What is Personalized and Adaptive Learning and How is it Transforming Education in India’s Government Schools?

Education in India, particularly in government schools, is undergoing a transformation with the introduction of Personalized and Adaptive Learning (PAL). This shift has gained even more momentum in the post-COVID era. The traditional “one-size-fits-all” approach fails to address the diverse learning needs of students, particularly in government schools where resources are limited, teacher-student ratio is challenging and learning gaps are significantly larger.

What is Personalized and Adaptive Learning?

Personalised and Adaptive Learning or PAL as it is popularly known as is a technology driven solution that enables students to learn as per their learning levels, pace and interest. It supports remedial learning by addressing individual needs and enhancing comprehension.

Let’s explore what PAL is, how it works, and why it’s crucial for government schools in India

Understanding Personalised and Adaptive Learning (PAL)

Personalised and Adaptive Learning (PAL) is a learning approach that adapts to students’ learning level in real time. Unlike traditional methods where everyone learns at the same pace or accesses the same content in the same order as everyone else. PAL continuously analyses performance and adjusts the level of content to ensure each child progresses at their optimal speed and in line with their strengths and weaknesses.

Key Features of PAL:

• Remedial learning Content: Students receive lessons tailored to their understanding level
• Adaptive Assessments: Continuously identifies gaps and adjusts questions to student’s level of understanding
• Data-Driven Insights: Teachers receive real-time reports on student usage, attempts and progress

How Does PAL Work?

PAL uses the concept of competency mapping across multiple grades to identify knowledge gaps and provide remedial learning content. Here’s the step-by-step process:

Step 1: Initial Diagnostic Assessment

• The student completes a diagnostic test to assess their current knowledge level.
• The system identifies their strengths, level of competency and areas for improvement based on their response to the questions

In Step 2: Students get Personalised Content Recommendation

• Based on the assessment, students receive learning materials tailored to their level
• Advanced students receive challenging content, while others get reinforcement exercises
• Students at foundational level are taken through content of junior grades which can enable them to achieve such competencies thereby making them ready to learn at their grade level

Step 3: Continuous Adaptation

• The system tracks progress as students engage with remedial content such as practice questions and video lessons
• When a student struggles, the system revisits foundational concepts by connecting them with concepts from junior grades
• When a student shows mastery, they move ahead to advanced and higher order questions

Step 4: Real-Time Teacher Support

• Teachers receive automated reports on individual student progress
• The system flags students who need extra attention and intervention

Why is PAL Important for Government Schools in India?

Government schools in India struggle with concerns such as large class sizes, teacher shortages, and varying student learning levels. PAL bridges these gaps by ensuring every student receives a customized learning experience, regardless of their background or learning speed.

Addressing Learning Gaps

Many students in government schools struggle due to gaps in foundational learning. When they fail to understand core concepts, they either start missing classes, lose interest in learning, or ultimately drop out.

• Personalized and Adaptive Learning (PAL) plays a crucial role in addressing this issue by helping students identify their own learning gaps through diagnostic assessments.
• PAL empowers students to take charge of their learning by providing remedial content from lower grades, ensuring they can strengthen their foundational understanding before moving forward.
• By bridging these learning gaps early, PAL prevents long-term difficulties, enhances student engagement, and reduces dropout rates in government schools.

Supporting Teachers with Data

Government schools often face a high student-teacher ratio, making it difficult for teachers to track individual progress, especially in large and multi-grade classrooms.

• Personalized and Adaptive Learning (PAL) is important to provide teachers with detailed analytics on each student’s learning level, enabling them to personalize their instruction and offer targeted support.
• With PAL, teachers can identify students who need extra help and adjust their teaching strategies accordingly, ensuring no child is left behind even in large and multi-grade classrooms.
• It also allows teachers to allocate more time for struggling students to engage in adaptive learning, helping them improve their understanding, build confidence, and reach grade-level proficiency.

Enabling Self-Paced Learning

Every student learns at their own pace—some grasp concepts quickly, while others need multiple explanations and practice to fully understand a topic.

