PERSONALISED LEARNING
What is personalisation?
Hands up if
you actually
know what
personalised
learning is. Ray Barker
looks at some definitions
hERE ARE very few terms in
T
education that are bandied about
without there being a clear and exact
definition. Despite spending my entire
career in the education sector, both
at the chalkface and with the British “looking beyond” (providing parents with better to move from lesson to lesson, teacher to teacher every using already to create a more personalised method for
Educational suppliers Association, in information about their child’s progress and helping hour, this requires schools to really plan for bringing a teaching and learning in the classroom. It is not about
addition to serving on many education committees, I them to engage in supporting learning), and “making personalised agenda into their classrooms. “individualised” learning.
am still amazed by the variety of definitions given to greater use of technology” (including learning platforms Both schools and teachers need to find their own The Gilbert Review indicated that there are already
me by teachers of “personalised learning”. and e-portfolios to monitor and assess pupils). route to personalisation through doing what is most techniques that are being practised in schools which can
But I shouldn’t be really. The strength of our system Teachers are not alone with their differing views on appropriate for them and by considering the types of support personalised learning. In particular, the review
is that schools and teachers personalise everything to personalised learning; government associations seem to learners and the kind of organisations that the school recommends using data to measure performance and
suit their individual circumstances and so enhance the be adept at manufacturing their own interpretation. represents. set learner targets, increasing the curriculum breadth,
learning of the young people in their care. Take, for example, this quote from Personalised The true challenge for teachers is to cater for a and also using IcT to “enhance collaboration and
The government report by christine Gilbert, 2020 Learning – A Practical Guide on the National variety of learning styles and adapt to each individual creative learning”.
Vision, tells us that personalised learning should strategies’ website: “The pedagogy of personalisation learner’s need. schools and teachers need to create Educational suppliers have been busily developing
“provide a learning and teaching environment which is distinguished by the way it expects all children and strategies for embedding personalisation into lessons in resources to support the personalised learning agenda,
is highly structured and responsive to each pupil’s young people to reach or exceed national expectations, a practical way, to help students feel greater ownership through data management systems and learning
learning, in order that all are able to progress, achieve to fulfil their early promise and develop latent potential.” over their own education and progress. platforms, assessment tools and software, and IcT
and participate”. But how do we, as educators, achieve yet another interpretation! Assessment plays an important role in this, by which supports learner collaboration and group work.
this? Exactly what do teachers think personalised giving teachers greater feedback in terms of each Regardless of your interpretation of this initiative,
learning means in their classrooms and schools?
Secondary solutions
student’s performance, strengths and weaknesses. I strongly believe that as long as each school has its
I set out to find the true meaning of this ubiquitous personally, I feel that no answer is exactly right or With the latest changes, including the Assessment for own clear definition of personalised learning to ensure
phrase, and asked a number of teachers and wrong, and therein lies the true value of this initiative. Learning strategy and the end of key stage 3 sATs, the individual learner needs are being catered for, and all
educationalists for their views. In secondary schools, teachers consider all the government has aimed to create an approach that puts teaching staff are informed about the school’s plan to
unsurprisingly, definitions vary significantly, possible learning pathways, whether that be vocational or the learner at the heart of assessment. embed it into the curriculum, then the results will speak
including “supporting struggling students” (providing academic, and take into account all learning abilities. for themselves. SecEd
small group or individual tuition for pupils who have so how do we take this concept and make it work
Personalisation in the classroom
fallen behind), “gifted and talented learners” (creating in secondary learning environments? With an already creativity, problem-solving, challenging learners – • Ray Barker is director of the British Educational
new opportunities to stretch gifted and talented children), rammed curriculum, tight timetables requiring learners these are just a few of the key tools that teachers are Suppliers Association, Visit www.besa.org.uk
Notes and jottings Psycho babble
A rose by any other name? Preparing for the future
Is physIcs taught in your school? probably not Dover castle by English heritage’s Dr paul pattison ALThOuGh ThE average teenager tends to adopt cricket or football coaching badges, and even beauty
– or at least not as a separate subject in its own just before it opened to the public last month. a que sera approach to the future, there can be no treatment certificates.
right – given that of the 40 per cent who get science English heritage has spent £2.5 million – its doubt that it is a dispiriting time for any student in Many of these may appear to be more vocational
Level 6 at key stage 3, only seven per cent go on biggest ever spend on a single property – to create secondary education. Not only are university places than academic, but giving students extra strings
to take physics, chemistry and biology as separate the old keep as it would have been during the time heavily over-subscribed, but even the best set of to their bows will not only provide them with
sciences at GcsE. And, lamentably of course, most of henry II, who built it to entertain overseas visitors GcsE and A level results is no guarantee of a place more opportunities for employment, but make
of the separate science students are in independent shortly after the death of Thomas Beckett. at a good university. their personal statements and cVs that much more
schools. The results are stunning – colours, sounds, Two-fifths of 16 to 24-year-olds fall into the interesting.
