The Time for Personalized Education is Now

This is a really relevant and present-day discussion to have. I have two kids; 9 and 12. This year I have been wondering - due to how fast AI has been evolving - whether they will be attending or even require a university degree or education. To me, that is a wild realization of where the world is headed and how fast this transition is taking place. 

TWO SIGMA DIFFERENCE

Christopher Columbus High School, Bronx, NY

Forty years ago - OMG! I was in High School! - in 1984, educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom published a study that revealed something incredible, and equally frustrating. He found that students who received one-on-one human tutoring, focused on mastery learning, performed two standard deviations - or "two sigma" - better on exams than students in a conventional classroom. To put that into perspective, it's like moving an average student from the 50th percentile all the way up to the 98th percentile. It was a massive, undeniable effect.

The "problem," as Bloom identified it, wasn't a lack of knowledge about what worked. The problem was that personalized, one-on-one tutoring was prohibitively expensive and logistically impossible to scale for entire education systems. The challenge he left the educational community was to find a method of group instruction that could achieve similar results. For decades, this "2 Sigma Problem" remained a powerful ideal that was just out of reach.

But now, the time has come to solve it. The solution has arrived in the form of artificial intelligence.

AI tutors are no longer a sci-fi concept. They are a potential, and powerful, solution to Bloom's challenge, offering a way to deliver individualized instruction at an unprecedented scale. We now have the tools to give every child the opportunity to learn and grow according to their specific needs, their natural skills, and their unique personality. Now, that is a wild reality to get used to.

The Classroom of Tomorrow

Imagine a classroom where every student has a personalized learning plan. An AI tutor could work alongside a human teacher, not as a replacement, but as an endlessly patient and knowledgeable assistant.

Here’s how it could work:

• Customized Learning Paths: The AI could first assess a student’s current understanding and natural inclinations, then build a learning path tailored to their pace. If a student is a visual learner, the AI could serve up more videos and diagrams. If they are a strong writer, the AI could prompt them with more creative, text-based assignments.

• Instant, Individualized Feedback: Unlike a busy teacher, an AI tutor can provide immediate feedback on every single problem. It can identify where a student is struggling and provide extra practice or different explanations in real-time. This approach ensures that a child doesn't move on until they have truly grasped a concept.

• Unlocking Potential: This approach also frees students from the rigid structure of a one-size-fits-all curriculum. A child with a natural gift for physics could be challenged with advanced problems while another who needs more time to grasp a concept can receive the support they need without feeling left behind. Every child has the chance to develop their strengths and fulfill their potential.

For too long, our education system has been designed for efficiency, not for individuals. But the "2 Sigma Problem" showed us what was possible when learning was truly personalized. Now, with the power of AI, that possibility is no longer a distant dream. It's an achievable reality. Don´t you think this is the time to give our children the education they deserve?

Thanks for reading. Abrazos.

Diego Rojas