How Teachers can Help Students Personalize Learning
Have you ever thought of how teachers can help students personalize learning? As students are different, they also have diverse ways they learn what is being taught. Many instructors prefer differentiated instruction to personalized learning, as both would still give good results.
Personalized learning integrates the idea of how advanced learning technologies have created so many new opportunities. Where students have flexible learning environments, embedded within their communities, using a variety of personalized models, resources and modalities to accelerate learning.
Read first: How to Become a Professional Teacher
What is Personalized learning ?
If you break down these two words, you can see that it is better understood as a “personal” way to “learn.” Thus, personalized learning is student oriented. It’s an educational technique where the student takes control of their own learning.
Personalized learning is when the student takes charge of their learning, by setting appropriate goals that go in line with their interests and talents. They keep track of their progress and stay motivated and challenged to meet the goals they’ve set.
Personalized Learning is also know as next generation Learning as it is said to be the future of learning in general.
If this is true, what then are the ways teachers can help students Personalize Learning.
Read also: Why Every School in Nigeria needs a Learning Management System
How Teachers can Help Students Personalize Learning
For teachers who want to focus on the student, here are 9 tips to help students personalize learning.
1. Have a personal learning schedule
This is what drives personalized learning. Students must set personal plans and goals that are in line with their interests, talents and passions. Without clear and definite personal purpose, there can be no personalized learning. Ensure you encourage students to set these objectives, keep an eye on their progress towards the goals, and modify or set new goals as appropriate.
2. Boost the act of self-assessment
Give students chances to assess their own learning through self-reflection exercises. This is an awesome way for students to develop meta-cognitive, as well as intellectual skills.
3. Organize regular formative assessment
Assess students frequently. But only assess them for their learning and as they learn. Don’t generally give assessments of what they have already learned. As you carry out more assessments for learning, you’ll be able to efficiently personalize learning for the student.
4. Use project-based learning
Give students the freedom of choice and opportunities to work towards learning that reflects their personal interests.
5. Give the students a voice
Encourage input from students on instructional opinions and necessary materials. Give them a voice to share their values, opinions and beliefs. This will lead to more various and richer set of instructional materials that will aid you personalize learning.
6. Maximize parent involvement
Encourage parental engagement. Allow parent/guardian to take an active part in their wards’ education. Meet and discuss with them more frequently to allow them to take personal responsibility to make sure that their students are learning very well.
7. Give more learning pathways
Give students the ease of personalizing their learning through multiple learning pathways.
8. Use digital tools
Many of the tips above can be aided by use of cheap (and sometimes free) digital tools. Personalized learning is supplemented by engaging blended learning environments. Combining the best face-to-face teaching with digital tools(Like LMS) to be more efficient and effective as an teacher.
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9. Teach digital literacy
As a 21st century students in a personalized learning environment, It is a must that students posses the skills to work together, share, learn and connect with their teachers and peers. Ensure your students have the necessary digital literacy skills to create and stay connected with their learning network.
See also: 8 Career Readiness Skills Students Can Develop Using LMS
Personalized Learning Technology
I so believe that educational technology (Such as LMS) and digital literacy can hasten personalized learning for students. I also believe that for 21st century students and teachers to be outstanding in their learning and teaching, they must accept and adopt advanced personalized learning technologies.
With the help of next generation learning classroom assessment platforms, teachers will engage students in exceptional evaluation practices. This will make students to take full responsibility and ownership of their learning. Such technology allows teachers to carry out regular formative assessments.
The Importance of Technology in Nigerian Education
It also gives students the chance to practice setting goals and self-assessments. For example, before students take next-gen evaluation, they’d have a choice and are encouraged to set objectives and expectations for the class. After the assessment, they are asked to rate their confidence level in each answer they give. Additionally, they can write and take notes about their answer to provide justification and/or Supplementary feedback to their teacher.
After finishing a test, students receive instantaneous results without delay. While reviewing said results, students can be asked to think about their performance, both on the overall test as well as on each particular question.
In addition to providing the teacher with profound understanding into student performance, self-assessment exercises provides students the chance to reconcile their forecasting, with their actual performance on the questions, a metacognitive procedure that has been found to increase student learning and retention of knowledge.
That is what personalized learning is basically all about, making sure students take ownership of their learning and to continue to strive to learn more.
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