Personalized Learning vs Traditional Learning: Which is Better?

Personalized learning vs traditional learning is one of the hottest ongoing debates in the education community. With the recent achievements in internet and computer technology, new and better ways of education are now easily available. 

By traditional learning we mean the classic style of classroom instruction that has been going on for centuries. Lately, this method has been challenged by several scenarios, like the COVID outbreak and the advancement in high-end technologies like AI. The result is a new form of learning, backed by technology. We call it personalized learning. 

In the present times, personalized learning is challenging the hegemony of traditional learning. In fact, according to a report by IndustryARC, the personalized learning market will be worth over $2 billion by 2024. Therefore, the billion-dollar question is, “Is personalized education the better option?” 

In this post, we will cover the personalized learning vs traditional learning topic in detail. Before doing that though, we will understand the definition, advantages, and disadvantages of the two forms of learning. So, let’s begin!

Traditional Learning: The Classic Way of Learning 

Definition of Traditional Learning 

The traditional learning approach is a teacher-centric approach where the teacher or educator presents the same information to the entire class or batch. 

Traditional learning has been the go-to mode of delivering education for centuries and is only recently challenged by the rise of the internet and other modern technologies like artificial intelligence. 

Students following this form of learning are expected to follow the flow and complete assignments associated with the same. 

Advantages of the Traditional Learning Approach 

From making it easier for teachers and educators to provide the same information to a vast number of students to be efficient in teaching certain subjects, there are several benefits of traditional learning. Let’s know each, one at a time:

1. Teach Everyone Everywhere All at Once

Customary education allows teachers (or educators) to present the same information to an entire class (or batch). It is an efficient way of delivering instructions for large classes. 

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2. Facilitates Instant Feedback 

Conventional education lets teachers give immediate feedback to students. This can help students learn concepts better and benefit those students who require some extra clarification or explanation on a particular topic.

3. High Efficiency for Certain Subjects

The traditional approach to learning can be more efficient for specific subjects like mathematics and science, where students require a sound understanding of foundational concepts before advancing to complex topics. 

4. Opportunity to Build Social and Interpersonal Relations

One of the biggest advantages that the conventional form of education brings to the table is the chance to develop and maintain interpersonal and social relations. 

Students get the opportunity to interact face-to-face with their fellow students, making the whole experience great for developing interpersonal relations. Moreover, working together for extra-curricular activities is what allows students, especially younger ones, to form stronger bonds. 

Challenges of Traditional Learning

1. No Consideration for Individual Learning Needs

Every student is different in terms of learning ability, existing skills, and learning pace. The biggest shortcoming of traditional learning is that, by design, it can’t cater to students individually. 

A consequence of this approach can result in lower levels of motivation, therefore, leading to students becoming disengaged or disinterested in the subject matter altogether. Moreover, conventional learning can have little efficiency for students requiring additional learning support.

2. Low Student Engagement

In a typical classroom setting, students are expected to sit and listen for long hours, which can lower learning efficiency. Students can become distracted or disengaged, leading to negative learning outcomes. 

3. Creates Technology Lag

Although there has been the introduction of technology into classrooms, smart classroom tech, most classrooms still use little to no technology. 

This creates a technological lag, where the students might miss out on learning important technologies that can help them later. 

Personalized Learning: The New, Modern Approach to Learning 

Definition of Personalized Learning 

Personalized learning refers to the approach of delivering education where instructions are tailored to meet the needs, skills, and interests of individual students. 

Individualized instructions let students have more control over their learning process and learn at their own pace.  

Advantages of Personalized Learning

1. Improved Student Engagement and Motivation

Students tend to become more interested in the curriculum when allowed to take control of their learning process. This also increases their motivation levels, resulting in increased participation in classroom activities.

2. Better Option for Students with Different Learning Styles

Individualized instruction lets students learn at their own pace. This can benefit students who want to move quickly as well as those who require additional time to assimilate a concept.

3. Meeting Individual Student Needs Better

Personalized learning can be beneficial to meet the individual needs of students. It can cater to the differences in learning abilities, interests, and styles of students. 

For example, students preferring hands-on activities can learn with practical tasks while visual learners can leverage visual aids. 

4. Boosted Academic Achievement

According to the National Education Association, personalized learning can lead to higher academic achievement and student engagement. 

Allowing students to learn their favorite topics at their preferred pace motivates them to take up challenges with confidence and yield better results. 

