PERSONALISED LEARNING

Personalised learning [Mr. Jagjit Singh]

[Robert Tweats]

[St Andrew`s Primary school]

Personalised learning

Background: personalised learning

Personalised learning is an idea born of a wider political context than education, but, as with many ideas, since it floated like a butterfly into the educational ether, much energy has been expended on pinning it down, dissecting and categorising it. Is it customised learning, personalised schooling or individualised learning, to name but a few? In an attempt to focus the debate where it mattered - in the school and in the classroom - the Department for Education and Skills (DfES, 2004) set out five components of personalised learning. These are represented in Figure 1 DfES (2006) states that: '(Personalised learning) is not individualised learning, where children work alone, nor is it pupils being left to their own devices. It means shaping teaching and learning around the different ways children learn.' DfES also states that it is not a new initiative St Andrew`s ( CE ) Primary school have been 'tailoring their curriculum and teaching methods to meet their pupils' needs for years'. What is new, it claims, is the drive to make practices such as a flexible curriculum universal.

Figure 1: Five key components of personalised learning Source: Personalised Learning TLRP/ESRC 2004, Editors James, A and Pollard, A

The government's most recent education white paper, Higher Standards, Better schools for (DfES, 2005) has again reinforced personalised learning as a central theme in its bid to raise standards and provide excellence for all as part of the Every Child Matters (DfES, 2003) agenda St Andrew`s ( CE ) Primary school leaders have recognised and embraced the possibilities for values-driven innovation that the personalisation debate offers. Accepting the challenge and the invitation to contribute to a conversation (DfES, 2004), NCSL's Leadership Network established a research project. This would explore, describe, report and comment on the approaches existing in a sample of St Andrew`s ( CE ) Primary school across the country which were endeavouring to meet the challenges of personalised learning and enhance the educational experience of children and young people.

Discussion

Eight headteachers and/or deputy headteachers/vice principals were invited by the network to take up the research challenge as research associates. Between them, they would explore the five components of personalisation described above (Figure 1). They would do this within their own phase, or across phases, and in each case identify a focus area from these components. Their studies are not representative of all aspects of practice identified within the five components model shown in Figure 1, for example in relation to the use of ICT in personalising learning and teaching; however, the studies cover a range of the aspects. The study areas are identified below. Does it help to know? focuses on the use of a range of assessment for learning (AfL) practices in a group of four primary St Andrew`s ( CE ) Primary school. “Are you learnin' us today, Miss?” explores effective teaching and learning, including AfL, within a culture of relationships in a group ...