FLEXIBILISATION, PERSONALISATION

DIFFERENTIATION

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<sup>‘The strong trend towards extensive flexibility and personalisation of education, arises from the growing recognition of diverse learning needs and the importance of providing personalised and activating learning experiences. Diversification and customisation through new and adaptive digital technologies influence the continuation of this trend.

The prediction is that personalised learning will become the norm, and that extracurricular learning will gain importance.’</sup> Future Campus (2040) trend report 2023.



Are you curious for more? Would you like to get in touch? Feel free to contact our lead directly for any questions or inquiries you may have. tikvah@studioblended.com +31 6 42 47 29 69

Flexibilisation, personalisation, differentiation

It is important to ask yourself who actually wants a modular approach with its flexibility, differentiation, and inclusivity. Is it you as course/training coordinator because it is the trend, or are the students asking for it? Do you design for flexibility because in your experience flexibility works for you, or is it what your students need most in order to learn effectively? Are you aware when flexibilisation becomes a challenge for you and your team, and your technology? Our Studio is here for you to make sense out of it all, and translate it back into concrete design for your course/training, considering your curriculum from a pedagogical angle. At our studio we approach flexibilisation based on the need for robust technical resilience, human resilience and modular design.

Our approach to the trends of flexibilisation and personalisation is that of a pragmatic idealist. Coming from a robust teacher trainer angle with the value we place on simplicity, we tend to focus on differentiation options for students/learners. We follow the International Baccalaureate’s definition of differentiation.

Key projects

We ran a pilot with ‘Learning Ecology’, offering a modular approach with individual pathways from our StudiOpedia to PhD candidates from the South of Europe. We discovered how such an approach unfolds in practice in terms of teacher resilience, and how to ensure effective learning for the student.

The suggested power of the learning ecology concept lies in overcoming the rigid separation of formal and informal learning, by combining a continuum of contexts to deepen your learning journey, mediated by digital technology (After Sangra, Raffaghelli, and Guitert-Catasus 2019).

Curious after our results? Have a look under ‘modular’. Eager to exchange experiences? Feel free to contact us directly
tikvah@studioblended.com

Related publications

‘Differentiation’ relates to the so-called ‘zone of proximal development’ (after the pedagogue Vygotsky 1978). Vygotsky (1978:86) calls it ‘ the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers’.

The pedagogue Tom senninger (2000) uses the following three terms to explain the zone of proximal development:

1. The Comfort Zone: where what we do is routine and familiar.
2. The Learning Zone (or Growth Zone): where we experiment, develop skills and stretch your abilities.
3. The Panic Zone: where we're tasked with learning something that is well beyond your knowledge, causing us to feel overwhelming and panicked.

A whole spectrum of terminology is being used for modular and flexible approaches that involve student choices, such as choosing their own subjects, internships, minor/major etc. Find some search terms below, just to illustrate or help you to find your own resources.  

^{Curricular choice
Curricular freedom
Curriculum planning
Curriculum agency
Student agency
Elective course choice
Curriculum customization
Professional development planning
Elective curriculum
Flexible curriculum
Modular curriculum
Choice-based curriculum
Student centered curriculum
Individual educational paths (or plans)
Differentiation
Learning ecology
Permeable curriculum
Responsive curriculum
Nonlinear curriculum
Hyflex / Hiflex curriculum}

Inspired by a first scoping of the meaning of ‘flexible curriculum’ Eveline Kallenberg, PhD candidate Utrecht Medical Centre

More design angles we use

Technical resilience
Human resilience
Modular
Evidence-based design
Financial health and resilience by (re)design
Innovative and deep pedagogy
Multi- Inter- and transdisciplinary
Blended
Bichronous
Designed to be green (and technological simplicity)
Nature and aspirations
Flexibilisation and personalisation
Simplicity and decluttering



Curios? Feel free to contact our independent senior advisor directly:
tikvah@studioblended.com

References Surf Future Campus trend report: A look at the Future of the Campus in 2040.

We are here especially for you as unique professional, to come alongside you and partner with you, as you work on a (architecture / urban / development / policy / land / water / climate) curriculum, so that you can offer effective and resilient education in its simplest form.