“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.”
PERSONALIZED LEARNING, BACKED BY THE GREATS
The term 'personalized learning' is becoming well known, and now with names like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates behind the concept, it is gaining even more attention. The personalized learning approach tailors instruction and assessment according to each student’s unique needs, skills and strengths. The results of a Gates Foundation study on this method found significant increases in math and reading using personalized learning. This approach is becoming widely accepted as the ideal for all students, and I would argue, it is not only ideal but vital for students with learning differences, such as dyslexia.
HOW PERSONALIZED LEARNING WORKS FOR DYSLEXICS
In today's traditional elementary school, the road to achieving academic success is linear and sequential, timed teaching practiced through drill and repetition. Conversely, dyslexic learners are generally holistic thinkers who, although they are capable of memorization, will do so much more efficiently with conceptual and foundational knowledge first. With personalized learning, dyslexics would be able to take a different route to learning. In turn, they would rightly be judged on their acquired knowledge versus the particular road that got them to their scholarship. The issue with dyslexic students, who are said to comprise 20% of school-aged children, is not ability or intelligence, but instead permission and opportunity to acquire knowledge in the way they learn best.
HOW PERSONALIZED LEARNING ADDRESSES STUDENT NEEDS
In addition to focusing on learning styles and strengths, personalized learning also aims to evaluate and address a student's needs. Because students with dyslexia often attempt to compensate for their deficits, and because of their observable intelligence (as witnessed through things such as verbal acuity), parents and teachers frequently miss the early warning signs of dyslexia or blame the child's academic struggles on laziness. This is why dyslexia is commonly called, the "hidden disability," and it is also why late identification of dyslexia is so prevalent.
The prevalence of delayed identification is especially problematic because of the damage it can do to a young child's self-esteem. Without an explanation for their difficulty in school, children are left feeling shameful and hopeless. This problem cannot be overstated and can have lifelong consequences. Assessments are a critical component of the personalized learning approach, and similarly, universal screening is a crucial goal for those who understand the profound ramifications of late identification of dyslexia. Inevitable assessments in the early elementary years would help alleviate the academic struggle and personal pain caused by late identification and intervention of dyslexia.
PERSONALIZED LEARNING AND KEEP KLIMBING
Personalized learning is not yet pervasive in today's schools, but the concept of a nationwide education system based on this approach is promising. The personalized learning approach resonates deeply with me because, combining early assessment + research-backed reading intervention + a customized learning approach, is the foundation on which we are building our reading program, Keep KLIMBing. Keep KLIMBing is currently developing partnerships with schools in the Bay Area to offer our program on an after-school and summer basis. We will assess participating children using various measures, depending on their age and needs. Through evaluations such as, The Slingerland Assessment and Dibels, we will delineate language processing difficulties, specific learning styles as well as strengths and weaknesses. With the results of these assessments and, with the help of our team of expert educational therapists and reading specialists, we will provide affordable tutelage to students in need. With this reading program, we aim to execute on our mission to educate, inspire and empower young students struggling with early literacy.
Keep KLIMBing's model and curriculum is based on the Orton Gillingham method of structured, explicit, systematic and multi sensory instruction and founded on the tenants of 'personalized learning'. To inquire about a partnership with your school or for more information, click on the button below.
KLIMB is a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation
References:
Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg Think This 1 Teaching Method Will Shake Up Education (And Why You Should Care). Sophie Jarvis/Oct 3, 2017. https://flipboard.com/@flipboard/-bill-gates-and-mark-zuckerberg-think-th/f-a73e6b7fd5%2Finc.com