Personalized Learning
Question
Paper will be focused on relating how personalized learning is bridging the educational equality gap. Please make sure all sources are within last 5 years.
Research Paper Assignment Instructions
The Research Paper for this course will be based on
the topic you chose in the beginning of the course concerning teaching and
learning. Your paper must be 15–20 pages and written in formal current APA
style (refer to the current APA Stye Guide)
The minimum number of resources for the paper is 10. All resources must be from scholarly or
peer-reviewed journals (usually found from databases such as ERIC, EBSCO Host,
or Info Trac). Resources must be diverse in nature, including articles from
scholarly journals, books, and professional websites. The research aspect must
be your diligent work in ascertaining current, scholarly resources to support
your writing about the topic/issue. At least ten of your resources must be 5
years old or newer. If you use older
resoures (particularly in the Historical Summary section), be sure that at
least 10 in the overall paper are 5 years old or newer. You should not conduct
original research for this assignment.
The required parts to include are as follows:
I. Introduction
II. Historical Summary (How did the issue develop
and how has it been viewed in the past?)
III. Current Issue described in the present culture of
education
IV. Strategies that are in place to address the issue
V. Biblical integration (What does Scripture say about
the issue?)
VI. Conclusion
Sections I–IV are to be written using 3rd person and
expository form. They must present fact and research supported by scholarly
literature.
Section V must be supported by Scripture.
Be sure to view the grading rubric to ensure that you
know all criteria and expectations for how your paper will be assessed.


Solution
I. Introduction
States worldwide have adopted
innumerable initiatives in bridging the education gaps that exist in
populations. The United Nations has also taken up the initiative to bridge the
gap between female and male scholars in marginalized populations. In the past
few decades, the MDGs committee put various initiatives in different states to
bridge the gap. One of the elected strategies in minimizing the gap is the
adoption of personalized learning. The concept dated back to 1970. Various
scholars have attempted to define the concept. However, there is no widely
accepted definition. The lack of a globally agreed definition can be attributed
to the fast evolution of the term since its inception in 1970 (Walkington and
Bernacki, 2020). Recent scholars have defined personalized learning as
tutor-led coaching in which the tutors customize learning to fit their personal
needs. The learning methodology has been adopted worldwide to elevate
education.
In
past years, the use of a strong and personalized methodology to education has
prevailed. The methodology was first adopted in America and expanded to other
parts of the world. The methodology was designed based on continuous
progression in academic excellence. Scholars' review on the personalized
learning in the past decade has been highly positive as the method is
individualized to meet the diverse needs of the various students in a diverse
classroom. The methodology also reinforces the learners and tutors’ bond, which
is a huge contributor to academic excellence; it involves continuous
involvement of the learners and tutors and their guardians, who are also
adopted into the learning system as copartners (Pane et al., 2017).
The
personalized learning approach was formed as a replacement for the
traditionally adopted team instructional strategy. The newly adopted
methodology aimed to create added time and additional provision of guidance
where necessary. The model further dictated the careful evaluation of the work
provided by the students to ensure that the method was indeed helping with
their weaknesses. However, since its inception, the new learning strategy has
faced lots of criticism from numerous critics. Whether adopting the new
strategy will transform learning and incorporate digital trends driven by giant
corporations such as Amazon has been an issue for most critics. Additionally, critics
have argued that the methodology aims to replace tutors and create huge bulks
of work for the new generation (Roberts-Mahoney et al., 2016).
As outlined by Roberts-Mahoney et al.
(2016), personalized learning entails using software that matches learners'
abilities. It can also entail using artificial intelligence and machine
learning technologies to understand and group the learner's capabilities.
However, the concept has been adopted and understood contrarily in different
places. In some learning institutions, personalized learning has been
implemented to provide more choice for the students to choose and dictate their
study; however, the systems are adopted to develop the learners, emotionally
and physically. However, despite the varying adoption in the systems and the
different intentions, the independent curriculums and policy adopt the
methodology to bridge the education equality gap. Therefore, this paper focuses
on relating how personalized learning is bridging the educational equality gap.
II. Historical Summary (How did the issue
develop, and how has it been viewed in the past?)
In recent years, the term
personalized learning has been referred to constantly. Many scholars attempt to
define the term. However, there is no universally agreed definition as the
concept has been adopted diversely in so many places globally. Despite the
belief that the methodology emerged in the 20th century,
personalized learning has been dated back to Rousseau. More records of the term
have been dated in the reign of Aristotle tutored by Alexander. It believed the
methodology rose to popularity in the 20th century, characterized by
various education theorists such as "Maria Montessori." The
methodology gained population in an era characterized by different scholars,
theorists, and psychologists who were becoming more popular at the time (Zhang
et al., 2020).
