Customized Curriculum: Implementing Bespoke Learning Strategies
Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- What is Bespoke Learning?
- Why is a Customized Curriculum Important?
- Essentials For Development and Implementation of Bespoke Learning Strategies
- The End Note
Introduction
Gone are the days when students went to schools and universities to study the same syllabus from the same textbooks based on a predetermined rigid curriculum. Now, bespoke learning is taking over and customizing the educational landscape, starting with the curriculum.
A bespoke curriculum takes into account students’ preferences and learning needs and designs instructional and learning materials accordingly. It improves students’ engagement, knowledge, and learning outcomes.
In this blog, we will delve into the meaning of bespoke learning, the increasing importance of a customized curriculum, and the essentials to implement it in educational institutions.
What is Bespoke Learning?
Bespoke learning is a modern educational approach that focuses on personalizing learning content.
Instead of following a one-size-fits-all model, bespoke digital learning caters to the unique needs of learners in schools and universities, making their learning experience customized and relevant.
Why is a Customized Curriculum Important?
In the case of a standardized curriculum, students need to study several subjects with the same instructional methods and at the same pace as their classmates.
Since students have different grasping abilities, with some needing more time to understand a subject matter, the conventional curriculum can cause some students to feel left behind. This curriculum, thus, fails at its purpose of providing a well-rounded education to all.
In response to the fallacies of conventional curriculum and the growing need for personalization, customized curriculum came into being and gained importance.
A customized curriculum makes the learning process feel personal and relevant to the students, causing them to participate actively in it. By helping the students progress conveniently, this curriculum ensures that no student feels left behind and cultivates a love for learning.
In addition, it fosters the strengths and natural abilities of the students and enables them to accomplish their educational goals with success.
Essentials for Development and Implementation of Bespoke Learning Strategies
Reportedly, 21% (more than 20%) of educators consider bespoke or personalized learning to be a transformative approach that will improve the K–12 curriculum. Bespoke learning strategies are thus key to forming a customized curriculum for the holistic development of K–12 students.
Mentioned below are some of the essentials that can help you develop and implement bespoke learning strategies in the K–12 curriculum.
1. Flexible Design
Away from the rigidity of traditional curriculum, bespoke learning strategies can give the curriculum a flexible design.
How will this come about?
Well, firstly, you will need to understand the interests and learning needs of the students. To do that, you can conduct surveys and interviews. Once you have collected the information, you will need to analyze it.
The analysis will help you understand students’ unique needs as well as identify their learning gaps. This knowledge will help your teachers formulate a bespoke curriculum design along with individual learning goals.
2. Differentiated Instructions
One student may prefer listening to a teacher, while another may prefer reading a textbook to understand a subject matter.
Bespoke learning strategies allow for the existence of different modes of instruction in the curriculum. By implementing them, you can ensure the provision of three types of instructional learning:
- Teacher-directed learning: This type involves a teacher delivering a lecture to the students.
- Self-paced learning: In this type, students use learning materials to study at their own pace.
- Blended learning: This type is a mix of the above two types of instructional learning. It involves the students exploring topics by themselves and using the teacher-led classes to clarify their doubts and get feedback on their assignments.
3. Different Learning Materials
Some students prefer to learn by watching a video, some by audio, and some like learning by doing activities. Bespoke curriculum learning recognizes this and accommodates these different learning styles by incorporating e-learning elements into the curriculum.
eLearning elements include videos, audio, animated storytelling, interactive ebooks, etc. The latter contains interactive components like the highlight tool, images, animations, graphs, add-on hyperlinked resources, and more, which students can access on any smart device.
4. Game-Based and Scenario-Based Learning
Game-based and scenario-based learnings are student-centric and thus important for crafting a customized curriculum. Game-based learning involves simulated games with defined learning goals that help students understand the subject matter in a fun and engaging way.
Scenario-based learning involves the real-life application of theoretical concepts to work through different real-life simulated scenarios. Both these learning strategies employ technologies like VR and AR to provide an immersive, captivating, and active learning experience.
Also Read: What are the 4 C’s of Game-Based Learning?
5. Custom Assessments and Feedback
Assessments and feedback are crucial components in the implementation of bespoke learning strategies.
Assessments can be taken in two ways:
- Formally such as case study-based tests, quizzes, etc.
- Informally such as class presentations, discussions, etc.
Assessments help your teachers track the progress and comprehension of students and the areas they need further support in, enabling them to modify the curriculum accordingly.
Timely and constructive feedback from the teachers clues the students into their mistakes and provides strategies for improving them, thus guiding them further in their learning process. Regular feedback thus empowers students to take accountability for their errors and responsibility for their learning journey.
6. Collaborative and Inquiry-Based Learning
While student-centric learning activities are crucial, equally crucial is the incorporation of collaborative and inquiry-based learning into a bespoke curriculum. These two types of learning aid the students to develop their practical skills.
Collaborative learning involves assigning group activities to students, like presentations, projects, and research work. These activities build on and enhance their empathy, communication, and decision-making skills.
Inquiry-based learning involves three things—observation, investigation, and discovery—for constructing knowledge. This learning emphasizes the need for critical questioning and encourages the conduct of scientific experiments and research projects.
As a result, this learning fosters the development and enhancement of critical and creative thinking, research skills, problem-solving skills, and more among students.
The End Note
Now that you know the importance of bespoke curriculum and the essentials to implement it, you should also know that the global personalized learning market is slated to reach a revenue of over $2 billion by 2024.
If you want to capitalize on this conveniently, outsourcing bespoke learning solutions from Hurix Digital is an excellent idea.
Hurix Digital offers custom content solutions to meet the learning needs of students in your educational institution. It provides bespoke learning elements like interactive ebooks, game-based learning, scenario-based learning, and more to help you curate a customized curriculum.
As a firm believer in providing a rich and engaging learning experience, Hurix Digital has been the trusted preference of companies like Wiley, McGraw Hill, Cambridge University Press, and more.
To know more about bespoke learning solutions, get in touch with Hurix Digital.
Senior Vice President – Business Development
Over 25 years of experience in the edtech and workforce learning industry with strong skills in Business Development, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Strategy.