Improving Literacy and Numeracy using Adaptive Learning

To succeed in today’s data driven and interconnected world, it is essential that students at all levels, develop strong literacy and numeracy skills. Literacy and numeracy are the means through which individuals access and understand information. These are also foundational to successful living, learning and working in today’s society as they are the means via which humans acquire, construct and communicate understanding of content in all subjects and disciplines.

In the English-speaking Caribbean, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) creates standardized tests for secondary school students, to assess their proficiency in English Language (English A) and Mathematics. As per CXC’s overall grade descriptors for CSEC level examinations, a candidate that scores between a Grade 1 (I) to 3 (III), is considered to have had a good standard of performance.

A cursory review of the regional scores in English A, illustrate that on average 24% of the students who took these examinations between 2018 and 2022, did not achieve a good standard of performance. In Mathematics, the results are more concerning given at this level, 59% of the students on average, did not achieve a satisfactory grade between 2018 and 2022, that is between a I and III.?

It can now be asked, what methods can be utilized to improve these scores?

One of the techniques which can be adopted to achieve the above, is adaptive learning. Adaptive learning is a methodology for teaching and learning that strives to personalize lessons, readings, practice activities, and assessments for individual students based on their current skills and performance. Adaptive learning software personalizes learning by using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to “adapt” the learning path offered to an individual student in real time. Later, the data captured by adaptive learning software can be analyzed by teachers and administrators to review the needs of individual students or groups of students in a subject. They can then adapt instruction to those needs during a term, and they can revise a course between terms. Similarly, students can use data about their skills and performance to adapt their learning practices.

How does adaptive learning work?

At the most basic level, adaptive learning systems utilize software to assess a student’s mastery of a concept or skill in real time and then dynamically adjusts the next lesson or practice activity presented to that student, resulting in improved learning.

For example, imagine a unit of a CSEC level subject that presents 10 new concepts, concluding with a quiz before the class moves on to the next unit. Suppose this class has 30 students and the average grade historically on that quiz is 70 percent.

Experienced educators know that while there is an average score, there may be no specific reason that 30 percent of the quiz questions are missed. It may be that:

• student A struggled with the final three concepts in the unit;
• student B struggled with three different concepts;
• for student C, there may be a single critical concept that impacted 30 percent of their result;
• for student D, the “new” concepts weren’t new at all, so they were disengaged; and
• for student E, the issue may not be any difficulty with the material but that family or work responsibilities caused them to miss critical lessons.

A learning professional and/or teacher committed to personalized learning, is challenged to understand and respond to the needs of each of those students before the unit quiz is completed and the class moves on to the next unit. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to evaluate data on the learning paths and performance of previous students, the adaptive learning software then presents what it determines is the appropriate review or practice activity for each current student.

As a result, individual students using adaptive learning software, will have unique and non-linear paths through the material. One student will be presented the original lesson on a concept; another will be directed to additional resources for a separate concept; and another will be shown a reminder and a small number of new practice activities from a bank of quiz questions.

In our hypothetical example of a unit quiz, the adaptive learning software has the potential to improve the average quiz grade above the historical benchmark. In that case, more students should master more of the concepts, which in turn can compound into improved learning outcomes at the end of the term and throughout the learning path.

What are some of the benefits of adaptive learning?

1. It can allow students to be more successful and self directed. When students see data from adaptive learning software about what skills they have and haven’t mastered, they understand where to direct their efforts.?
2. It allows students to work at their own pace, bypassing concepts that are already mastered while reviewing and practicing other concepts more slowly.
3. It potentially improves student engagement by providing lessons and activities that closely match their needs and readiness
4. It provides timely and relevant data that teachers and administrators can use to identify how targeted sub-populations are doing in a subject. This is a potentially powerful tool for identifying and confronting barriers to equity for minority and poverty affected students.
5. Enables key stakeholders, to provide timely and targeted support by identifying individual students, or even particular sections in a subject, that requires attention

The proper implementation of adaptive learning technologies and techniques into the Caribbean education system, has the potential to identify the root cause of performance shortcomings in literacy and numeracy focused subjects amongst students at all levels. Teachers and administrators alike, can be empowered with the data that would allow for the application of targeted interventions which can improve learning outcomes.

Naturally, if we are to succeed in improving literacy and numeracy levels within the Caribbean, there must be cooperation amongst all stakeholders. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Shiva Ramsingh is a director at I'deffect and a Risk management professional. I'deffect is an e-learning and human resource development firm dedicated to helping individuals, institutions and governments, unleash the best version of themselves. Should you wish to interact with the author, please feel free to email him at [email protected]