Empowering students' success for a better life.
As the dynamics of class environments changes, we’re seeing a growing trend toward deeper integration of technology. And for good reason. Expanding class sizes and shrinking budgets create challenges in hiring enough teachers to give students the personalized attention they need.
Bigger classes mean bigger challenges for educators in getting to know their students. This includes their attitudes about learning, how prepared they are to start the course, and their strengths and challenges. Personalizing learning and managing it at scale, however, is a huge hurdle. Teachers who look for better ways to manage classes understand that conventional approaches aren’t as effective as they used to be.
We know that educational success isn’t just about subjects; it’s about educational access, even more so, about educational justice. That means meeting each student where they are, then adapting learning approaches to fit their style, abilities and interests. To meet this goal, we have to change our traditional perspectives and expectations. We’ll never be able to personalize learning without integrating modern technologies.
Authors and educators Ted Kolderie and Tim McDonald point out that schooling and instruction are mass-produced. We look at students with very different abilities, support systems and interests and expect them to move through the educational system in the same way. That’s not realistic. In fact, it leads to bored students, which devolves into waning interest.
This is why personalized learning has become such a hot topic. But one-to-one learning can’t scale, which turns the conversation to ways in which to bring technology into the classroom. Clearly, allowing a digital connection means students can take an active role in their own learning. But it’s the integration of technology with student behavior that gives teachers a new view of what creates effective learning beyond mastering content.
Dropping down to a traditional-size class, we realize that every group has its own personality. Getting a grasp of what a class is like from the onset is how instructors can teach in a style that works with the group’s personality and supports individual students. This makes learning more fun and less frustrating for everyone.
Then there’s the dynamic of homework. Most of a student’s learning happens in the classroom, there’s no doubt. But at-home learning is still an important part of success. With homework, parents can observe their children’s education while students still have independent time that supports classroom content.
Yet, there’s a stark contrast between what students experience in a normal day’s setting and what they experience in their education environment. Growing up as a digital generation means that students expect personalization in many aspects of their lives – iTunes, Amazon, Netflix. Digital analyst and anthropologist Brian Solis calls them Generation C – connected. They're unconsciously demanding, multi-tasking and always on. Yet education has only scratched the surface of personalizing the learner’s experience.
Every environment has its challenges. Whether it’s large classes or smaller settings, the educational experience doesn’t have to feel generic and homogeneous. For true student learning success, educators have to be able to look at individual students, create personalized learning experiences for them in classes of any size and instill a life-long love of learning.
How can you create a better educational experience through personalized learning?
About Babak Khosravifar
Babak aspires to create a world where students can enjoy learning, excel through an environment that’s personalized to them, become stronger learners and, ultimately, empowered individuals. This leads his drive to unleash the combined potential of technology and education.
Babak, is putting his academic research interests in intelligent tutoring systems, machine learning, game theory and data analysis to work at Mentorina R&D. As co-founder and managing director, he investigates how technology can help create better learners who can excel and enjoy the process throughout their lives. He earned his PhD in Computer Science at Concordia University, and held two post-doctoral fellowships at McGill University.