Personalized learning continues to
gain popularity, especially as new technologies are being invented each day.
Tech giants are heavily investing in the methodology, raising lots of heat for
education scholars. The heavy investment in the methodology has raised many
questions to the general public on whether the tech giants aim to replace
educationists as the original pioneers. To understand the future of the
methodology, scholars ought to fully understand the history and origin of the
methodology. Personalization was first discussed in early 1860; however, the
term's meaning has continually evolved with time. In the present day, the term
personalization is taken to mean individualization or the process of
individualizing something (McCarthy et al., 2020). The term first appeared in
scholarly work in early 1746; in the present day, personalization has become
the new norm, with the norm being sworn by in the western culture (McCarthy et
al., 2020).
Personalized learning combines both
individualization ideology and technology, which both expanded in the 20th
century. The two ideologies have also been combined with capitalism to draw
much deeper meaning. Dan Buckley is the first scholar to define personalized
learning in a way acceptable in the 21st century. The method was
invented as a mode to bridge the gap between the various generations. Scholars
were tasked with inventing a methodology that would allow tutors to
individualize tutoring for all learners in a diverse environment. It aimed to
tutor students with similar ages and demographics but characterized by
different learning outcomes. Before introducing the phrase "personalized
learning," scholars used different terms to refer to similar practices,
such as the "Pueblo plan." The plan involved learners being permitted
to sit for different tasks in the education system instead of the traditional
class (Pardo et al., 2018). The concept has since been referred to as the first
instance of personalized learning.
Secondly, the "San Fransisco
Normal School" methodology allowed students to move forward in a
particular subject individually based on their memorization ability. This
method allowed the learners to move a level up in one subject as they stayed
back in another. For instance, a learner could be in first-grade language and
fifth-grade mathematics. The methodology allowed the issuing of documentation
that allowed students to practice the completed grade or subjects. More and
more fascinating methodologies were invented, such as "EHA/IDEA, The
Keller plan, John Dewey methodologies, " and others (Pardo et al., 2018).
In 2005, Buckley devised the term personalized learning, outlining two
distinctive branches: "personalization for the learners and
personalization by the teacher." (Pardo et al., 2018) Since then, a couple
of improvements have been made to the methodology, such as introducing
improving an individual's students learning outcomes. The methodology involves
daily assessments to gauge where the students stand in terms of academic
outcomes. The day's results are then utilized to formulate the following day's
tasks. The school of one is highly adopted in new york city and counts as one
of the proper applications of technology in the application of personalized
learning in the current decade (Bulger, 2016).
Personalized learning has become a
huge part of the education culture, especially in the west. Different aspects
of the methodology are integrated into the school's curriculum every day. Most
schools are adopting the idea of a single student individualized study every
day as the schools continue to raise money to realize the dream. To achieve the
dream, different influencers have risen to the occasion. Politicians and
policymakers have joined hands with the government encouraging the adoption of
personalized learning in schools (McCarthy et al., 2020). Policies are being
devised to wheel the adoption of technology in the classrooms.
As shown by the history literature
review, personalized learning is no new and will continue to transform
education for learners, bridging education equity. The methodology has provided
a way for education news to make education more individualized. Students can
now personalize their education paths, and teachers can personalize the
learning course for the various learners (Bingham et al., 2018).
Prevalent covid-19 pandemic has
played a huge role in the assimilation of personalized learning into the curriculum.
Covid-19 led to the closure of face-to-face studies globally, and schools were
forced to adapt to online learning, which hugely promotes personalized learning
as tutors dictate the course of study for individual students over digital
media. In most of the online curriculums adopted, the tutors outline the course
of the study as the learners closely follow through the classes at their pace.
Further, the tutors offer directions to the learners as they closely follow
their improvements with additional activities in the curriculum, such as random
and continuous tests. Additionally, tutors provide additional team learning to
provide additional data (McCarthy et al., 2020).
III. Current Issue described in the present
culture of education
Often, the issues facing education
systems are underrated and uncovered in the news. In most cases, TV channels
prioritize politics while paying little attention to the vital issues in
education. Such reporting brings about mixed feelings to different scholars as
to the value of learning in the state.
Education culture can be defined as the backbone of education. This can
include curriculums and policies that guide learning in a state. Different
states adopt different educational cultures. Some include the answering of questions
or sitting for written tests, among others. The various tutoring practices are
further conveyed by setting the acceptable student's behavior, which varies
from state to state. Some of this behavior includes having acceptable school
attending time minimum for all students, wearing school uniforms for all
students, among others (Hashim, 2018).
