Designing Personalised Learning
Transforming Education for the Future
Anthony Seldon and others have discussed how the impact of technological change and artificial intelligence has ushered in ‘The Fourth Education Revolution’ that will transform education towards personalised and flexible learning approaches. [The Fourth Education Revolution: Will Artificial Intelligence Liberate or Infantilise Humanity?, Seldon, Anthony, and Abidoye, Oladimeji., University of Buckingham Press, 2018.]
To create an education system that realises the greatest potential of individuals, we must transform traditional methods to embrace person-centred learning design. This transformation involves rethinking our approaches to teaching spaces, curricula, assessments, and the implementation of technology. It requires a commitment to supporting neurodiversity, fostering creative learning approaches, and adopting flexible management systems and timetabling.
By prioritising the needs and interests of students, we can create an educational environment that not only supports academic achievement but also nurtures personal growth, creativity, and well-being. As we continue to navigate the complexities of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it is imperative that our education system evolves to prepare students for the future. This means equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to thrive in an ever-changing world. It also means allowing students to be the creators of their own learning - not the consumers of the curriculum created for them by others.
Achieving person-centred education is not an easy task, but it is a necessary one. Too many young people continue to have frustrating educational experiences. By embracing a philosophy of personalised learning, we can create educational environments that truly reflect the diverse needs and aspirations of our students, setting them on a path to fulfilling and successful lives.
Barriers to Implementation
Despite a long standing call to adopt a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach this has remained elusive within mainstream educational practice. Several barriers prevent the full implementation of person-centred education:
Traditional educational systems are often rigid, prioritising standardised testing and a one-size-fits-all curriculum over individual development.
Personalising education requires time, training, and access to innovative tools and technologies, which are often scarce in many educational institutions.
Political, social and parental expectations often pressure students and schools to feel that they need conform to the same conventional educational pathways that parents recognise, regardless of whether these align with the diverse learning needs, passions and strengths of the student and a constantly changing world.
Challenges to Achieving Person-Centred Education
The existing infrastructure of educational institutions significantly impacts on the effectiveness of the learning experience for pupils and students in many areas:
Teaching Spaces and Buildings: Traditional classrooms and lecture spaces are boxes where rows of desks face a single teacher or lecturer. This setup can limit interaction, creativity, and personalised learning.
Academic Curriculum: The standardised curriculum often lacks flexibility and relevance to an individual student’s interests and needs.
Assessment Methodologies: Traditional assessments, such as standardised tests, fail to capture the full range of a student’s abilities and strengths. The methods are stressful and do not account for different learning styles.
Learning and Diversity: Educational systems have historically struggled to accommodate neurodiverse students and the diverse student body as a whole in the delivery of a centralised, culturally-determinist curriculum.
Technology in Learning: Implementation can be inconsistent curriculum and technology often reinforces standardisation in the educational experience, rather than challenging it.
Creative Learning Approaches: Project-based learning and creative work and assessment are traditionally undervalued in education.
Educational Management Systems: Student management systems can hinder the development of innovation and personalised learning. These systems often prioritise administrative efficiency over educational effectiveness.
Timetabling Limitations: Traditional timetabling structures can restrict the flexibility needed for personalised learning. Fixed schedules do not allow for extended project work, interdisciplinary learning, or personalised pacing.
Strategies for Achieving Person-Centred Education
Despite these challenges, there are strategies that can help educational institutions move towards more person-centred approaches:
Flexible Curricula integrating Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Developing a flexible curriculum, with space for student-led design and creativity allows educators to adapt teaching methods and materials to meet the needs of individual students. Utilising UDL strategies supports the opportunity to realise a delivery approach that provides the best experience for the learner.
This approach encourages the incorporation of project-based learning, where students engage in hands-on, real-world projects that are relevant to their interests and future career aspirations. By allowing students to explore topics they are passionate about, educators can foster a deeper engagement and motivation for learning.
By focusing on the learner and incorporating UDL principles, educators can create more engaging, relevant, and effective educational experiences that cater to diverse learning styles and needs. [ Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology)., 2018.]
2. Person-centred Technology:
Technology plays a crucial role in facilitating personalised education. Adaptive learning platforms can use data to tailor educational content, ensuring that each student receives the right level of challenge and support. AI-driven tools can provide real-time feedback and tailor learning experiences to individual needs when allied with teacher and student aligned objectives and outcomes. Technology is beneficial when it coordinates the collaborative engagement between teacher and student to create innovative and person-centred learning.
For example, learning technology could recommend activities based on a student’s performance, interests and learning style, helping them to progress at their own pace. This avoids the risks of the past, where technology has been introduced into the educational context without sufficient consideration of its true impact on, or value for the learner.
There is also an opportunity to utilise nudge theory, proposed by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, for new technologies to offer positive reinforcement to support the learner journey and encourage wellbeing. In the context of education, nudge theory can help improve student engagement and motivation. [Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness., Thaler, Richard H., and Cass R. Sunstein, Penguin Books, 2009.].
