This is certainly one of the key areas to be focusing on in the next few years and lies at the heart of the government’s Every Child Matters agenda. Put simply, personalised learning and teaching means taking a highly structured and responsive approach to each child’s and young person’s learning, in order that all are able to progress, achieve and participate. It means strengthening the link between learning and teaching by engaging pupils – and their parents – as partners in learning. Underpinning it all is the mindset that accepts and assumes every child comes to the classroom with a different knowledge base and skill set, as well as varying aptitudes and aspirations; and that, as a result, there is a determination for every young person’s needs to be assessed and their talents developed, through diverse teaching strategies.
What does it mean for history departments?
A few points are worth making quickly
1. It is NOT individualised learning
2. Nor is it pupils left to their own devices
3. It is not new!
It does mean shaping teaching around the way different youngsters learn. Learning paths need to take account of pupils’ needs, interests, and aspirations.
There are FIVE main
