Human beings are, by nature, interested in a host of activities and pursuits and given their curiosities, abilities, and capacities, it would be unrealistic, to expect everyone to be the same.
And this is also the case with education. No student learns the same way or at the same pace.
Let’s explore the importance of individualisation in education.
Students learn in different ways
The traditional model of students sitting in a physical classroom with a teacher imparting information via a single mode is not effective for every student.
Individualising the educational experience gives students the opportunity to grow at their own pace and develop their thinking and other critical skills, in their own way.
Remote learning during the recent eighteen months of school lockdowns, has reinforced the fact that a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous approaches to learning can work wonders for different learners.
Agency of the child
By individualising the learning process, children are provided greater agency over their education. This in turn helps cultivate a level of responsibility and excitement as students have control over what they’re investigating.
Particularly helpful to achieve individualisation is a platform that enables sharing learning experiences via text, video, audio and image. Tools like these make it more realistic for teachers to be able to offer individualisation to their students.
As discovered during remote learning, when provided with autonomy, students often (pleasantly) surprised teachers with their learning progress.
Personalised progression
Following the numerous lockdowns experienced across the globe, families have been forced into assisting and in many cases, teaching, children or grandchildren in their homes. A close understanding of their child’s progress provides parents with an insight into the learning challenges.
With individualisation, schools are able to provide personalised progression feedback. Feedback at this level is invaluable to not only parents but also future teachers.
Students also benefit greatly from this approach to feedback as it empowers them to impact their own future learning.
Extended period of remote learning taught us many lessons, especially reinforcing the notion that students can excel if provided the opportunity. Now is an ideal time for real change in schools towards a system that recognises the individual and the ultimate benefit of personalising learning.
Learn more about individualised learning with the following resources from Schoolbox:
- Individualisation: Innovative Leadership in Education
- Differentiated Learning and the New Norm
- 9 Elements of Individualised Learning
