“Education for All”

2011 Conference

Personalising LearningOpportunities and Challenges

Dr Julia AtkinEducation & Learning Consultant

“Bumgum”Harden-Murrumburrah NSW 2587

Julia@learning-by-design.comhttp://www.learning-by-design.com

© Julia Atkin, 2011

Personalising learning – what, why, how?

Meta-view of educational context - 20C 21C- Educative purpose- Relating curriculum to educative purpose- Improved education ‘technologies’

The nature of change/transformation

The nature of learning

Exemplars

THREADS OF SESSION

. . . education is at the cross roads.

Choosing one direction will lead efforts to lift performance within traditional educational models.

Choosing the other will see radical changes in education that will shift the way we think about [schooling]…

Steve Maharey

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

© Julia Atkin, 2011

What is personalised learning like? - Responses

When was learning highly personalised?

- felt purpose, meaning- experienced as personal challenge- relationship with teacher one of ‘tutor’, mentor, ‘sponsorship’- alone, individual – unfolding of personal meaning- sense of personal achievement- sense of personal pride- ‘aha’ – got it!- learned how to learn, understood myself as learner- changed view of the world- personal interest, relevance

Underpinning metaphor of the Industrial Era

© Julia Atkin, 2009

Quality Control:

Efficiency

Uniformity

Meets standard specification

No waste

• journey• growth• construction- reconstruction creation - recreation• transformation• enlightenment• empowerment• enrichment

Underpinning metaphors for learning: - organic, dynamic, holistic

What constitutes qualitycontrol:

- for a journey?

- in a garden?

- in a creation?

© Julia Atkin, 2009

It is no wonder that educators rankle at the

mention of leagues tables and standardised

testing.

Educare – means to form, mold or train

while…

Educere – means to nurture, grow, lead out

Inherent tension in the term ‘education’

Which way do you lean? Or do you successfully

integrate both?

© Julia Atkin, 2010

© Julia Atkin, 2011

What are the CHALLENGES in working towards personalising learning?

TimeResourcesStaff expectationsStudent expectationsLack of know-howOutside pressuresResistance to change

© Julia Atkin, 2011

Personalising learning – what is it?

Reflect on some of your learning experiences that you consider were ‘personalised’?Relive one or two experiences.

What is personalised learning like? What is an image or an analogy for personalised learning?

Share your story and image/analogy with two others.

What do we mean by personalised learning?

The Locomotive Act 1865 (Red Flag Act) was designed to ensure that the early locomotive could not travel faster than a horse by requiring a person to walk ahead (60 yards) of each vehicle waving a red flag.

© Julia Atkin,2010

Understanding change – the ‘Red Flag Act’

Locomotives on Highways Act 1896

Many of the restrictions were subsequently removed

© Julia Atkin,2010

"HJ Lawson and his wife at the start of the Emancipation Run, Brighton, East Sussex, 1896 Artist: Unknown"

Timeline

Limited weight ‘Red Flag’ Act Amendments Removal of restrictions& speed

1861 – 1865 – 1878 - 1896

From Steam Powered machinery to the Dynamo and Electrification The Dynamo and the Computer: An Historical Perspective on the Modern Productivity Paradox Paul David The American Economic Review, Vol. 80, No. 2, Papers and Proceedings of the Hundred and Second Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association (May, 1990), pp. 355-361

© Julia Atkin,2011

Timeline1830 – Michael Faraday invents the dynamo

Late 1800’s – slow down in production, limited use of electricity

Far sighted engineers had envisaged profound transformations electrification wouldbring……the transformation of industrial processes by new electric power was a long delayed and far from automatic business

1920’s - 50% diffusion

What were the restricting factors?• Buildings•  $• ‘Management’ practices, production practices• Lack of valuing (and systems for valuing) ‘new goods’

© Julia Atkin,2011

‘Regime transition thesis’ - transformation is a long delayed and far   from an automatic business

The origin of the term ‘curriculum

Cur•ri•cle

noun historical

a light, open, two-wheeled carriage pulled by two horses side by side.

ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: from Latin curriculum ‘course, racing chariot,’ from currere ‘to run.’

Meta view – evolution of ‘curriculum’

Are we still advocating curriculum as a ‘narrow

track to be run as a competition’ pulled along by

teachers?

CoreLatin

GreekMathematics

1870

KLAsEnglishMaths

ScienceSocial SciencesPE/Health/PDDesign & Tech

Visual & Perf ArtsLOTE

1990’s

CoreEnglishMaths

ScienceHistory

1962

Arts

Geography

CommercialStudies

Languages

PE

Craft

Key Competencies

Essential Skills/LearningsNew Basics

Essential Learning

Development of self & self for society

2011+

Learning Areas

SECONDARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM EVOLUTION

Cross curricular perspectives

General Capabilities

We are on the verge of an ‘inversion’ of curriculum in which the ‘core’ task of education is the development of self and self for society.

The key challenge is to design curriculum so that the ways of knowing of the Key Learning Areas, the General Capabilities and cross curricular perspectives contribute to the development of the whole self.

© Julia Atkin, 2008

CoreLatin

GreekMathematics

1870

KLAsEnglishMaths

ScienceSocial SciencesPE/Health/PDDesign & Tech

Visual & Perf ArtsLOTE

1990’s

CoreEnglishMaths

ScienceHistory

1962

Arts

Geography

CommercialStudies

Languages

PE

Craft

Key Competencies

Essential Skills/LearningsNew Basics

Essential Learning

Development of self & self for society

2011+

Learning Areas

SECONDARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM EVOLUTION

Cross curricular perspectives

General Capabilities

© Julia Atkin, 2008

How did the perceived purpose of Secondary Education in each era influence the curriculum?

