Personalising Learning in the Primary Classroom: A Practical Guide for Teachers and School Leaders

Personalising learning is the hot topic on the government's education agenda. It is seen to be the way forward to get the very best out of every child and it forms the focus of this timely new book by Crown House Publishing. Personalising Learning in the Primary Classroom will: Challenge the schools' thinking about how they teach; Encourage schools to put the learner at the heart of the educational agenda; Support primary schools in their work to meet this challenge; Consider all aspects of learning and teaching in the primary school; and Provide useful questions for the reader to consider their own working practices in the context of personalising learning. Personalising learning is seen as a powerful solution to reforming our current education system in order to meet individual learning needs and thereby raise standards. Where current thinking has personalising learning in the secondary sector, the author argues that for personalising learning to be successful, children must start making real choices about their learning from the earliest age and must be guided and coached through their primary years rather than being taught in the traditional way. She argues that the curriculum should be made to fit the child rather than the child being pushed through the 'sausage-factory' education systems as it currently stands. The book is packed with practical ideas that have been tried and tested in a real school and have proved popular with staff, parents and pupils (and Ofsted). It considers all aspects of learning and teaching in the primary school and provides useful questions for the reader to consider their own working practices in the context of personalising learning.

About the Author :
Elaine spent her teaching career in Doncaster and Enfield where she held three headships. Her final headship saw her open a new school. This gave her the opportunity to build a school for the future based on her beliefs about Lifelong Learning. From September 2004 Elaine became an independent Education Consultant.

Review :
In the light of the recent statement by Christine Gilbert HMCI, it would be eminently sensible to ensure that your current practices have personalised learning at the heart of delivery. This would ensure Brownie points at Ofsted time and support your SEE This is a first class compendium of ideas for tackling planning and delivery in a systematic way. It looks at awhat we already know about learninga, it offers advice on whole school systems (supported by policy sample documents), it scrutinises all stages (F, KS1 & KS2), it links everything in a comprehensive way with performance management, too. Vitally important are the governing body. A section is devoted to an annual work cycle for the whole process. Advice is also given on out of school learning and troubleshooting. If you want succinct, clear advice you have it here. To be recommended! NPhA News March/April Personalising learning is increasingly seen as a significant strategy to help schools raise standards; respond to the Every Child Matters agenda and to secure the achievement of every child. Elaine Wilmot has written a comprehensive, detailed and authoritative resource for schools which will support the movement towards personalizing learning. Her book is a combination of theory and practice with an emphasis on practical and proven strategies to support the focus on the effective learning of every child. The book offers a wide range of practical resources to support the work of teachers and school leaders. Personalising Learning in the Primary Classroom is an important contribution to the growing literature on personalizing learning. Elaine Wilmot's book will support strategic planning and policy making, team planning, CPD activities and, most importantly, teachers' work in the classroom. John West-Burnham The latest educational thinking has emphasised the importance of personalised learning in schools; this resource s extremely well researched and is designed to: - Cover all aspects of teaching and learning in the primary school - Challenge schools' thinking about how they teach - Support schools in meeting this challenge - Provide useful questions relating to working practices for teachers to consider - Support teachers in putting the learner at the heart of the educational agenda Teaching Expertise Newsletter This book draws together the threads of the Personalising Learning agenda and makes sense of it in the primary classroom. With its practical advice and resources based on years of experience this is a great book for teachers and managers who value learning over content. Lyn Bull Independent Education Consultant, G&T Consultant, MFL Consultant This is an important book with a host of crucial messages for individual teachers as well as for our educational system. The essence of what Dr Wilmot is saying can be put in one sentence: shift from teaching the curriculum to teaching children, always bearing in mind that each of them is an individual with a unique combination of strengths and a unique way of learning. While the book will be an eye opener for some, it will certainly be an all- important confirmation and practical support for those teachers who are already on the path to personalizing children's learning. Dr Eva Hoffman, Author, Founder and Director of Inspired Learning