod cast, a documentary, write a report or make a presentation as long as it follows the achievement criteria. Personalized learning may seem a like idealistic but it is possible if we consider that it is a more realistic way of learning than didactic teaching practices especially if we want students to develop into lifelong learners.

Links:

https://www.edglossary.org/personalized-learning/

https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=416

www.understood.org/en/school-learning/partnering-with-childs-school/instructional-strategies/personalized-learning-what-you-need-to-know

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/10/22/09pl-overview.h34.html