The Difference Between Traditional Education and Personalized, Competency-Based Education (2024)

FAQs

The Difference Between Traditional Education and Personalized, Competency-Based Education? ›

In traditional education, students advance at educator's pace regardless of mastery or needing additional time. In personalized, competency-based learning, students access customized supports both in-school and out-of-school to ensure they get what they need, when they need it.

Key differences between these teaching models involve the ability of teachers to craft lesson plans that suit the aptitudes and goals of each child. While traditional learning models involve bringing students into a set learning plan, personalized learning prepares an individual plan for each student.

In short, while traditional assessment is concerned with measuring content and quantity of content according to guidelines, competency-based assessment is concerned with expressing the quality of that content.

Unlike traditional classroom-based instruction, CBT allows employees to learn at their own pace and in their environment. This makes it a particularly popular choice for busy professionals who want to continue learning without sacrificing time away from work.

Rather than enrolling in predetermined courses that require a set amount of time to complete, competency-based degree programs allow you to master specific skills in your field of study at a pace that works best for you.

Personalized learning also allows students to work at their own pace, which can benefit students who need extra time to understand a concept or who want to move ahead quickly. Another benefit of personalized learning is that it can be more effective at meeting students' individual needs.

As with every strategy, there are advantages and disadvantages to PL. Some advantages are that students are more motivated, more engaged in their learning, and take responsibility for their own learning. A major disadvantage is that it can be very time consuming to have to plan for many different students.

In traditional education, learning happens inside a traditional classroom, little to no accommodation of student interests or learning needs. In personalized, competency-based learning, students have an equitable range of learning experiences at school, online and in the community.

The main differences between CBE and traditional education models are as follows: Mastery vs. Seat Time: We have observed that traditional education often relies on the completion of credit hours or seat time as a measure of progress while the focus of CBE is on mastery of competencies.

They differ in that skills-based job descriptions typically consist of the job title, responsibilities and skills required, whereas competency-based job descriptions tend to take a more holistic approach by also considering the behaviours that will lead to success in the job.

What is the meaning of personalized learning? ›

Personalized learning is an educational approach that aims to customize learning for each student's strengths, needs, skills, and interests. Each student gets a learning plan that's based on what they know and how they learn best. Personalized learning doesn't replace an IEP, a 504 plan, or intervention programs.

Traditional teaching

The old-fashioned way of teaching was all about recitation, for example students would sit in silence, while one student after another would take it in turns to recite the lesson, until each one had been called upon.

The simplest example of personalized learning would be when an instructor provides learning material with proper content and context, and in the best way for the learner. This is done by using the existing knowledge that the instructor has of the student.

While personalization is about tailoring an experience for the user, customization is about giving the user control over their experience. Instead of making assumptions about what the user wants, customization puts the power in the user's hands, allowing them to create an experience uniquely suited to their needs.