The confederation of British Industry has called tapestries, smells, stained glass, woodwork – all NEET (not in employment, education, or training) Grants are available for many of these options,
for all Level 6 types to be automatically put onto as opulent and impressive as it would have category, and vocational training schemes and even reciprocal arrangements can be made with vocational
separate GcsE science courses without any been when new. It really is like visiting graduate training programmes are being cut or colleges, shops and businesses will undoubtedly be
suggestion of “options”. The government plantagenet England and there’s plenty abandoned altogether at some of the biggest uK happy to offer opportunities for on-the-job training,
meanwhile has promised to make there for almost every subject on the companies. and local councils can help to set up community
separate sciences available as a GcsE curriculum, especially at key stage A mockery is made of improved work. Many can be implemented on-site, such
option to every Level 6 pupil who 3, so do try to get your charges results across the board, with claims as setting up a student radio station, student-
wants it, but goodness knows where to Dover on a school visit. All that A levels and GcsEs are easier led exercise classes, or a school magazine
it thinks the separate teachers are English heritage properties offer than ever, and a global recession, or blog.
coming from. free admission for school groups. and the unexpected return to further Why not make it a prerequisite, or
Meanwhile, the words of Dr education by countless students at least a challenge, for every student
Richard pike, chief executive of the I never did work out how to who are unable to find employment to master at least two skills during
Royal society of chemistry, are still structure a lesson with a starter and means that there is a dearth of their secondary school years?
ringing – in my ears at least. Last a plenary so I suppose I’d now be opportunities for youngsters. you’ll open their horizons and
year the society compared the detailed drummed out after the first Ofsted There appears to be very little make them better candidates
rigour of 1960s and 70s O level chemistry inspection. strange though – my incentive for students to work for further education and
questions with the generalistic waffle which pupils seemed to enjoy their work hard – the goals are ever-changing employment. Most importantly,
passes for science in today’s GcsE and be committed to it and I know and increasingly non-existent, and however, you’ll give them tangible
questions. “Achieving contrived targets they learned lots. We had fun and the rewards are intangible. so how goals and hope. Mastering skills
has become an end in itself,” he said in they passed their exams despite my do we encourage students to carry encourages self-confidence, self-
condemnation of GcsE science. lesson “plan” usually being “carry on on and give it their best? sure, belief and new ways of thinking. It
so there I was thinking about science from where we stopped yesterday”, or recessions do not last forever, but expands creativity, and encourages
in general and physics in particular “Macbeth – act 2, scene 3”. their effects do tend to be long- the development of communication.
when an Old Girls’ newsletter turned In fact, as I admitted to a former lasting. The prospects for this group This is particularly important for students
up. It came from sydenham high school colleague only the other day, I never of children look bleak. who do nothing more than turn up every
where I was a pupil, in the days when it knew when we began quite where a lesson The first and most important thing we morning and go through the motions of being
was a direct grant grammar school rather was going to end up – the joy of creative need to do is to prepare our students for the educated.
than the independent school it is now. physics teaching or shameful irresponsibility? “new” world. students need to put themselves create a suggestion box for students to put
is clearly alive at sydenham. Last year its Enter Classroom Starters and Plenaries: in a position where they stand out against other forward ideas for the types of skills they’d like to
year 12 physics group – eight girls – wrote and Creative Ideas for Use Across the Curriculum by candidates for both places in education and in jobs. learn. Actively involve them in the process of making
directed The Gieger-Muller Groove, a short film Kate Brown (continuum) which recently arrived on We need to use both school and after-school time it happen. That in itself will teach them that anything
explaining the concept of radioactivity. They entered my desk. It’s full of jolly games and gimmicks for productively in order to give kids an advantage. is possible, with a little hard work and initiative. If
a film-making competition run by planet science and teachers who want to stay in work. But hey, come to That means setting up clubs, programmes and pshE you meet resistance from parents or students who
won in three categories. An impressive achievement think of it, I did a lot of these things in the classroom activities that widen a student’s portfolio of skills believe that the academic side of education is all that
by any standards, and just think what they must have too, but I thought of them as fillers to keep the pupils and experience. matters, explain that you are preparing students for
learned – not just about physics but also about film awake. First aid courses, work in the community with an uncertain future and that learning new skills will
and presentation. A rose by any other name? the elderly or primary school pupils, opportunities give them an advantage they will undoubtedly need.
to learn the basics of gardening, sewing, cooking
One of my treats this summer was to be personally • Susan Elkin is a freelance education journalist and and baking, finance, touch-typing, journalism, • Karen Sullivan is a bestselling author, psychologist
shown round the “representation” of the keep at former teacher. swimming badges or lifeguard training, rugby, and childcare expert. Email kesullivan@aol.com
SecEd • September 3 2009 
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