Essay On Personalized Learning

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Recommended: Recognising and accommodating personal learning styles

Study after study has indicated that a majority of high school graduates are not adequately prepared for life beyond high school (Barnes, Slate, & Rojas-LeBouef, 2010; Berliner, 2006). Research speculates that this is because the current overall educational system that is generally based on a one teacher, one textbook, and one pathway to success . This contributing to the lack of preparedness among high school graduates (Miliband, 2006; Ravitch, 2010). One idea on how to tackle the lack of preparedness among high school graduates is by using personalized learning. Personalized learning is the opposite of the “one-size-fits-all model”. It directly focuses on the needs of the individual. While there are a number of definitions offered for personalized …show more content…

To Alfie Kohn, a psychologist, personalized learning means adjusting the difficulty level of prefabricated skills-based exercises based on students’ test scores. He believes that it requires the purchase of software and that “’Personalized” learning is something that we do to kids whereas ‘personal’ learning is something they do for themselves. On the other hand, to Peggy Grant and Dale Basye, authors of Personalized Learning; a Guide for Engaging Students with Technology, personalized learning is the customization of learning in order to help students learn at their own pace for optimal success. Kohn argues that personalized learning is the latest fad that educators seem awed by anything emitted by the private sector, including books about leadership from the business world. McEwan, author of Angry Parents, Failing Schools, compares personalized learning to a virus that has infected a person 's body, and writes that it can be harmful and manipulative to a …show more content…

According to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, personalized learning consists of learner profiles that capture individual strengths and weaknesses, as well as detailed information about a student’s interests and dreams. The foundation also stresses the necessity for these personal learning paths to include a wide range of learning goals and objectives. As well as flexible learning environments which could include multiple instructional delivery approaches that continuously optimize available resources in support of student learning (Laurans, Derr, & Turco,

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