Personalisation

The idea of ‘personalisation’ in education draws on a long tradition of putting the learner at the centre. Following the success of the 2008 event Personalising the Learner Journey, LSIS ran a second national conference on 16th March 2009, exploring the themes of personalisation and supporting learners to succeed. Interactive voting technology was used to explore delegates’ views on personalisation and you can view the results here. Further handouts and podcasts from this Personalising the Learner Journey: Supporting Learners to Succeed event will also be available on these pages.

Personalisation aims to make every student’s learning experience responsive to his or her particular interests. It invites teachers to involve their learners in decision-making and to plan for their learning to maximise their motivation, relate to their background, draw on their strengths and take account of their preferred learning styles.

Supporting learners to succeed, by personalising their learning journey, is an important factor in many LSIS programmes and services. More information on this is available across the Excellence Gateway, for example –

Personalisation in the Vocational Learning Support Programme

How personalisation and the learner voice can support community cohesion

Personalisation and citizenship

Personalising teaching and learning by supporting learners to become “expert”

Context

In November 2006 the DfES produced a consultation document entitled Personalising Further Education: Developing a Vision. It summarises personalisation as ‘working in partnership with the learner - to tailor their learning experience and pathways, according to their needs and personal objectives in a way which delivers success’. You can access the paper at the DCSF consultation archive.