Adaptive Learning

One technique or area that I think our organization should invest more time and energy in is adaptive learning techniques. Adaptive learning is defined as:

Adaptive learning, also known as adaptive teaching, is an educational method which uses computer algorithms as well as artificial intelligence to orchestrate the interaction with the learner and deliver customized resources and learning activities to address the unique needs of each learner.

 

When I discuss this at work I try to say that it would be as if we use the information we have in our database to create different types of training for our learners.

For example we might have an annual refresher training that would be perfect for a new learner, that an experienced learner would find boring and he might discount. If we had that information in our database, which we do, the we could provide one annual refresher to the new learner and a different, more rigorous course to the more experienced learner. 

Another aspect I try to weave into many of our courses, especially our leadership courses, is the idea of Transformative Learning moments. This is Mezriow’s idea of the following:

 . . . an orientation which holds that the way learners interpret and reinterpret their sense experience is central to making meaning and hence learning. Put in simple terms, transformative learning is the idea that learners who are getting new information are also evaluating their past ideas and understanding, and are shifting their very worldview as they obtain new information and through critical reflection. It goes beyond simply acquiring knowledge, and dives into the way that learners find meaning in their lives and understanding. This kind of learning experience involves a fundamental change in our perceptions—learners start to question all the things they knew or thought before and examine things from new perspectives in order to make room for new insights and information. Many learners and experts agree that this kind of learning leads to true freedom of thought and understanding.

In the article I’m reading about Piaget, the author writes that:

Experiences that promote congnitive development, in addition, are not only interesting, but usually place the child in a state of conflict . . .  The concept of conflict is involved in a fairly recent model of developmental change that Piaget called equilibration . , . In philosophy, Piaget’s equilibration model would be called a dialectical theory. Dialectical theory holds that change occurred when our ideas meet with counter-evidence that motivates us to formulate new and better ideas. 

I like to think about bringing these two worlds together in our work at HASC. If we could determine where different learners are in terms of their career and learning development, which we could do if we utilized Adaptive Learning methods more aggressively, then if we could tailor specific challenges to those learners based on that data in our database, we could provide more effective learning than we otherwise might. 

The one size fits all approach has been going on for quite some time, by using adaptive learning techniques combined with transformative learning moments, we could not only better serve our learners but also help them learn more effectively.