Let’s get real for a minute. Personalized learning – the way many people understand it – as an individualized plan for each student and a teacher able to juggle the different needs of each learner – is a complete myth and has been a harmful expectation put on teachers. This is our belief at Early Beginnings.
I mean, if you have three students in your class, go for it! However, if you are like most teachers in the world with 25-40 children in one classroom, this is an unattainable expectation, bringing feelings of worthlessness to teachers, and frustration to parents.
What CAN be achieved when you work at a school with a physical space that facilitates group learning, is small group work that can target learning needs for groups of children. THAT is what is possible for what is called personalized learning, and before, this planning was purely done from the teacher’s mind and her own creativity. Now, we have a powerful help-mate that will make this SO much easier, and honestly, better: Artificial Intelligence (AI).
AI technology makes it easier than ever to implement small-group personalized learning in the classroom. Here is how:
- Planning Time. AI can drastically reduce the time teachers spend on planning by generating lesson plans and activities tailored to the needs of different groups. This allows teachers to focus more on delivering high-quality instruction rather than spending countless hours on preparation.
- Differentiated Small-Group Ideas. AI provides a wealth of differentiated activities and ideas tailored to the specific needs of small groups. By analyzing student data, AI can suggest targeted interventions and activities that address the unique challenges and strengths of each group.
- Individual Student Needs. While managing an entire class, teachers can use AI to manage and support the specific needs of a few individual students within these small groups. All of us have either a special-needs student, be that a child on the Autism spectrum, a child that exceeds grade-level expectations and needs more academic or social challenges, or a couple of new students that are new to the target classroom language. AI can give teachers great insight into specific tasks and activities these students can do within the lesson plan, ensuring that every child receives appropriate attention and help.
- Analysis of Activity Outcomes. AI tools can analyze the outcomes of activities and provide insights into student performance. This helps teachers understand which strategies are working and what needs to be adjusted, allowing for continuous improvement in instructional practices in the complex world of bilingual education.
- Report Writing. AI can assist in generating detailed and accurate reports based on the teacher’s observations and notes. This not only saves time but also ensures that parents receive comprehensive updates on their child’s progress, backed by data-driven insights. This is a huge time-saver for teachers while at the same time generating accurate and specific reports per child and not only that, they can be easily translated into the language of the family.
By integrating AI into the classroom, bilingual teachers can more effectively manage the complexities of personalized learning, making it feasible and impactful. This allows educators to focus on what truly matters – fostering a supportive and engaging learning environment for all students.
Learn how to effectively implement AI for personalized learning in your classroom with step-by-step demos for each of the topics above and much more. Enroll in our course, “Empowering Teachers: Integrating AI in a Child-First Culture,” to discover practical strategies and tools that can enhance student engagement and learning outcomes.
