I read about the government’s department for children, schools and families (DCSF). In particular I’m interested in their information on personalised learning.
An important part of personalised learning is the acknowledgement that every child is different, and each will be at a different stage in their educational journey. I especially appreciate the recommendation that children are treated as partners in their learning.
I was also pleased to read that the DCSF recognises that teachers need support. Here are 3 sections about teachers straight from the website:
- They will be in a stronger position to share and exchange information about best practice among their colleagues in different schools and through external networks, resulting in opportunities to develop a wide repertoire of teaching strategies
- They will participate in high quality professional development, working with other teachers to develop their skills in understanding the learning needs of their pupils and how best to address those needs and engage them
- They will be able to depend more routinely on the support of non-teaching staff and other adults from outside the school to provide a holistic, tailored educational provision for all their pupils.
This is all great stuff for a teacher’s professional ability and development. I would like to see an additional point that balances the predominant focus on professional development. A point that focuses on every teacher’s personal development needs:
- They will be able to depend on the high quality support of their peers and non-teaching staff for their personal development.
This more balanced view is what learning-to-learn aims to provide: high quality, tailored support for teachers.