Contextualization in General
In this hyper globalized world, personalization has been the key driver of effective marketing and exponential growth. Contextualization of things has become the norm. Be it the banking industry or the mass media OTT platforms, every service-based industry is using contextual marketing for better customer targeting and increased conversions.
For a more grass-root level understanding let’s see how contextualization and personalization have been working in the OTT sphere. Ever got recommendations after watching a Netflix show? Wondered how they have managed to suggest only your type of thing? Well, that’s a result of their smart machine learning algorithms which are redefining personalization & contextualization. What it’s doing here is increasing the probability of you watching their recommendations as it aligns with your area of interest.
Contextual Learning
Applying a similar approach to the education sphere we have developed the concept of Contextual Learning. If we go by the definition, Contextual Learning is a constructivist theory which states that learning takes place when teachers are able to present information in such a way that students are able to construct meaningful inferences based on their own experiences.
Contextual learning has become the need of the hour today in the education industry. The traditional methods of education emphasize a one size fits all approach, on the contrary, the contextual learning experience encourages learning in light of meaningful experience so that the students or the audience can relate with the teachings of the subject matter on a more personal note.
Let’s consider a classroom scenario where your physics teacher is trying to explain the concept of Inertia. The first approach takes the usual textbook definition and some elaboration of the topic with complex jargon, in the second method you’ve been asked to imagine an incident when you suddenly pulled the breaks of your car and felt Inertia. What will be a more effective way to do it? The second method is an obvious answer.
This learning in a context not only speeds up the whole learning process but also nurtures a positive learning experience by instigating curiosity in the minds of the learners as they are more likely to relate with the content presented.
You can’t judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, similarly, there can’t be a single model of teaching and learning that will be effective for all the students, especially when the students here are normal human beings rather than bots, possessing a high degree of variability and subjectivity. Also, any kind of learning experience should be facilitated after taking the person’s area of interest into account and not through a generic approach.
The application-focused approach of contextual learning puts things into perspective. What’s equally important to contextualization if not more is the indigenization of the content that is to be taught to the learner. Indigenization here means enhancing curriculum competencies, educational resources and the overall learning process in relation to the bio-geographical and social-cultural setting of the targeted learners. This will help the learner to connect with the subject matter on a more personal note and will make it more relatable for them.
