Why 'One-Size-Fits-All' Learning Doesn't Work
2025-08-05
Why 'One-Size-Fits-All' Learning Doesn't Work
In many schools and programs, students follow a strict list of projects, like recipes in a cookbook: build this, then build that, step 1, step 2, step 3.
But when every child is doing the same thing, it raises a big question:
Are they really learning?
Or are they just following instructions?
The Problem with “Curriculum on Rails”
A comparison of a rigid curriculum and an open-ended learning approach.
A rigid curriculum might look neat and organized on paper, but it often turns into a passive experience. Students aren’t thinking deeply — they’re just completing tasks.
There’s little room for curiosity, exploration, or meaningful failure. And worse, everyone walks away having built the exact same thing.
At Clubhouse, We Do Things Differently
A visual of a student choosing a project, learning required skills, experimenting, and completing it with mentor feedback.
We teach kids the fundamentals, yes. But after that, we let them choose their own path.
Students at Clubhouse build projects that matter to them, not just projects handed to them. They:
- Pick what they want to make
- Learn extra skills along the way
- Get mentorship, not micromanagement
- Fail, improve, and actually understand
This is real learning, where confidence is built not by completing a checklist, but by solving problems that matter personally.
What Personalization Really Means
Everyone says their program is “personalized.” But if every kid is still doing the same project, how personal is it, really?
At Clubhouse, personalization means students:
- Decide what project to build after the basics
- Learn new skills because their project requires it
- Leave with the tools to learn on their own
We don’t aim to teach everything. That’s impossible. Instead, we teach kids how to learn independently, a skill they’ll use long after class ends.
Clubhouse Engineers: Learn Differently. Build Confidently.
We’re a STEM enrichment center serving students aged 6–17 in the Greater Toronto Area. Our programs help kids move beyond recipe-following and into genuine problem-solving and innovation.