• Personalized and Adaptive Learning (PAL) is important for government school students as it customizes learning paths based on each student’s understanding, allowing them to progress at a comfortable pace without pressure.
• Students can take multiple attempts to practice concepts until they achieve grade-level proficiency, reinforcing their learning without fear of failure or judgment.
• By enabling self-paced learning, PAL boosts students’ confidence and motivation, ensuring they stay engaged and develop a strong academic foundation.

Making Learning Engaging

In government schools, teachers often have limited resources, and not all students have access to personalized textbooks, making it difficult to engage them effectively.

• Personalized and Adaptive Learning (PAL) addresses this by providing curriculum-aligned content in multiple formats, including videos, interactive quizzes, and gamified learning experiences, making learning more engaging and interactive.
• With PAL, teachers can move beyond traditional classroom instruction and integrate digital learning into their lesson plans, offering students a more immersive way to understand concepts.
• This shift from textbook dependency to interactive digital learning enhances student engagement, improves retention, and fosters a more enjoyable learning experience.

Challenges in Implementing PAL in Government Schools

While the potential promising, implementing PAL in government schools presents several challenges, which we must strive to overcome:

Digital Infrastructure Limitations

Many government schools face challenges such as inadequate access to digital devices, unreliable electricity, and lack of a stable internet connection.

• Solution: Enabling low-cost tablets with preloaded learning apps, offline access to educational content, and user-friendly interfaces can bridge this gap, ensuring seamless digital learning for students.

Teacher’s Resistance to Technology

Many teachers in government schools are hesitant to adopt new digital tools due to unfamiliarity and lack of confidence in using technology.

• Solution: Integrating user-friendly technology that aligns with devices teachers already use in their daily lives can ease adoption. Additionally, comprehensive experiential training on device usage, application navigation, and content delivery is crucial. Government-backed online training programs like NISHTHA and DIKSHA can be leveraged to upskill teachers, with PAL-based training content made available on these platforms or conducted at local levels.

Language Barrier

Students in government schools often face challenges in learning when educational content is not available in their preferred language.

• Solution: Enabling digital learning in multiple local languages empowers students by allowing them to switch to their preferred medium of instruction. PAL applications should offer content across all grades in various languages, ensuring a seamless and comfortable learning experience that enhances engagement and adoption.

Hesitation to Adopt PAL based Learning

Some teachers and administrators are reluctant to use PAL due to a lack of understanding of its functionality and benefits.

• Solution: Conducting pilot projects can help teachers and administrators gain hands-on experience with technology, making them more comfortable with its features. Demonstrating measurable improvements in student engagement and learning outcomes can further encourage widespread adoption of PAL in government schools.

The Future of PAL in India’s Government Schools

With NEP 2020 and revocation of No Detention Policy, it is quite obvious that India will not shy away from embracing tech-driven education. We expect PAL adoption to increase in government schools, supported by CSR funding and NGO collaborations.

What next for PAL?:

• Increased PAL adoption across rural and urban government schools
• Enhanced AI-powered student progress tracking for even better personalised interventions
• Expanded multilingual PAL content in various regional Indian languages
• Increased government and CSR investments in digital infrastructure

Conclusion: The Way Forward for PAL in Government Schools

The ASER 2024 findings have been promising. However, the revocation of the no-detention policy highlights that significant learning gaps still persist, preventing a substantial impact on the future availability of a skilled workforce. With the Government of India increasingly focusing on addressing learning gaps, there is a growing need for solutions that reduce dropout rates and effectively bridge these gaps.

PAL we believe can address this by making learning tailored, engaging and effective. While challenges exist, strategic implementation through CSR, NGOs and government programs can bring this innovation to every classroom. As the ecosystem is enabled, we must strive to make PAL mainstream and massively improve the growth opportunities for our next generation.

What are your thoughts? Want to learn more about how PAL solutions work? You may contact us at +91 7678265039 or share your details here. You can also write to us [email protected]

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