Adaptive Versus Traditional Lesson Structures From the Educator’s Perspective
Student learning has become more dynamic than ever. Class size along with special needs students make it quite difficult for educators to be available for all students during one period of class. Adaptive learning is has given educators a helping hand to modify their learning strategies to fit all types of learning. On the contrary, there are some implications to using this adaptive too in the education system, especially at the secondary school level.
Comparison of Traditional and Adaptive Lesson Plans:
When staff members at a high school (who primarily teach grades 10-12) were asked some questions about adaptive learning, the main implication they saw was funds. They stressed that this year they were unable to get an additional set of textbooks for their classes and they don’t see how there would be extra funds for Ipads or a mobile lab. This is not to say that the teachers rejected the idea of adaptive learning, but they definitely felt that where there are several pros, there are many cons as well.
We then met at lunch hour to discuss the pros and cons and here are some major points of the discussion:
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Although adaptive learning would be a great way to help students that find the course difficult, how do we motivate those students that understand the material? How do we ensure that these students do not zone out after 15 minutes of class.
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Adaptive learning does bring education closer to 21st century learning, a concept that is emphasized time and time again at Professional Development Workshops. We would be able to move forward with the new stride that educational programs are making and individualized instruction could motivate students who are struggling to apply themselves more.
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Teachers, especially Special Education Assistants, (who are assigned to classrooms who have 4 or students which are designated with learning difficulties) feel that this new technology will eventually replace them. S.E.As are noticing more and more students taking online courses and feel that they are not needed as much in a classroom.
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If students are given Ipads, how does the teacher insure that all students are learning? How can a teacher be certain that when they are helping one student, the other is not on a social media site? Teachers feel that they would need to revisit their classroom management skills.
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Senior teachers feel that adaptive learning would mean more work for them. First to learn how to use the different tools and secondly, how to effectively integrate it into their traditional methods of teaching. Some senior teachers find it difficult to use programs online to enter attendance, so they feel this would be a leap towards technology that they could not handle.
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Younger teachers find that adaptive learning tools could train students to adapt to university style teaching, where they work at their own place and the teacher is there to facilitate. Students that struggle can work closely with the educator, while those students to don’t find the material challenging, can be given some higher level material to work on and challenge themselves.
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Teachers wonder that if such adaptive tools are implemented into the secondary school level, will there be additional time given to teachers to learn use adaptive learning tools? Will extra Professional Development days be designated to aid teachers in smoothly integrate these tools into their as of now “traditional classroom” teaching strategies.