The various set education cultures wheel education in the state and
promote tutors and learners relationships.
Numerous issues affect the education
culture worldwide. The diversity of education cultures adopt in the different
parts of the world is an example of an issue that international students have
to phase every day. Immigrant students are originating from a different
community in which a distinctive educational culture has been adopted and have
a distinctive setup idea of how learning is conducted from their individualized
ideas of learning, and the various socialization strategies often encounter a
disruption in their educational culture. Different cultures are also adopted in
different education levels or countries; for example, there is a different
culture adoption in middle school instead of a campus for a higher education
learning facility. A student going from
one level to the other must adapt to the new institution's culture. Such
understandings of education at different levels are the wide interpretation of
education cultures as diverse populations adopt distinctive cultures (Hashim,
2018).
Education culture can be defined as
the widely acceptable education system and entails the tutoring methodologies
adopted and norms acceptable. Huge emphasis has been made on different
methodologies such as the personalized learning in the different states to
maximize student learning and bridge the gap in education equality. Adopting
the right education culture enhances the students' learning outcomes, adding to
the student's language abilities and enhancing rote studying as outlined by
Hashim (2018). However, as outlined by (Bingham et al., 2018), most states are
still far from achieving this goal. The education culture adopted currently is
faced with numerous challenges such as the physical and mental well-being of
the students, among others.
The most prevalent obstacle scholars have
found has been the adoption of technology in schools. Introducing technology in
school has been an issue of debate since the invention of the internet in the
20th century. (Bingham et al., 2018) Argues that the millennial
generations have already been exposed to the internet and are constantly
exposed to digital media every day, and he should be reason enough for adopting
technology in education systems worldwide. Proponents of technological
adoptions in school argue that tablets have already been widely integrated into
the students' lives and should be included in the classroom. According to
Hashim (2018), lack of technological incorporation in learning would deny the
students a huge part of their lives which should not be the case. However,
critics of the adoption argue that not all students are technologically
oriented. However, these arguments mixed reactions to the proponents who argue
that it is a more reason to adopt technology in schools.
Technology has become a crucial part
of every individual's life. Ensuring the training of a competent future
generation requires adopting technology in all aspects of a student's life,
from learning to taking tests. According to Hashim (2018), technology should be
deeply sworn on the fabric of the education culture. However, such innovations
and progress would lay havoc in the students' lives as technology also brings
about huge challenges and threats in an individual's life. Critics of the
adoption of technology outline the various challenges technology would
introduce to the student's lives, such as the amounts required for adoption in
classrooms, the disruptions the gadgets would bring to the education culture,
and misalignment with the existing culture others.
Problems of implementing technology in learning
High implementation cost
Implementation of computers into the
curriculum is a huge financial investment. Even though technological
advancements led to the adoption of new gadgets after a short while for most
users, implementing the same in schools would be rather expensive for the
learners. The full incorporation of technology into the school curriculum is a
financially draining activity, as purchasing the necessary hardware would be
only a step in digital learning. Incorporating technology would further require
continuous assessment and guidance for teachers and students alike.
Additionally, such a change in curriculum requires tutors' training and the
design of the curriculum, which would be expensive (Hashim, 2018).
Disruption in the learning culture
As outlined by Hashim (2018),
technological advancements can create difficulties in everyday activities. The
introduction of technology and digital media in learning will introduce
unnecessary complexity in the learning culture. Digitalization has resulted in
the complication of all aspects of the community's lives, from communication to
socialization, among other aspects. Hashim (2018) outlined that introducing
technology will lead to the destruction of the current education culture in
every way, from learners' socialization to teacher-student relations, among
other important aspects of the learning process. Critics of digitalized
learning state that E-learning will deem the learners with the necessary social
skills and exposure important to earn social skills. Additionally, the lack of
one-on-one classes is a major issue as it can lead to the students taking the
studies for a joke.
Lack of efficiency
Computers are often reported as
difficult to use and navigate for first-time users. There is also a lack of
outlined measures to measure the effectiveness of computers, and hence it would
be difficult to gauge whether a certain technology is effective or not in its
intended purpose. The difficulty in gauging effectiveness adds to the issues
affecting the adoption of technology in the education culture in education
systems globally (Hashim, 2018).
