Personalised learning is an educational flavour of the day, no doubt. It troubles me slightly though that so often whatever the context we accept personalisation as good. As an end, an educational aim to achieve. Sometimes it is seen more as a goal than a process, is this a mistake? Without questioning we assume learner control, learner choice and learner autonomy to be good things. Some moves to personalised learning appear at a surface level to look like neo-conservatism, with choice and appeasement rather than choices for learning. Does too much choice make for the some loss of quality (by any measure of educational success). Is there a price to be paid for a lack of critically as without vision we head towards mass personalisation?

 

Whilst I don’t disagree with elements (indeed most) of the principles of personalisation there is little or consideration of the philosophic or educational traditions underpinning this educational theme. Where did it come from and where is it going? It is hard to find any material which is honestly critical of the movement towards personalisation. This for me seems dangerous, blind acceptance. Without rigorous consideration, critique and evaluation does personalised learning appear like the Emperors New Clothes.