Customized Learning: Teachers listen when the Student speaks

Customized learning is turning out to be a major player in the 21st-century classrooms. It's a new approach to dealing with teaching and learning that includes less teacher talking and more contribution from students. It's changing the way students are learning around the world.

The thought behind customized learning is straightforward. Students direct their own learning, going at their own pace and, now and again, settling on their own choices as to what to learn. Preferably, in a classroom using customized learning, students pick what they're interested in and teachers fit the curriculum and standards to the students' advantages.

This sort of adapting totally reverses the traditional approach in the classroom. Rather than the teacher being the focal point of attention and leader of the classroom, the students are in the spotlight. Customized learning gives students a voice and enables them to take responsibility for their education.

For teachers who need to bring more customized learning into their own particular classrooms, it may appear to be threatening. Surrendering control of the classroom can be startling. Teachers may wonder, will the Students truly be interested in this? Will they get the hang of everything that they have to know for the year-end tests? Will I totally lose control over my classroom?

Customized learning doesn't need to be win big or lose. Teachers can begin by talking somewhat less and giving students a chance to have to a greater degree of control. Enabling students to settle on a few decisions in the classroom can have a powerful impact.

Teachers can give students various options for showing proof of what they've learned. One approach to this is to specifically give students the standards they have to know and request that they present proof that they've aced those standards. Another alternative is to give students choices, for example, composing an article as opposed to making a visual representation of their learning.

Teachers can take another course and give students diverse alternatives for how they learn the material. This requires somewhat more preparation, yet teachers can enable students to pick amongst say reading and watching a video. Again, this enables students to have more options and they feel that they have a voice in the classroom.

Small changes like these are simple for teachers to make, and they empower students. When students have little power in the classroom, they start to put resources into their learning.

Customized adapting also enhances student and teacher relations. In the traditional classroom, teachers are frequently struggling for control. They need to demand that students sit down, quit talking, and pay attention to the teacher. This automatically makes a sort of power dynamic that can cause issues. Teachers are basically telling students, "I have more value than you."

But when teachers give students a voice, they're telling the students, "You are important." They are giving students control over what and how they learn. Students often react positively to this change in the power dynamic. Students who are given the power to decide, feel esteemed and regarded. Thus, they are less likely to create issues for teachers. When teachers quit demanding that students take a seat, be calm, or respect them, students will probably do every one of those three things.

For teachers who are searching for a way to get students engaged and excited for what they're learning, customized learning is the way. Teachers who talk less and give students a voice in the classroom are engaging students and empowering them to take responsibility of, and really appreciate their learning.