What was the political and social context of the time?

What legacy are we dealing with?

How do we move beyond ‘past patterning’?

21st century education is increasingly driven by a desire to develop young people who are:o   adaptable

o   creative

o   collaborative

o   responsive

o   self directed

o   capable of being self managing

in networks and less hierarchical settings and communities than experienced by their parents and teachers at the same age.

Educative Purpose for 21C

© Julia Atkin, 2010

If these are just some of the attributes we need to help students develop, are their learning experiences richly preparing them?

Are they given the opportunity to be:Self directed and self managing in their learning?

Goal 1: Australian schooling promotes equity and excellence

Goal 2: All young Australians become: Successful learners Confident and creative

individuals Active and informed citizens

Australian Curriculum

www.mceecdya.edu.au/mceecdya/melbourne_declaration,25979.html (accessed 16/10/2010) 18

The Melbourne Declaration of Educational Goals for young

Australians unequivocally stated our educative purpose.

The Australian Curriculumhttp://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Home

Learning Areas – ‘subjects’

General Capabilities• Literacy

• Numeracy

• Information & Communication Technology(ICT) competence

• Critical & creative thinking

• Ethical behaviour

• Personal & Social Competence

• Intercultural understanding

Cross Curriculum Priorities Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander histories & cultures, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia,Sustainability

Achievement Standards

How do we ensure the Australian Curriculum does not become a

‘narrow track to be run’?How do we ensure we work with the Aus Curriculum so that it becomes a

rich open field to explore?

The ‘Essence’ of the Australian Curriculum

‘successful learnersconfident & creativeactive and informed

citizens’

CROSS CURRICULAR PERSPECTIVES

GENERALCAPABILITIES

LEARNINGAREAS

The Melbourne Declaration of Educational Goals for young

Australians unequivocally stated our educative purpose.

© Julia Atkin, 2010

KEY ELEMENTS:

How are schools personalising learning?

© Julia Atkin, 2010

© Julia Atkin, 2009

From ‘best practice’ to ‘best principle’

We value

Personalised

learningbecause I believe I

feel better physically and

psychologically.

Ensure all living spaces have lots of natural light.

Lots of windows

Large opening doors or shutters

Use skylights

‘Glass’ bricks as

walls

Reduce number of

walls

Glass roof

© Julia Atkin, 2009

WHY and HOW Personalised learning?

We value

Personalised learning because we believe it is:

- transformative- lasting- empowering- enriching- enlightening- motivating- personally meaningful, and it- builds the individual’s capacity  

to learn

© Julia Atkin, 2009

WHY and HOW Personalised learning?

We value

Personalised learning because we believe it is:

- transformative- lasting- empowering- enriching- enlightening- motivating- personally

meaningful, and it- builds the individual’s

 capacity to learn

Design Principles

Learning experiences that are student directed, driven by student

interests and passions

Systems and approaches to develop students’ capacity to:

Take responsibility for own learningManage their own learning

Reflect on their own learningSet own learning goals – micro and

macro

Mentoring approach

Programs for learning how to

learn

Metacognition

Assessment approaches that

focus on:self assessment against own

goals, plotting next stepsIndividual

progressionReflection on

learning

Programs to develop deep knowkedge of

SELF and SELF in relation to

others

© Julia Atkin, 2009

WHY and HOW Personalised learning?

We value

Personalised learning because we believe it is:

- transformative- lasting- empowering- enriching- enlightening- motivating- personally

meaningful, and it- builds the individual’s

 capacity to learn

Design PrinciplesLearning experiences that are student

directed, driven by student interests and passions

Systems and approaches to develop students’ capacity to:Take responsibility for own learning

Manage their own learningReflect on their own learning

Set own learning goals – micro and macro

Mentoring approach

Programs for learning how to

learn

Metacognition

Assessment approaches that

focus on:self assessment

against own goals, plotting next steps

Individual progression

Reflection on learning

Programs to develop deep knowkedge of SELF and SELF in relation to others

Practices

Practices & Structures for 21C Ed Purpose

ASPECT CONVENTIONAL LEARNING FOR APPROACH KNOWLEDGE ERA

Focus of learning Imposed Negotiated

Mistakes Should not be made To be learned from

Assessment Exams Authentic – various modes

View of Right - wrong Uncertainty - shades World of grey

Determined by Central authority Local/personal needs in context of general/global framework

Staffed by Subject expert Cross curricula team

Aim Theory to practicePractice to theory & theory to practice

Ethos Competitive against Striving for personal bestothers against criteria & standards

Approach Content & teaching Process & content, learning driven driven

Focus Teaching centred Learning centred

Teacher role Expert Fellow learner / facilitator/sometimes expert

Emphasis Knowing that Knowing how & whyand how to find out

Student Working alone Working collaboratively and alone activity – independence and interdependence

Student role Passive/receptive Active/generativemetacognitive, reflective

Learning Programmed Flexible/opportunityexperiences guided by framework of outcomes

and learners' interests/needs

What are our navigation aids?

• our values

• beliefs about leadership & learning

• clarity of purpose

• open mindedness imagination

• critical reflection

• dialogue

© Julia Atkin, 2009

What is powerful learning?What is it powerful to learn?

Education Design & DevelopmentKey elements & Shapers

WHY school?What is your educative

purpose?

WHAT shouldstudents learn?What is essential?What is desirable?

HOW do students learn?Principles of Effective

Learning

CONTEXT

values&

beliefsshapes &informs

LEARNING

THEORY

informs

© Julia Atkin, 2009

When we have determined what we believe it is essential and desirable to learn, how do we ensure that it is learned powerfully??