# Personalised learning and its kindred spirits

Canonical page: https://dominiklukes.net/writing/2008-01-25-personalised-learning-and-its-kindred-spirits

The piece relates personalised learning to problem-based learning, portfolio assessment, distance learning, and other educational traditions.

Essay · dominiklukes.net (2005–2009) · 25 January 2008

Published on dominiklukes.net (2005–2009), 25 January 2008. Text as published.

Personalised learning isn't a concept that stands alone in educational history or contemporary approaches. I've already mentioned its basic affinity with Rousseau's Emile but that is more a piece of trivia than anything else.

There are a few more substantial analogs that can be made:

- Problem-based learning
- Portfolio-based assessment
- Distance learning
- e-Learning/m-Learning
- Self-directed learning/Learner-centered instruction
- Montessori schools (and similar alternatives)

None of these overlap exactly with the notion of personalised learning and are not often mentioned in the same context but they should certainly not be forgotten. Particularly distance learning and elearning are often unwittingly equated with personalised learning because they indeed provide significant potential for shallow personalisation but they can be quite teacher-directed outside decisions regarding time and space. Problem-based learning and portfolio assessment on the other hand inherently encourage deep personalisation although they can easily become subverted by the ease with which centralised, one-size-fits-all learning can be deployed institutionally.

---

## About this item

- Type: Essay
- Published: 25 January 2008
- Published in: dominiklukes.net (2005–2009)
- Language: English

Topics: [Learning technology and online learning](https://dominiklukes.net/topics/learning-technology).

## Related

- [s/z: British/American approaches to personali(s/z)ed learning](https://dominiklukes.net/writing/2008-01-12-british-and-american-approaches-to-personalised-learning) (Essay · 12 January 2008)
- [Leading computer pundit attacks educational establishment and inadvertently](https://dominiklukes.net/writing/2008-01-16-leading-computer-pundit-attacks-educational-establishment) (Essay · 16 January 2008)
- ['First impressions: Advocacy, student self-advocacy, special needs and personalised](https://dominiklukes.net/writing/2008-01-18-advocacy-self-advocacy-special-needs-and-personalised-learning) (Essay · 18 January 2008)
- [Personalisation by the back door](https://dominiklukes.net/writing/2008-03-18-personalisation-by-the-back-door) (Essay · 18 March 2008)
- [Where is the research on personalized learning?](https://dominiklukes.net/writing/2008-01-18-where-is-the-research-on-personalized-learning) (Essay · 18 January 2008)
- [Personalised learning and centralised outcomes](https://dominiklukes.net/writing/2008-01-21-personalised-learning-and-centralised-outcomes) (Essay · 21 January 2008)

Section: [Writing](https://dominiklukes.net/writing)