“We need technology in every classroom and in every student and teacher’s hand, because it is the pen and paper of our time, and it is the lens through which we experience much of our world.” – David Warlick
From my experience in the classroom, children struggle with unique gaps in their understanding of content. Today, however, with the advent of different online learning platforms, it is possible to scale differentiated learning and teaching. Students, ranging from those struggling and those exceeding expectations, can be engaged at their individual levels of interest and mastery.
A personalised learning environment ensures that learners become owners of their education and move at their own pace, instead of being propelled by the system seeking to graduate students at all costs. Having personalised curriculum takes into account an individual’s skills level, interests, strengths, weaknesses and previous knowledge. Teachers also get involved in learning themselves, while students equally design their curriculum. They work together to enhance learning, driving multiple strategies to achieve real education.
In order to make this work, teachers involved should be equipped with the tools to provide personalised instruction and when relating to students who have the same tools, they would can both experience a much broader and enriched learning process.
We need to realise that the cookie cutter approach can no longer be used to get our students future ready. The old assembly line setup for education is obsolete; it worked earlier because it was tied to the Industrial Revolution. We are past that stage now, so why do we still use that configuration when it no longer works for the current demands that exist? That education model was designed for the Industrial Revolution skills demand situation. Things have rapidly evolved and our way of learning should also do the same.
Technology has provide countless opportunities for learning for people of various ages all around the world and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been highly instrumental in driving this revolution. What we need is more adoption of these tools to allow individuals to learn new skills and brush up on old knowledge, anytime, anywhere.
Today’s students want an education that meets their individual needs, and opportunities that connect them to what is happening around the globe. They challenge us to be innovative and to make learning environments more exciting, stimulating and rewarding.
Students inhabit a borderless world offering limitless connection, data and mobility. They can choose to access knowledge and participate in dialogue on a global scale. They need education delivered in ways that are compatible with and support their world-view and their bond with communications technology.
It is key to utilise technology in ways that are meaningful, not only for interests’ sake, but also in terms of personal development and thinking skills.
Technology is radically circumventing old ideas about how students learn and how teaching is done. It is being done in a highly constructive and productive way, allowing students to give better feedback, whilst teachers are able to deliver better content.
Help us with our mission to bring about change for our students. Please contact me to see what we can do to bring about the desired transformation that we all desire for our children to be future ready!!!
Adetola Salau; Educator / Speaker / Author/ Social Entrepreneur / Innovator
She is an Advocate of STEM Education and is Passionate about Education reform. She is an innovative thinker and strives for our society & continent as a whole to reclaim it’s greatness. She runs an educational foundation with the mission to transform education.
E-mail-:Carismalife4U@gmail.com
facebook-: Carisma4u
twitter-: @Carisma4u
Website-: www.carisma4u.com
