Education in 2023: More Personalized Learning

The narrative continues to move in the right direction.

“The answer is not to standardize education, but to personalize and customize it to the needs of each child and community. There is no alternative. There never was.”

— Ken Robinson

There has been major paradigm shift in the world of education over the past year and we should continue to see these trends continue in the year ahead.

The shift started before the lockdowns but the recent events of the last two years has accelerated the change.

There is little debate on the issues surrounding the current educational model. Most parents, students and educators will agree it is a failed system.

This isn’t a U.S. issue but one that we see everywhere in the world.

The data clearly shows the problems associated with the current model and the pressure it is putting on children. We aren’t just dealing with unhappy children but children taking their lives.

What we have also seen over the past year is greater discontent from teachers as they struggle both financially and emotionally within the system.

Luckily there are some positive changes happening which should benefit everyone.

Here are a few key areas that are trending now.

Lifelong Learning

Most of the focus on education has been on the K through university experience. We have not supported a continuing education model. While we talk about the idea of lifelong learning, the reality is that we do not fully support it.

But a shift has clearly been taking place the past few years.

Lifelong learning is being driven by technology, microcredentials and job dissatisfaction.

Students no longer are required to attend classes in person so technology opens up all learning possibilities. We can now be riding a bus, sitting at home, working and even driving to learn new ideas and concepts.

Technology also supports acquiring microcredentials. These short, focused courses are used to develop or acquire new skills. More courses are being offered in this area and it allows the student to better manage their costs.

Perhaps the biggest issue is an unhappy workforce.

Historically there was little people could do to pivot in their careers or explore other roles. But now with the advent of technology and the ability to select the areas they want to develop, workers can continue to develop and grow, only limited by their own personal restrictions.

Homeschooling Options Grow

Homeschooling has evolved from the frantic parent keeping their child at home and then desperately working to fill their schedule with subjects and social outings. The model worked for a certain type of parent but it put too much pressure on many. Parents realized how challenging it is to homeschool a child.

Today about 4% of students in the U.S. are homeschooled each year.

This has led to a variety of education startups in the homeschooling space.

Many companies have been around for some time including K12.com, Calvert, Oak Meadow and Khan Academy. A simple search will list hundreds of options.

Recently we have seen groups like Outschool, an edtech startup that matches students with teachers online for a live, virtual learning experiences. Prenda is another company focused on the concept of microschools. These are small groups of students who meet in person, outside of a traditional learning environment.

More importantly is that social media now allows parents to connect in their local area and find the resources they require. This is particularly valuable for social gatherings and support.

World Schooling

World schooling is an extension of homeschooling except families utilize the world as their classroom.

The resources available for world schooling are extensive.

World Travel Family is an excellent starting point for families interested in traveling the world and maintaining their children’s education. Project World School is another excellent resource helping families to connect with others in the journey.

We have wrongly locked into this idea that a child needs to be sitting in a walled classroom to be learning.

The research shows the best way to learn is through experiential learning and engaging with the world. It is a travesty that we continue to perpetuate a model that not only harms the child but operates counter to the research.

Hybrid Learning

Hybrid learning combines a mix of in-person and online activities. Students are encouraged to learn from one another in in-class instruction sessions while using online sessions to enhance their experience.

Hybrid, or blended learning, became very popular over the last two years. In places like California where physical classrooms were shut down and parents were told not to allow their children to gather, pod groups formed all over the state to allow for in person learning combined with online.

Up until this point most parents believed that it was an either-or choice of in-person vs. online.

They saw how the two can be combined effectively and then customized to the child. Some children want more online so the parent can provide more online classes.

The Slide of Higher Education

Higher education is under tremendous pressure in the U.S., enrollment is down and demographics are changing.

The total number of undergraduate students in the U.S. has dropped by roughly 10% through the lockdowns.

But according to CommonApp data, minority applicants increased by 32%. Hispanic enrollment at four-year institutions is up almost 300% between 2000 and 2020 according to the Pew Research Center.

Women are also outnumbering men in higher education.

We still need to see what the longer term implications are for higher education degrees but costs are a significant barrier to entry and students are now more focused on skill development for particular careers.

Children Don’t Buy the Lie Anymore

We have fed our children a lie for decades that if they go to school and get good grades and attend university that they will eventually get a job and be happy.

That lie worked before kids had access to the internet.

Children now see that their parents are not happy with their work even when told differently. When they search for information on this they will see that a degree and high paying job do not guarantee happiness.

The current younger generations are significantly more value-aligned with their companies and want to feel a sense of fulfillment.

Social Emotional Support

The lockdowns have created a mental health crisis that was already out of control pre-pandemic.

Students are reporting more issues of depression, stress, social anxiety and suicide. College campuses are reporting higher rates of mental illness.

More schools are now investing in counselors and therapists to support students. While this is mostly a knee-jerk reaction, it is encouraging for schools to understand that they need to be tending to the emotional wellbeing of their student body.

The ever changing landscape of education will continue to evolve. What is most encouraging is a trend towards more individual, personalized learning and parents understanding that there are multiple options now available for their children.

We also see that learning isn’t designated as a fixed period of time through our early 20s.

We can and should be learning throughout our lives, gaining new skills and understanding that we have the power to pivot in our careers.

We for too long have drawn a line of demarcation between school and the rest of our lives. This has created a mindset that we need to “graduate” from education once and for all, never to return.

As world schoolers understand better than most, the world is filled with opportunities for learning and we don’t need to limit ourselves to classroom made of four walls and cement to grow and learn.

These changes are good for everyone and will lead to a more balanced experience that develops the spiritual-emotional aspects of the child as much as the intellectual.

As parents we need to let go and trust more in our children.

We know the system is flawed so why do we continue to hold onto something we know doesn’t work?

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