Collaborative Approaches to Learning for Pupils with PDA by Ruth Fidler

Author:Ruth Fidler
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781784502614
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Published: 2018-08-25T16:00:00+00:00

Designing a personalised curriculum

For a child with PDA a distinction may need to be made between differentiation and personalisation of the curriculum. Put simply, a differentiated curriculum takes a body of knowledge as its starting point which needs to be imparted to the learner, and it is the practitioner’s task to find ways of making this accessible. On the other hand, a personalised curriculum takes the learner as its starting point and builds a curriculum around their individual needs and preferences, using this to maximise potential for engagement. The learner is involved in decisions about content, context and delivery of the curriculum which take into account their interests and learning style. The role of the adult is to guide the learner sensitively towards successful learning. David Hartley of Birmingham University writes:

Personalisation differs from differentiation in that it affords the learner a degree of choice about what is learned, when it is learned and how it is learned. This may not indicate unlimited choice since learners will still have targets to be met and informed adults will wish to play a part in guiding the learner to make responsible choices. However, personalisation may also provide learners the opportunity to learn in ways that suit their individual learning styles and multiple intelligences. (2009, pp.2–3)

Involving the young person in the process of planning their curriculum can in itself reduce anxiety about loss of control and avoids them seeing the curriculum as something which is being ‘imposed’ on them. As well as being motivating and leading to increased engagement, involvement in this process can lead to improved confidence and self-esteem. This type of involvement in decision making has been highlighted by Public Health England as being beneficial to mental health.

Involving students in decisions that impact on them can benefit their emotional health and wellbeing by helping them to feel part of the school and wider community and to have some control over their lives. (Public Health England 2015, p.14)

Promoting emotional wellbeing in children with PDA is discussed further in the next chapter.

Within the principles of person-centred planning advocated in the Code of Practice (DfE/DoH 2015) there is a delicate balance to aim at for those who ‘guide’ the learner in deciding what is important to and important for the child or young person. The implications of this mean we need to think carefully about:

• If ‘important to’ outweighs ‘important for’, the child has all choice but no responsibility which can be risky/unhealthy.

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