Assignment TM1

Title: What does personalised learning mean in practice? Analyse the learning needs of EAL pupils, and those of SEN pupils. Discuss how the needs you identify can be met most effectively in subject teaching.

Within this context over the past ten years’ the term ‘personalised learning’ gained political capital and could be considered as a defining feature of the UK’s educational system. (Miliband 2004)
Personalised learning – theory and practice
The Sussex report states personalised learning is ‘characterised by high levels of participation of pupils and staff in the schools, learning to learn and pupil voice’. It is a continuous progress which facilitates a ‘deeper learning’. (University of Sussex, 2007).
Differentiation can ensure a classroom of mixed ability students are all stimulated and stretched, and this can be achieved regardless of ability when setting tasks, if executed as though one were climbing a ladder in order to reach the top, or objective of the lesson. (Petty, 2009). - Within the MFL department we operate an ‘ALL, MOST, SOME’ to differentiate our tasks, (see appendix 2 & 3) adding a challenge at the bottom for the most able or for native speaking students. This ensures that every single student can be accessed and also be stretched regardless of ability and rank order. Alex Moore suggests that a good teacher needs to be strategic in applying models and theories to shape and develop ‘pedagogic identity’ (Moore, 2000).

Using these ideas, together with Vygotsky’s theory of constructivism has helps practitioners develop and go on to plan lessons that are creative, fun, focused, structured and interesting combined with delivering content to any ability, regardless of need (be that G&T, nixed ability or SEN) or those that encounter difficulty with focus, learning and progressing in a traditional classroom environment. Some of the methods used in the classroom to take advantage of ‘multiple intelligences’ are video clips, imagery and displays for visual learners and group work such as role plays or quizz type games for interpersonal learners. For the