5. Use of Latest Technologies

Technology is the base of personalized education. These technologies include virtual reality, high-speed internet, and AI. Students learning by leveraging customized education also become better at utilizing the latest technologies.

Challenges of Personalized Learning

1. High Effort Requirements

Creating personalized learning plans requires expansive amounts of time and expertise. This is because the curriculum needs to be customized to each student. Creating course outlines and course content might pose a good level of challenge. 

2. Difficult to Gauge Student Progress

Measuring student progress can be difficult as each student will be working on different tasks and progressing at different speeds. 

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Traditional Learning vs Personalized Learning: Comparing Learning Outcomes 

Let’s understand the difference between traditional learning and personalized learning based on several factors: 

1. Central Role

Although the educator also has an important role in customized education, it is not central. The central role here is that of the learner. 

Here, learners get personalized course content that suits their preferred learning style and speed. Educators play more of a supporting role for students and come into the picture only when needed. 

Rather than spending time to explain the basics to students, educators focus more on helping students advance by resolving specific issues. 

The teacher plays a central role in customary education and educates all the students simultaneously. Although there is some student-teacher interaction, it is less. Moreover, most of the attention is directed towards brilliant and extroverted students. 

2. Interaction

Digital content is an important pillar of personalized learning, and it makes learning interactive and fun for everyone. While educators can easily see the performance of each student, every student can know where they need to direct their effort more. 

Although the traditional learning approach allows for some interaction, it is very little, and almost nonexistent in most scenarios. This is primarily because it depends mostly on blackboards and textbooks. 

3. Learning Pace

In conventional learning, every student learns simultaneously at the same pace. Therefore, there is no speeding up or slowing down for different students. 

Contrary to this, in personalized learning, the student sets the learning pace. This is an excellent approach for students who learn fast as well as those who learn slowly. 

As every student can learn at their own pace, customized learning facilitates the same chance of success for every learner. 

4. Performance Evaluation

In conventional learning environments, learner performance is measured periodically. Usually, specific exams and assignments are planned to happen at a particular time. 

Personalized learning, on the other hand, isn’t limited to fixed assessments. Here, the assessment is continuous. The educator and the student can assess performance before, during, or after every lesson. 

5. Study Material

Another important point of distinction between personalized learning and traditional learning is the education material. 

The traditional approach leverages books, face-to-face lectures, and blackboards to educate learners. On the contrary, personalized learning modules come with pre-recorded video lessons, live classrooms, eBooks, articles, and other forms of digital content. 

6. Teaching Model

The teaching model is completely different in the two modes of learning. Traditional learning follows the generic instructional approach, which usually means using the physical classroom teaching model. 

The teaching model followed in personalized learning focuses on every individual in a group. Moreover, learners and educators use digital technologies and software. The educator pays attention to each student with the aim of ensuring everybody gets an equal opportunity to learn. 

Personalized Learning vs Traditional Learning: A Detailed Comparison Table

Parameter	Traditional Learning	Personalized Learning
Assessment	Tests, quizzes, and other non-practical learning evaluations.	Focuses more on practical learning evaluations using technology.
Central Role	Teacher plays the central role; hence, it is a teacher-centric method.	It is a student-centric learning method.
Delivery	Personal	Computer- and/or device-based
Interactive Learning	There are little to no elements of interactive learning.	It is highly interactive.
Learning Material	Face-to-face lectures, blackboards, and books.	eBooks, online pre-recorded video lessons, digital content, and live classes.
Mode of Instruction	Teach the same subjects to all students. Rigid lesson plans and progress is at the teacher’s discretion.	Every student has an individual learning plan and subjects correspond to their needs and interests. The teacher considers the learning styles of different students and leverages teaching techniques accordingly.
Pacing	All students learn at the same pace.	Students learn at their own pace, irrespective of the accomplishments of their peers.
Performance Evaluation	Student assessment happens at fixed intervals.	Learning assessment is continuous.

Future of Education: Blending Approaches

Both traditional and personalized modes of learning have their own advantages and issues. There is no doubt that personalized education is the way forward, however, we can’t fully eliminate traditional learning, especially for younger students. 

The acceptance of personalized learning doesn’t necessarily mean the complete abandonment of traditional learning. In fact, the two approaches can be mixed to achieve synergy in the form of better learning outcomes. 

For example, educational institutes can use an AI-powered LMS like MeraTutor.ai to deliver personalized learning paths to students and make student assessment better alongside offering the advantages of traditional, classroom learning.

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