For most of our modern memory, the standard for educating our kids has largely been the same. Sending kids to public school for a specified amount of time each day to learn in large groups with their peers seems like the way it's always been done. But what if there was a better way?

Standard education has changed more than meets the eye over the past few years. Average class size and student/teacher ratio has increased — from 15.8 students per teacher in 2008 to current estimates between 17.6-35 students per teacher varying from state to state — which adds stress and responsibility to the teachers and makes it difficult for students to get the attention they need to learn at their best. 

Personalized learning is the answer to helping kids live up to their full potential. Kids need to feel seen and heard in their education, not to mention the fact that tailoring kids' education to their needs helps them learn faster and more effectively, and feel more motivated to return to their studies. Even kids who perform well in a traditional classroom can flourish even more with a personalized education. For kids who are struggling, tailoring their education to their own needs rather than trying to change them is the best way to help them thrive in their education. 

Everyone Has a Different Learning Style

You may have noticed even just in passing that your child — or even you yourself — pick up on things much easier when they're communicated in a specific way. That's because people generally learn using one or more specific learning style. There are three main ways that people tend to learn best:

●     Visual learning

●     Auditory learning

●     Kinesthetic learning

Visual learners work best with tools like notes, textbooks and traditional studying. Auditory learners, on the other hand, benefit most from techniques like lectures, group projects and discussion based learning. Kinesthetic learners gravitate more towards experiments, building projects and movement based activities. 

Students can be rooted in one specific style, though they can be a combination of two. This teaches us that each student is unique, with different needs and strengths in their education. When kids need to learn with the direction of one teacher making all the rules for an entire classroom, there's no way it will fit each student's needs. However, more personalized, student-focused education gives each child the opportunity to learn in ways that make sense to them, which leads to better retention and application of material.

Personalized Learning Allows Kids to Move at Their Own Pace

Pacing is a large part of learning, and it can be difficult to get right. Many students find themselves left behind in the pacing of a traditional classroom, while others are bored because they move through material quickly. There is no right or wrong way for a child to move through their schoolwork as long as they are focused and engaged, and every child deserves to be challenged at a level they're comfortable with. 

It's all about hitting that sweet spot and making sure that your child is thriving and making the most out of their time. Often, the simple act of personalizing and adopting homeschooling or online schooling shaves hours off the time it takes for students to learn their material in a given day. When kids aren't waiting around for classroom logistics or for other kids to get their work done, they have the freedom not only to work faster or slower than the average of any given classroom, but to question, explore and experiment. 

Practicing Agency is Important for Children

Tailoring education to each child specifically offers a sense of independence. When kids have the freedom to explore subjects on their own terms and at their own pace, it lets them feel more in control of their education. It affords a sense of agency that helps with their learning development, and with their self esteem.

Being the center of their own education provides pupils with a sense of responsibility that they don’t have the opportunity to find in a classroom where they are one of many kids vying for the attention of one teacher. With personalized learning, kids are able to take ownership of their education.

Having agency within their learning process also helps kids develop life skills like time management, prioritizing tasks and asking for help when they know they need it. Developing those skills early on helps kids get used to functioning more independently and can aid them in being more productive and organized people as they continue to grow.

Special Skills and Talents Have Their Place in Education 

When a child expresses special interest in a subject or skill, incorporating it into their education is beneficial for their learning and their happiness. Academics aren't the only important skill to learn, especially as kids get older and start thinking more seriously about career choices. Allowing kids the space to explore their own interests in addition to more traditional subjects can help them feel more motivated to learn, and give them a greater sense of purpose and direction. 

Hobbies and interests encourage students to feel a greater sense of identity, and when passions are placed in the context of schoolwork — or even intertwined with more traditional subjects, for example, by encouraging them to study college courses that concern these hobbies (sport for those who thrive on the field, performing arts for those who love film, computing for those who can code and love gaming) — kids are more likely to focus and be productive.  

Children have the potential to learn, grow and shape their lives through education. When we personalize that education specifically to their needs so they can learn with more enthusiasm and focus, they can unlock all kinds of new avenues and accomplish amazing things.