Imagine a classroom where students don’t have to learn the same way. Normally, schools teach everyone using the same methods (like a conveyor belt moving everyone at the same speed), no matter how they like to learn. But with Personalized and Adaptive Learning (PAL), it’s like having a skilled guide who adjusts the path for each student.
Just like an experienced hiker would choose a challenging trail and a beginner would learn the lay of the land first, similarly PAL adapts to the unique levels of learning, styles & speed.
Built, taking into account human psychology!
It is all about letting learning flow in the pace, style and preferences that come naturally to a learner.
For example, learner ‘A’ likes to go through content thoroughly before she attempts a practice module while studying a particular topic, while learner ‘B’ likes to attempt practice and while at it, fix her gaps if any, on the go at every question she gets wrong. Hence, students are able to learn in their unique learning style, at their own pace.
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Interestingly, while all this is happening,
Students are being intuitively taken to any topics they have gaps in, hence adapting to learning levels. Psychology also kicks in once we add rewards and gratification.
Let’s learn about this a little more.
You are given a chapter to study, versus, you’re given a module for that chapter which you curiously attempt to understand where you are. Once the scores are out, you’re given a challenge to learn exactly where your gaps lie.
Now this is when things get interesting.
You are shown that you have to pass 4 levels to take a final test and once you clear one level, you unlock the next one. You would now be glued into it, now more than you realize. And before you know it, in the challenge and gratification of the whole process of attempting questions at each level and viewing videos or other content on exactly where your gap in understanding lies, you will be an expert at that chapter, and finally achieve a badge of success, giving ultimate gratification to learners (this is also seen in the famous Marshmallow experiment that started in the 1970’s around the widely proven theory of extended gratification).
And we all know, success breeds success. This is exactly what we observed when we did a dipstick of the students who are using iPrep PAL under the e-Adhigam Programme of the Department of Education, Haryana. Over 1.5L students improved by a whopping 44% points.
The learning path offered by PAL helps students develop understanding of what they are good at and what challenges they have in a particular topic, chapter or subject. Therefore,
With Personalized Adaptive Learning, education is taking a swift shift from a one-size-fits-all approach into a one-size-does-not-fits-all to meet the unique learning psychology of learners.
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PAL with Tech or Without Tech
“PAL can be integrated without technology, but also with Education Technology and the power of EdTech lies in its ability to personalize learning for individual students”, said Asiya Kazmi, the Global Education Policy Lead at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The ongoing technological evolution has started to facilitate personalized learning and create meaningful impact through PAL Solutions.
Witness the impact of the PAL Solution developed in alignment with psychology of learners
iPrep PAL is a structured PAL Application developed to assess the current learning levels of students and guide them toward achieving proficiency at their grade level.
Currently, it is used by over 150,000 students in 11th and 12th grades for four subjects – Geography, Business, Economics, and Accountancy – across various schools in Haryana. This implementation is part of the PAL initiative under the e-Adhigam program by the Department of Education Haryana.
With successful integration, the iPrep PAL is exhibiting positive outcomes. Students are gaining a clearer understanding of foundational topics and chapters based on their individual learning levels. Usage data from PAL in Grades 11th and 12th reveals progressive outcomes. Students in Business, Economics, and Geography subjects have shown an average improvement of 44% as they progress from foundational learning to achieving proficiency at the grade level.
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How PAL Adapts to the Psychology of Learners to Influence Positive Behaviours and Habits?
By Enabling Individualized Learning Paths
Each student accesses PAL App with a unique login ID, enabling them to pursue learning for any subject of their interest based on their current grade. This marks the commencement of their personalized learning journey, which begins with a diagnostic test. It is designed to assess their level of understanding corresponding to their grade. The PAL (Personalized Adaptive Learning) App analyzes responses according to the four principles of Bloom’s Taxonomy and then suggests learning from foundational content of different grades.
The PAL app deciphers the psychology of learners by engaging them in a dynamic learning process. Students learning through PAL swing back and forth between lessons and assessments until they attain mastery of each chapter & topic, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of all concepts.
By Providing Personalized Content Suggestions
On the PAL solution, every student gets different recommendations of remedial video lessons based on their learning level and responses at different stages. This personalized approach ensures that they grasp all the essential concepts required to establish a strong foundation for each chapter. Moreover, these recommendations extend beyond the curriculum. PAL (Personalized Adaptive Learning) solution is seamlessly synchronized with DIKSHA’s (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing) content. This integration is to help students develop in-depth critical understanding through a diverse range of content.
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By Offering Adaptive Assessments
PAL Solutions are developed with the understanding of learning psychology of learners which suggests that students require a sequential learning path for continuous learning. Therefore, on iPrep PAL solution by iDream Education, every PAL test is crafted to keep learners engaged with content of different levels of difficulty. If a student gives 3 wrong answers consecutively, the app adjusts their level down and suggests relevant video lessons. On the other hand, if the student gives three consecutive correct answers, it results in a level-up.
Not just this, iPrep PAL recognizes that students often seek minor hints for guidance. Thus, incorporates hints during assessments to assist those who may be stuck, fostering a positive learning outlook and habits.
By Keeping a track of learning interest and progress
PAL solutions are built considering psychology of learners that suggest that students are inclined towards learning based on their subject preferences. This comes from their comprehension levels across chapters, and topics.
Consequently, the reporting dashboard of iPrep PAL monitors and shows the time spent on different subjects, evaluates assessment scores in various attempts and also shows mastery achieved on each learning level. This is designed and developed to provide positive reinforcement and encouragement for continuous improvement.
By Enabling Positive Learning Environment and Habits
When students recognize their learning gaps, their primary concern often revolves around the fear of judgment or comparison with other students in class. PAL Solutions such as iPrep PAL envisioned this and developed considering psychology of learners. The PAL solution by iDream Education focuses on eliminating fear of judgement or comparison by providing a supportive environment to learn at your own pace.
One of the examples of this is the functionality of iPrep PAL which enables students to engage in assessments without hesitation and repeat them as needed. It creates a positive learning environment and habits by monitoring usage and learning in progress of individual students, eliminating comparisons.
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To Conclude,
The Personalized Adaptive Learning (PAL) solution is built on the psychology of learners based on their involvement in learning. By tailoring the learning journey to individual needs and addressing the learning gap, iPrep PAL emerges as a ray of hope for those in the social sector dedicated to fostering accessible and impactful education initiatives.
As we move forward in the pursuit of an inclusive and equitable educational landscape, iPrep PAL stands as an exemplary innovation of EdTech in creating positive and meaningful impacts on the lives of students, ensuring that no learner is left behind.
(India CSR)
