Ever had something suddenly “click” when you heard or saw it presented in a new way? We all take in, process, and retain information differently. Some of us are primarily visual learners, some are more auditory, and others are hands-on or a combination. Some learners need a little extra time to “get” something, and for some, the light goes on when we see a direct connection to our interests.
It’s the same for kids. That’s why we’re seeing the growing trend toward personalized learning, which can be really important for young learners. Every child learns at a different pace and in different ways, and personalized learning, which acknowledges that, helps build confidence and reduces frustration.
Read on to learn more about it and how digital learning—including games—can make an important contribution.
What Is Personalized Learning and What Is Its Impact?
Stand Together, a philanthropic community created to tackle U.S. problems in a variety of areas, including education, calls personalized learning “a teaching approach that tailors instruction to meet the individual strengths, needs, and interests of each student.” They add, “Unlike the traditional educational model, which often employs a one-size-fits-all approach, personalized learning recognizes and respects the individuality of each student.”
D2L (or Desire 2 Learn), a Canada-based educational software company, in a March article “Does Personalized Learning Work to Boost Student Achievement,” by Chase Banger, notes that “Personalized learning paths ensure that every student can progress at their own pace: Students who are behind can have more time on assignments, while those excelling can take on additional assignments to challenge themselves.”
Banger also says, “While not all definitions of personalized learning include mention of technological tools, many do. Teaching students to be digitally literate helps them succeed in life and in future opportunities.”
While discussion often centers around the classroom, personalized learning definitely also applies to at-home learning.
Features and benefits include:
• Choices in content, format, and/or learning environment
• More confidence/less frustration
• Higher motivation and engagement
• Self-paced learning
• Project-based or inquiry-based learning
• Student-led pacing and progress tracking
• Development of soft skills such as independence and collaboration
• Real-time data to guide instruction
• A boost in digital literacy
In a personalized education setting, students do not passively receive lessons, they actively participate in their own learning, which encourages ownership and engagement. In turn, these attributes have lasting, lifelong value. Personalized learning lets teachers and parents respond to kids’ individual interests, strengths, and needs with confidence that they are still learning what they need to know.
School Zone’s Anywhere Teacher Adapts to Every Learner
Technology is a big part of kids’ lives today. While its use requires adult input and oversight, tech makes many things possible. For example, adaptive learning, related to personalized learning in that it responds to individual needs in real time, becomes easier and more accessible with technology use.
Case in point is School Zone’s Anywhere Teacher online learning program for ages 2-8. Designed for kids and developed by teachers, it’s safe and ad-free, and has password-protected parental controls that allow mom and dad to customize Anywhere Teacher to their child’s learning needs.
The Anywhere Teacher app gives P, K, and 1 kids a complete learning journey, and kids in grades 2 and 3 get dynamic activities to supplement their learning. Step-by-step guided adventure paths cover the full preschool, kindergarten, and first-grade curriculum with fun, engaging activities. Guided mini paths concentrate on key subjects or skills such as the alphabet, numbers, multiplication, and science concepts. Freestyle play is also an option, and preschoolers through third graders explore a wide range of activities; subject areas include reading, math, science, social studies, music, and art.
As a resource for personalized learning, the Anywhere Teacher app:
• Offers adaptive lessons that adjust difficulty based on performance
• Provides progress tracking for parents and teachers
• Combines digital learning with printable activities
• Encourages consistent, structured learning routines
• Learning can happen anywhere, anytime
Downloadable Games and Activities Expand Options
School Zone’s standalone digital games and activities, available as Windows downloads, also support skill development and personalized learning for kids through play. In the same way that littles can get excited about a story, as in “Read it again! Read it again!” they can play and replay a favorite digital game or activity as often as they want, sharpening their skills with every round.
To name just a few from more than 50 available, School Zone’s wide-ranging Windows download options include Nestor’s Favorite Games and Levi’s Favorite Games, each featuring a Charlie & Company character and bundling four different games; Word Search Software that uses a combination of familiar and exotic words (i.e., “kodkod”) that both reinforce and expand vocabulary; Napoleon Bone Apart Software, a light-up puzzle that builds vocabulary and knowledge of the human skeleton as players complete the puzzle bone by bone; and State of Confusion Software, which teaches key facts about the 50 states, including state capitals, state abbreviations, state flowers, state birds, state flags, and state nicknames. It also has a USA puzzle that helps kids learn state names, the location of each state, and which states are next to each other.
Downloadable digital games and activities for learning can:
• Provide productive play without going online
• Reinforce reading, math, and problem-solving
• Encourage repeated practice without boredom
• Work for both independent or guided learning
• Use game elements (i.e., points, feedback, scoreboards, etc.) to keep kids engaged and motivated
The ability of digital games to improve learning is well-documented. The BBC Bitesize is “a free online study support resource designed to help with learning, revision and homework” for learners 3 to 16+. In “What Is Game-Based Learning and How Can It Benefit Your Students?” they point out that “Games provide a safe space for experimentation and failure, which students might not get elsewhere.” The site also provides videos on how games can help both younger and older students learn.
In “Leveling Up: How Digital Game-Based Learning Is Altering Education,” Aurora University cites American Psychologist in saying, “Digital games create environments for students that are immersive and actively engaging. The learning process is transformed, and students can gain value from the various cognitive, motivational and social benefits of video games.”
Note that they call out “social benefits.” Interactive learning games present opportunities for teaching healthy competition and gracious winning and losing. Rachel Kowert, Ph.D., in “Don’t Be a Sore (Digital) Loser: Good Sportsmanship for Kid Gamers” for the Nurture website, says, “We often talk about video games teaching young children traditional skills, like reading and math, but they also have a lot to teach us about losing. And that’s an essential skill for life.”
In addition to the benefits previously noted, digital learning games can:
• Enable exploration of situations and contexts not otherwise available or accessible
• Improve information retention via interactivity
• Enhanced critical thinking and problem-solving skills
Digital Learning Benefits Parents and Teachers
Clearly, digital learning can do so much more than make screen time fun. It supports personalized learning because it allows school-aged kids to learn at their own pace. But digital games and activities can also help parents and teachers.
For example, in the HMH newsletter article “6 Reasons to Incorporate Gaming in the Classroom,” Morgan Hugoboom and Stephanie Carmichael, suggest, “Gaming in education is also an important classroom management tool.” They continue: “Engaging, interactive activities help provide additional sensory experiences that refocus a classroom. This is a helpful outlet at certain times throughout the school year, like when students feel fatigued from standardized testing, have just returned from a school break, or have experienced non-school related distractions that impact their ability to focus.”
Here are a few other ways digital games can help teachers and parents:
• Ready-to-use resources save time
• Progress tracking and resulting insights are easier
• Identifying strengths and areas for improvement is easier
• Password-protected controls, when available, allow parents and teachers to customize for individual learning needs
• Flexibility for home, classroom, or hybrid learning
Personalized Learning Grows with Your Child
One-size-fits-all learning is “yesterday.” Today, we understand that every child learns differently, and parents and teachers can maximize kids’ individuality. One way to do that is with digital educational tools—not unlimited “whatever” screen time—but intentional use of digital tools and resources that make learning engaging and accessible and help kids learn at their own pace, in their own way.
Personalized learning builds confidence and success. Explore School Zone’s adaptive learning tools and resources for home and classroom that meet each child where they are in their unique learning journey.