Misalignment between education systems and technology
Information from the internet could
result in cheating and lead to education losing its value. There have been
numerous debates around adopting standard calculators worldwide, which does not
offer additional data to the students, hence promoting cheating. The issue of
the amount of technology that is accepted in the curriculum has been bothering
many school heads worldwide. For example, the acceptable calculators in the
curriculum are still a major concern for most school heads as digital
calculators that solve the problems are considered cheating (Hashim, 2018). Such
views are similar to the assimilation of computers in the classrooms, as most
of the apps offer fully accessible answers to the students, which should not be
the case
Corrupts the meaning of education
As outlined in a New York Times
magazine survey, the adoption of technology would lead to the corruption of the
meaning of school. The survey refers to a school in the Kyrene district in New York,
which is reported to have spent more than $34 million in the adoption of
technology (Hashim, 2018). Learners use laptops and tablets in their assignments
and use social media apps such as WhatsApp for group discussions. According to
the survey, students performed poorly on the state's standardized tests
compared to their counterparts who attended traditional classes. This has drawn
the attention of the stakeholders and the teachers who observed that the
students still miss out on the relevant basic concepts even though the adopted
technology boosts creativity. Proponents claim that standardized tests must
have lost their value and cannot be adapted to the evaluation of new
technologies.
IV.
Strategies that are in place to address the issue
Various strategies are in place to
address the difficulties and integrating digital media into the classroom. To
address the mismatch between the students' traditional learning systems and the
digital classroom, school systems accept the fact that the traditional classes
suit the needs of the millennial generation. Therefore, the curriculums that
are being adopted are shifting the focus from memorization learning to a more
individualized approach that will cater to the student's individual needs. The
newly adopted approaches are more advantageous as they are interactive and
promote a friendly atmosphere that promotes the teachers' formation of students’
bonds (Hashim, 2018).
States are adopting this methodology,
which is geared toward classroom digitalization. This enables the teachers to
personalize students learning outcomes. The adoption of technology has led to
transformation of the "one size fits all" curriculum in teaching. The
system approach has led to adopting a system that caters to all learners'
interests and capabilities. As shown in a research study conducted by Hashim
(2018), the utilization of technology has increased the student's scores by 25%
in schools where the system has been carefully adopted (Hashim, 2018). The
tutors use social media platforms such as WhatsApp and videos to issue
instructions to the students.
Since its inception, huge progress
has been seen, which can be attributed to the fact that the students can use
exciting and interactive platforms to form video assignments, among options.
Tutors have also taken advantage of animations, where students are required to
design animated videos to gauge their understanding of topics. Additionally,
students can provide feedback to their tutors using technologically mediated
sites such as school websites to offer feedback and gain additional information
from their tutors.
The invention of online grading systems
Schools are adopting online grading
systems to ensure the slow but steady implementation of technology in
education. The adoption of technology-mediated software such as PowerSchool is
continually streamlining the communication systems in the schools. Such systems
continuously engage the teachers and the stakeholders in the learning systems as
this allows the tutors to upload students' scores, record the students'
attendance, and generate the students' results, which are easily accessed by
the parents and the stakeholders (Xie et al., 2019).
Adoption of online homework assignment platforms
The invention of homework platforms
such as Blackboard has slowly allowed school systems to integrate technology
into the learning systems. Blackboard has made it easy for the students to
access their homework easily and upload work online, making the traditional
classes livelier and more responsive. It has also ordered and streamlined class
operations (Xie et al., 2019).
Learners’ tablets and laptops
To enhance tech adoption, schools have
adopted the use of tablets and laptops in classes. This practice has helped the
slow but steady digitalization of classrooms. In addition, the use of tablets
allows learners to gain more insights from their tutors and enhance
interactiveness, resulting in blended, personalized learning (Xie et al.,
2019).
Listserv
To curb the issues imposed by the
current issues in the education culture, numerous schools have adopted a
listserv, allowing parents/guardians to receive emails from the schools.
Information shared can include the student's academic performances and
newsletters, among others.
Technologic adoption in classrooms
has encountered lots of criticism; however, the adoption of digital media in
learning through numerous initiatives has proven effective over time. The
adoption of personalized learning has proven that the adoption of technology
has huge benefits to the learners. Regardless the handles technologic use
introduces to the students lives are immense and cannot be assumed. Xie et al.
(2019) argue that if the proper technology is adopted with different follow-up
measures to monitor its use, it can be efficient, with the advantages outweighing
the disadvantages. Some of the pros of utilizing technology in the classroom
include;
Engaging learners
For proper learning in any institution, the learners
must always be engaged. Since technology and digital media are interactive,
technology is a good tool to keep the students occupied (Bingham et al., 2018).
