The way children are learning today is changing drastically faster than ever. Today, children across the world have various modes of learning at their fingertips. For example, a ninth grade student in Philadelphia learns the concepts of probability by watching videos, browsing through some websites and forums to solve real problems in an applicative way, and then attends personalized one on one classes from a top mathematics teacher in India to clear all the learning gaps and to challenge himself on high end problems and higher grade mathematics. The curriculum at school in Philadelphia offers him flexible self-learning options to learn at his own pace, which is different delivery from class to class.
Rarely there was anything good that came out of the Covid pandemic period, but the one thing that the pandemic has really forced us all is to think about K-12 education in a very different way using as many remote technology assisted methods as possible. This led to a proliferation of online classes, pre-recorded video based learning, podcasts, and more. The future will change more and more with the immersion of artificial intelligence and machine learning in customizing education to a significant level for each student.
While many predicted that online classes for students are not going to continue post-pandemic, it is certain that online learning is here to stay. This is primarily because the students and parents have realized the brilliant advantage of online learning during the pandemic period. Some of the unique advantages of online learning over offline learning are:
- Personalization: No two students taking online classes are taught in the same way. Each student is different and are catered to by the online learning system differently. While the end goals of learning are the same for all students, the path taken is different. For example, at a premiere online learning institute for kids, some students of the same grade are taught coding involving more of front-end and visual thinking and some students are taught coding involving more of mathematics and some are taught involving more of problem-solving with what they see around them. Personalized learning is a major advantage to taking online classes from tutors around the world.
- Reduced Costs: Often when you’re learning online, you’re reducing heavy expenses in both time and money in terms of reducing transportation, getting ready to go out, managing your hunger needs, and other logistics. Students can sit in front of the computer at home in comfortable clothing and concentrate to learn the concepts at an individual pace in a tailor-made learning environment with an expert.
- Access to the best: Online classes help students and parents to access the best teachers and experts in that particular field or domain. For example, a student learning probability and statistics can learn online from a statistics expert in India who can teach not only the formulas but the derivations and the real practical need and applications for probability distributions, how integration is used in probability, sampling and estimations. This will enhance the student’s understanding of concepts like no other – both in terms of knowledge and applicability.
Personalized learning is not only limited to the class timings. Often, the tutor will also help build customized material, outside the tutoring hours, for the student based on what particular topic the student is finding it difficult to understand. For example, if a student is finding it difficult to understand the formula of calculating variance without using the sample mean in the formula, then the tutor will spend extra time to specifically derive the formula and help the child understand in a unique and customized way for that particular student.
Personalization has been the most effective formula of success for online learning platforms. Many of the top online institutes for K-12 education have grown really fast and have succeeded in imparting effective education and learning practices to children across the globe. Personalization for each child through specifically chosen tutors has been the major point of differentiation for these institutes. However, with that comes a con to manage the finances of the company as customization does come at a higher cost to both parents and the institute as the cost of teachers is high. However, the results of students taking online classes have proven that the cost is worth its weight in gold. Studies have found that students become more confident as they comprehend a wide range of subjects through online classes. Personalization has been a major winner across the range of learning areas, not only in STEM but also in learning areas like chess, music, and more.
Join your children in the new movement of personalized online learning, and help their future better than ever. Hope this is useful, thank you.
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