UDL also supports personalized learning by allowing students to choose their assessment activities and educational progression pathways based on their interests and strengths. This fosters engagement and motivation. Traditional assessments can be adapted to include multiple formats to enable students to demonstrate their knowledge, reducing anxiety and achieve success. [Universal Design for Learning: Theory and Practice, Rose, David H., and Anne Meyer., CAST Professional Publishing, 2014.].
3. Fostering a Growth Mindset:
Promoting a growth mindset — where students understand that their abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort and perseverance — is essential for person-centred education. Educators can encourage this mindset by providing constructive feedback, celebrating effort rather than innate ability, and creating a safe environment where mistakes are viewed as opportunities for learning.
Mindfulness techniques can also have a positive impact on this process and nudges can be used to promote a growth mindset by providing regular, positive feedback and framing challenges as opportunities for learning and growth. [Mindset: The New Psychology of Success., Dweck, Carol S., Random House, 2006].
4. Enhancing Teacher Training:
To implement person-centred education effectively, teachers need ongoing professional development and support. Training programmes should focus on strategies for personalising learning, using technology effectively, and managing diverse classrooms. Technology skills linked to creative approaches need to be developed in those who will be educating future generations of students. By equipping teachers with the skills and knowledge they need, educational institutions can create a more supportive environment for personalised learning.
5. Encouraging Student Voice and Choice:
Empowering students to take an active role in their education is a cornerstone of person-centred learning. This can be achieved by involving students in setting their learning goals, choosing their projects, and reflecting on their progress. When students have a say in their education, they are more likely to be engaged and take ownership of their learning journey.
6. Designing Person-Centred Learning Spaces & Timetables:
Developing spaces which break up the conventional dynamic with students sat facing a teacher or professor is key to create the right environment for learning. Teaching rooms should provide flexibility and greater freedom for students to self-organise within dynamic physical spaces. At the heart of person-centred learning spaces should be the principles that inspire creative thinking, stimulate innovation and foster collaboration. These spaces should also create a positive interaction with technology where appropriate, but with the learner at the centre of the experience, rather than on one-side as they are now, positioned as the consumer of educational knowledge from others.
Furthermore, by adopting more flexible timetabling, with spaces for students to develop their own learning both as individuals and within project teams, schools and universities can create opportunities for deeper, more meaningful learning experiences that align with students’ interests and needs and offer multidisciplinary collaborative curriculum activities.
Physical and digital learning environments can be designed to promote positive behaviours, such as arranging open spaces to facilitate collaboration or using learning management systems to support flexible educational journeys that adjust the student’s schedule over time. These more open frameworks for learning empower students to take ownership of their educational journey. [The Ethics of Influence: Government in the Age of Behavioural Science., Sunstein, Cass R. Cambridge University Press, 2016.]
Real-World Examples
Several educational institutions are already successfully implementing forms of person-centred education:
Finland is renowned for its progressive educational approach, which prioritises student well-being and personalised learning. Finnish schools offer flexible curricula that allow teachers to adapt lessons to students’ interests and needs. The emphasis on collaborative learning and critical thinking prepares students for the complexities of the modern world.
A network of charter schools in the United States, exemplifies person-centred education. The schools use project-based learning to engage students in meaningful, real-world projects. This approach not only helps students develop academic skills but also fosters creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork.
The Montessori method is another model of person-centred education. Montessori schools provide a prepared environment where students can choose from a range of activities that match their developmental needs and interests. This self-directed learning approach encourages independence, curiosity, and a love of learning.
4. Big Picture Learning schools:
Big Picture schools use flexible timetables to support personalised learning plans. Students spend significant time on internships and real-world projects, allowing them to explore their interests deeply and develop practical skills.
The Role of Parents and the Community
Achieving person-centred education is not solely the responsibility of schools and educators. Parents and the broader community play a crucial role in supporting and reinforcing personalised learning experiences. Parents can encourage their children’s interests and provide opportunities for exploration outside the classroom. Community organisations can offer resources, mentorship, and real-world learning experiences that complement formal education.
The Opportunity for a New Paradigm of Learning
Person-centred education is a philosophy that places the individual learner at the heart of the educational process. This approach acknowledges that each student is unique, with distinct strengths, interests, and needs.
By focusing on the learner, educators can create more engaging, relevant, and effective educational experiences. This is a philosophy that can ensure that whatever a learner’s distinct background, experience and diverse needs, the learning approaches can adapt to them rather than the other way around. New opportunities in technology help to transform the education process to be truly inclusive, supporting the diverse learning needs and intelligences of all pupils and students.
When it comes to creating educational experiences, numerous pre-determined factors impact the learner. While it is recognised that there should be much more consideration of the learner at the centre of any educational experience, how often is this realised in practice? And can we develop a self-awareness of cognitive strengths to help learners to flourish?
