Harnessing tools designed to support teaching, to support

learning

John Pallister

June 2009

Curriculum Mapping: a process to support personalised learning?

Background: a learning journey

• Interest in ePortfolios evolved out of work with Key Skills, Wider Key Skills and Employability Skills;

• ePortfolios development work led to the use of Web 2 tools;

• ePortfolios and Web 2 created interest in Personal Learning Environments and Personal Learning and Thinking skills;

• Introduction of Functional Skills required curriculum development and mapping

Had found that:

It was not possible to introduce ePortfolios unless the ePortfolio process was integrated into the curriculum;

‘everyone’ telling schools to ‘personalise’ learning

The Dcsf expect schools to:

“put personalising learning at the heart of their vision for transforming teaching and learning” http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/personalisedlearning/about/

Active learners

“For learners it means being engaged not just with the content of what

is being taught but being involved with the learning process, understanding what they need to do to improve and taking responsibility for furthering their own progress.” http://curriculum.qca.org.uk/organising-your-curriculum/personalisation/?return=http%3A//curriculum.qca.org.uk/search/index.aspx%3FfldSiteSearch%3Dpersonalised+learning

What is personalised learning?

• Tomorrows presentation

• But - Assessment for Learning (AFL) and curriculum choice are identified in most attempts at defining personalised learning

Assessment for Learning expects that learners will improve most when they

“understand the aim of their learning, where they are in relation to this aim and how they

can achieve the aim” http://www.qca.org.uk/qca_4338.aspx

It involves:• sharing learning goals with pupils• helping pupils know and recognise the standards

to aim for• both the teacher and pupils reviewing and

reflecting on pupils' performance and progresshttp://www.qca.org.uk/qca_4337.aspx

• The ePortfolio process is consistent with AFL;

• If schools promote the ePortfolio process they will be supporting personalisation; they will be doing what they are being told to ‘do’!

But that is the ePortfolio process

Curriculum choice for learners

• learners need to be able to ‘see’ the curriculum options that are available to them;

• Learners ‘expect’ to have their ‘voice’ listened to; they expect to be able to exercise choice;

• Learners ‘expect’ a curriculum based on their interests, abilities and aspirations, they want a ‘Me-curriculum’.

Need a ‘learner facing’ and learner accessible curriculum

• If the learner is to make choices and take an active part in their own learning they need to know what is expected of them and what is available to them.

Who personalises it? Who designs the curriculum? - confusion

• ‘Personalised’ - done to the ‘learning’; that it had been structured, organised or presented for the consumption of the learner. [passive]

• OR learner ‘personalises their own learning; organising their own learning; organising their own time; seeking info, advice and support from anyone who is appropriate and available accessible [active]

Who ever ‘personalises’ the learning, the learner will need to

see the curriculum; able to see the ‘menu’ available to them

Curriculum PlanningCurrently, teachers plan a curriculum and deliver it

by guiding the learner; by metering out and controlling the learning diet.

If the learner takes control: • How will schools ‘control/influence’ what

learners experience or learn?• How will the learner know what it is that they

‘should’ learn?• How will the learner know what opportunities

and learning activities are available to them?

A debate for another session, but:

• Likely that a national/local ‘curriculum’, complete with expectations will exist;

• Learners will need to be able to ‘see’ it.

Learners ‘do’ personalised learning in a PLE

• To ‘do’ personalised learning they need a new skills set to operate in their Personal Learning Environment;

• Nationally, Personal Learning and Thinking skills have been defined.

“six groups of skills that, together with the functional skills of English, mathematics and ICT, are essential to success in learning, life and work. “

• independent enquirers

• creative thinkers

• reflective learners

• team workers

• self-managers

• effective participators.

Introduction of Functional Skills

• need to map and integrate into the curriculum – [introduce, practice and develop]

• need for application in a wide range of contexts and situations [cross curricular opportunities]

• need for learners to operate as independent learners [Level 2]

• Need for all teachers to share a common understanding of Functional Skills

Expectations, for schools to:

• “design and deliver “a dynamic, forward-looking curriculum that creates opportunities for learners to develop as self-managers, creative thinkers, reflective learners, problem-solvers, team workers, independent learners, and effective communicators.” http://curriculum.qca.org.uk/key-stages-3-and-4/skills/index.aspx

• deliver the subject specific curriculum; all wrapped up in a package that interests, inspires and engages the learner.