Enables retention
Technology advances have led to
various learning modes, such as animated videos that help students recall
information. Additionally, technology has led to the adoption of education
cultures and methodologies, such as the personalized learning, which allows
tutors to structure individualized learning plans to cater to the diverse
student's needs. Personalized learning creates room for learners to study at
their own pace. Adopting technology has led to the diversification of the
education culture where new cultures are continuously being adopted tailored to
fit individual needs instead of the one size fits all approach (Xie et al.,
2019).
Equip students with necessary life skills
All aspects of community life have
been reformed, including socializing and meeting new people in the professional
world. For example, in any given office, it is common to see employees use one
of the Microsoft office tools such as Word or Excel spreadsheets. In addition,
there are huge adoptions of personalized web pages in more advanced workplaces
to streamline communication through sending and receiving emails, among other
communication in the workplace. Allowing students to interact with digital media
at a young age will equip them with the necessary skills relevant for
after-school life.
V. Biblical integration (What does
Scripture say about the issue?)
Personalized learning is understood
in contrast to single-student classes. Looking at the approach from a biblical
lens, all individuals are equal in the eyes of the Lord. As outlined in the
biblical scriptures in Timothy's book, God aims to bring to light all persons
and gain more insights into the truth. Every human being is also created uniquely
in the image of God. The uniqueness is evident in people's physical
appearances. However, these are not the only distinctive features in people.
Acknowledging the difference in people as outlined by the scriptures allows
scholars to form personalized experiences that suit the uniqueness of all
learners in the class as all students are prepared for different vocations
independently, even though the vocations are not clear at the moment (Bull,
2016).
As tutors conduct personalized
learning, they gain more insights into the uniqueness of every learner's
strengths. It is easy to interact with one student than a group of students
collectively. A harsh word can be interpreted otherwise by different scholars.
This is similar to Christ's teachings, where numerous listeners received the
gospel but interpreted it differently. In his gospel, Jesus also spoke to
listeners independently and taught unique lessons to his followers. This is
evident from the numerous encounters with different persons such as the bleeding
woman, Lazarus, and Zacchaeus. In each of these encounters, Jesus gave
different teachings to his followers. This is similar to classroom lessons.
Adoption of a one-size-fits-all approach may not be practical for diverse
learners (Bull, 2016).
In Christ's teachings, He also
applied team teachings in cases where He gave universal teachings to His
followers. For example, Christ's message in the Sermon on the Mount was not
personalized or dictated to a certain population. Another instance includes the
teaching of the Lord's prayer, where Christ taught Christians how to pray.
Scholars can draw the message that not all teachings are personalized or should
be personalized (Bull, 2016). The Bible illustrates this fact clearly through
various examples, such as the commandments. There is no set of personalized
commandments for an individual. The is also one Bible that is universal for all
believers. This illustrates a moment for everything as outlined in
Ecclesiastes, as Christ's teachings show that there is time for personalization
and team learning. Therefore, Christian educators should consider when to apply
team teachings, and personalized learning effectively bridges the education
equality gap.
Keeping these examples in mind,
personalized learning is well integrated into biblical teachings. Students in
the 21st century are more diverse as compared to the past times.
Adoption of a single learning method may not suit the needs of the individual
students available. Individualized learning follows the teachings of Christ and
also biblical scriptures in outlining that the diverse population has different
needs (Bull, 2016). Theological scholars recognize the Bible as being versed in
equipping human beings with sufficient skills for living a fully functional and
satisfying life. It does not forego the issues of education and its
significance in Christian life. As stated in the Scripture, God is all-knowing
and has well-outlined laws that govern the way all things are done globally.
The Bible is also educational as it provides Christians with insights into
living a satisfying life. The scriptures further acknowledge wise men such as
Solomon; Solomon’s story wisdom is God-given and comes from above.
VI. Conclusion
The invention of technology and the
digitalization of the education system has led to the innovation of new
learning methodologies where education is tailored to suit the individual
student's needs. This new methodology has gained popularity among tech giants
such as Amazon and Netflix. Despite the criticism the approach has faced as
critics say the methodology aims to replace teachers in the classrooms, the
worldwide adoption of personalized learning will transform the education
system, bridging the gap between education equality globally.
As outlined above, the methodology fits
with biblical scriptures and follows Christ's teachings examples. However, the
adoption of this methodology has proven to be expensive for the adopters as
numerous training is required for the tutors to switch from the traditional
education systems to the new system. Therefore, slow but steady adoption of the
new system is recommended to benefit the new culture fully. Schools that
haphazardly adopted the system have clearly outlined the cons of their actions,
and hence proper measures should be put in place.
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