A framework to support personalising prescribed school curricula

Abstract

There is a recent advocacy for students to experience their learning as personalised, but this expectation poses challenges for teachers tasked with addressing prescribed curricula. In this article, we draw on relevant literature and our analyses of three case studies to propose a framework within which teachers can achieve both goals. We first clarify what we mean by personalising learning, noting problems in how it is currently conceptualised and enacted. We suggest that any attempt to support students to personalise their learning needs to be contextualised within broader curricular goals, and that its developmental nature entails progressions in specific learner capabilities, and therefore the need for students to be supported in this process. In proposing a framework for this support, we focus on general principles around the what and how of this process rather than on particular discipline areas.

Facilitating differentiated instruction in a multi-grade setting: the case of a small school

“…Following the data collection, the audio recorded interview conversations were transcribed verbatim. Subsequently, the field notes of the lesson observations and the lesson plan documents were organised and made ready for the analysis (Patton 2002). Data of these three types were analysed separately, and to identify their commonalities and discrepancies, findings were compared with one another.…”

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University and school research partnerships as a source of professional growth in regional communities

“…Improving regional low socioeconomic status (SES) students' chances to achieve socially just outcomes remains a significant challenge in Australia. Educators increasingly recognise the need to address the academic achievement and wellbeing disparities encountered by low socioeconomic status primary and secondary students, including in regional settings (Halsey, 2018;Heckman & Masterov, 2007;OECD, 2010;Prain et al, 2018). There is a need for research-based evidence of the effects of interdependent systemic strategies to address educational disadvantage in Australia (Emerson et al, 2012;Productivity Commission, 2012).…”

A Literary Review on Personalized MOOC Design

“…Prain et al (2018) proposed a framework for teacher supporting students personalized learning and suggested that any attempt to support students in personalized learning needs to be contextualized within broader curricular goals Mccarthy et al (2020). described a strengths-based blended personalized learning model, which identifies and builds upon students' strengths,…”