A pedagogy of personalised learning

While reading about “Current issues in curriculum” today, I was pointed to this document from the UK government: Personalised Learning: A practical guide (pdf). I thought it might be worth sharing and of use to others. It’s long, but outlines some plans and strategies for personalised learning in schools.

How achievable is this in a setting with a rigid curriculum syllabus?

How fluid can the curriculum be made in order to really facilitate personalised learning ideals without sacrificing ‘standards’?

A curriculum framework, such as the MYP, should work well with personalised learning.

So when we design a scheme of work or unit, how do we keep the ideas of personalised learning in mind yet ensure that we meet these goals:

• Sufficient data-points for each criterion in the reporting period to form a reliable best-fit grade?
• Common assessment tasks* and quality/ reliability control within a department?
• Sufficient opportunities for formative assessment and feedback?
• Adequate preparation for the IBDP in terms of skills (and content)?
• Satisfactory treatment of the unit question and enduring understandings?

Essentially, personalised learning means high-quality differentiation. The curriculum framework should allow us to differentiate for our students’ needs whilst maintaining a high degree of coherence in the curriculum.

……….o0O0o……….

*Do they all need to be common? Could we allow students a choice of tasks – collaboratively planned – to complete in order to meet the assessment requirements? How open-ended can we make the specifications for an assessment for a given set of criteria in order to facilitate differentiation and yet maintain coherence?