Shift from Teaching to Learning

• Be expected to reflect on their learning; identifying how they can improve and exercising choice as they develop as independent, lifelong learners.

• need to be self motivated and self regulated making decisions about what they need to learn, how and when they learn – have voice in the design of learning experiences

learners take on new roles and responsibilities

Need for a curriculum that:

• Integrates, maps and highlights generic skills; • Supports the individual learner identifying

content and skills that need to be learnt, along with activities resources that will support the learning;

• The learner can use to help them make their own decisions about what it is that they learn; when and how;

• Is accessible to the learner; anywhere, anytime in an appropriate format.

Collaboration

• Increasingly, learners will work in a number of different settings; school based, college based and training provider based;

• All partners will need to share a common understanding of the Functional Skills, Personal Learning and Thinking skills, Diploma requirements etc;

• This common understanding must permeate through into the experiences and opportunities provided for the learner in each of the settings that they work in;

• Teacher will need to collaborate on curriculum development.

Curriculum Development

Can the tools and techniques that we currently use to ‘push’ learning towards the learner need to be either adapted, or traded-in for something that will support and service this learner ‘demand’;

“Need for a learner facing, and learner accessible curriculum”

A solution that:

• Enables ‘teachers’ to plan, structure and present a curriculum ‘offer’ or ‘menu’;

• Makes auditing and mapping of generic skills easy and visible;• helps teachers, working on multi-sites, to collaborate on curriculum

development and planning;• Allows learners to ‘see’ the curriculum ‘menu’, anywhere, anytime, in a

format that they can understand; • Harnesses the technology.

= Web 2?

= Web based Curriculum Planning or Mapping tools?

UKAN-Skills Project

• Paul Mayes UKAN-Skills - http://lis.tees.ac.uk/ukan

• Janet Hale ‘A Guide to Curriculum Mapping: Planning, Implementing, and Sustaining the Process’ (www.curriculummapping101.com)

Web based curriculum mapping.

• a process that focuses on what is taught, how it is taught, when it is taught, how it is resourced and how it will be assessed;

• Can it be developed so that it provides a learner facing, and learner accessible curriculum offer or menu?

Learning Menu/Agenda

Planned Curriculum• available Learning opportunities• suggested Learning opportunities• Links to supporting activities and resources

Feeding Learning in a Personal Learning Environment

Curriculum DriversNational Curriculum

etc

Curriculum Mapping Process

Teachers collaborate to design, map and resource the curriculum

Status – December 2008

• Could see potential of Curriculum Mapping but could not move forward without setting up a map to demonstrate and work with

Status June 2009

• Created Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 ICT course;

• Created Units for Years 7, 8,9 and 10;

• mapped Functional Skills and Personal Learning and Thinking skills against the Units;

• Now able to explore functionality and demonstrate.

Findings

• A time consuming process – it did promote reflection about objectives and practice that in turn influenced the planning. Time well spent thinking about content, skills, activities, resources and assessments;

• I worked as an individual – but recognised the potential of the process to support collaborative curriculum development;

• Curriculum Mapping ‘conventions’ take time to master – but, there is value in just ‘doing it’ and then refining to conform to conventions;

• The tool was quite easy to use.

The next stage

• Share experience and explore functionality with other teachers;

• Add other subjects and courses;• Collaborate with other teachers on the

development of a course;• Investigate how learners might be able to

access Unit Maps;• Investigate whether the process will

support personal learning.

Find some funding to do it!

Suggestions and cheques to john@johnpallister.net

Crystal ball bit

• Consumers (learners), have at their finger tips, access to/have purchasing power for ..

• If they can see a schools curriculum offer/menu, they might ….

• Learners anywhere in the world exercising their educational purchasing power …

• open access to education … but …