Chapter 2 Personalised Learning? New Insights into Fostering Learning Capacity

Sanna Jarvela reviews research evidence and clarified key questions relating to personalisation. She concludes that personalisation of learning has become imperative. By this, she does not mean individualised learning nor the opposite of social learning but as an approach in educational policy and practice whereby every student matters, equalising opportunities through learning skills and motivation to learn. She examines seven critical dimensions: i) development of key skills which are often domain-specific; ii) levelling the educational playing field through guidance for improvement of students' learning skills and motivation; iii) encouragement of learning through "motivational scaffolding"; iv) collaboration in knowledge-building; v) development of new models of assessment; vi) use of technology as a personal cognitive and social tool; vii) the new role of teachers in better integration of education within the learning society. The rapidly changing educational, vocational and leisure activities of modern society present lifelong adaptive challenges for humankind. From early childhood, individuals encounter masses of complex, symbolic information and diverse cultural products. They are also constantly called upon to renew their social relations, forcing them to confront considerable novelty and ambiguity. Such environments place a heavy burden on the individual's adaptive capacity and resources. Learning is at the core of this process. Successfully meeting the learning challenges of today's knowledge- and competence-oriented society demands disciplined study and problem