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Personalizing
Pedagogies
Principles
Full Text (PDF Version)
Steven W. Gilbert, President,
The TLT Group
October, 2002; Rev.
Oct. 2007
NEWER VERSION DEC. 2010:
HTTP://TLT.GS/PRINCIPLES
Here
is a first effort at “Principles of Personalizing
Pedagogy”; see
immediately below for more explanation and closely related questions.
1.
Support variety in good teaching, teachers, learning,
learners.
2.
Match learners’ needs with teachers’ gifts and vice
versa.
3.
Exploit media to increase connectedness.
4.
Use technology to enhance, not undermine,
personalization.
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1.
Support variety in good teaching, teachers, learning,
learners.
Not
every pedagogical principle works for every teacher or
student. Nor does
every means or topic of instruction.
Different learners and teachers have different
purposes, needs, and gifts.
Information technology can support many different kinds
of learning and teaching.
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2.
Match learners’ needs with teachers’ gifts and vice
versa.
How
can FACULTY MEMBERS find and use the combinations of teaching
approaches and technology that work best for themselves… and
for their students? How
can information technology be used to help match learners’
needs with teachers’ gifts?
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3.
Exploit media, increase connectedness.
Every
medium can limit or extend our ability to perceive others’
characteristics and to reveal our own.
Every medium favors some kinds of communication over
others. Which
media and which technologies are best for connecting which
kinds of teachers and learners more deeply, effectively under
what circumstances?
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4.
Use technology to enhance, not undermine,
personalization.
Technology,
especially information technology, can be used to
individualize instruction and make it more interactive – and
to foster more direct, personal connections between teachers
and learners. Technology
can also be used to standardize instruction and separate
teacher and learner from each other.
How can we increase the personalization of pedagogy
when appropriate? [Without
diminishing respect for de-personalized instruction when it is
effective.]
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What
do we most want to gain?
What do we hope not to lose?
See
Fundamental Questions
[NOTE:
Yes, I know that we’re supposed to focus more on
learning and learners these days, but we don’t need to focus
solely on learning; I
think it’s time for a little more focus on faculty as well!
Just as no student can learn equally well in every way,
no faculty member can teach equally well in every way!]
Can you help identify technology
applications to support the kinds of good teaching described
above?
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