Focus on learning
The power of technology in facilitating personalised learning Seb Francis explores some new techniques The importance of personalised learning programmes in maximising learning outcomes has long been recognised, but has not always been possible to implement in the majority of schools. While, as the name suggests, the focus is on empowering the student to take control of their own learning, the nature of personalised learning requires systematic monitoring and assessment on the part of the teacher in order to anticipate where intervention or guidance is needed. This has traditionally posed a challenge to timepoor teachers with responsibility for large groups of learners. However, with the emergence of new software and hardware tools, it is possible for teachers to enable a high degree of personalisation without an associated increase in workload. One key use of technology in this way is the learning management system, or virtual learning environment. Having started life as relatively simple online repositories of resources and activities, learning platforms have evolved to become more sophisticated tools for stimulating, guiding and assessing Winter
Summer |
| 2017
learners individually. From the teacher’s perspective learning management systems give greater flexibility in defining personal learning plans, either by manually refining and adjusting a course to better fit an individual student’s needs or by allowing students themselves to take some control over the definition of their learning goals. Furthermore, a degree of automation is possible; for example, defining steps in a course so that learners are presented with a different set of activities depending on their current progress. This type of conditional activity is well suited to mixed ability groups where a single teacher is required to give extra support to certain learners while providing extended stimulus for others. Using technology to differentiate learning in this way is a key advantage. While teachers are limited by the amount of contact time they have with their students, in some cases only a couple of hours per week, using software to direct learning in this way means learners can work through topics at a pace that suits them. Communication
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