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International Day of Education
On January 24th, 2022, United Nations will be celebrating the fourth International Day of Education under the theme “Changing Course, Transforming Education”. [1]

Challenges to achieving universal education
“According to UNESCO, today, 258 million children and youth still do not attend school; 617 million children and adolescents cannot read and do basic math; less than 40% of girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete lower secondary school and some four million children and youth refugees are out of school. “ [2]

What could be the reason for the above-mentioned falling literacy rates?
No two learners are the same- learners progress at different paces, and different strategies. When instructional strategies are not proactively implemented to align with students’ learning styles, students tend to lose focus. This results in a higher dropout rate, a lower pass rate, and consequently a reduced graduation rate. [3] Inappropriate, unmatched readability levels not only impact learners’ education but also affect self-esteem, the motivation for independent learning and chances of achieving their maximum potential in life.

Differentiation of Reading Levels and Online Learning:
Differentiation of reading levels is adjusting educational instruction to meet the unique needs of diverse learners. Differentiation is not a single strategy, but an approach to instruction that incorporates a variety of strategies. When teachers differentiate, they do so in response to a learner’s readiness, interest, and learning profile. Because of unique and diverse learning needs, the product, process, and/or content must be differentiated into various learning levels. [4]
The last few years saw a high impact of the pandemic on education. Hybrid method- a combination of online and classroom learning was introduced- thereby leading to a new era of education. Digitization of classrooms meant that an ocean of educational information was available through the internet. With this, a major challenge was to find online content that was relevant. The next challenge arose when this content was not matched according to reading levels and was difficult to comprehend. This could be solved by introducing differentiation of reading levels into online educational content.

Wizenoze- Helping close the global literacy gap:
At Wizenoze, their mission is to help close the global literacy gap by eliminating one-size-fits-all reading material, thereby transforming education, and making it more accessible. They support students in their growing need to navigate online content so that it is easy to find, all matched according to their reading levels. They empower teachers to personalize results with rapid access to specific materials for individual learning needs.

As we move forward
As avid believers in the transformational power of education, Wizenoze aims to reclaim the internet for learning, by changing its course. To match the needs of new generations of learners ever more closely, so they can look forward to a future of better careers, better health, greater equality, less poverty, and more rewarding work.

 

References