Teacher education practices which aim to develop self-directed learners can be reinvigorated through the use of a personalised learning framework developed as part of the Erasmus+ INTERPEARL (Innovative Teacher Education Through Personalized Learning) project. The framework envisages personalised learning as an interactive learner and teacher journey which prioritises student voice and choice, and acts as a tool for developing teaching practice as well as for attuning in-service teachers to key considerations around learning design for transformative learning. In this Symposium the project team will share their learning from the development and implementation of the framework in three European countries. 

Through the Erasmus+ INTERPEARL project, the research team explored the potential for personalised learning to provide a common yet flexible framework to ensure the development of key competences and understandings amongst in-service teachers in response to a growing diverse student population considerate of “issues of social, ethnic, linguistic and cultural equity, diversity and inclusion in education” (Alisauskiene et al, 2020). While this approach is supportive of international efforts towards greater integration and interdependency, it also creates space for culturally nuanced and personalised approaches to teacher education. 

Personalised learning here differs from previous efforts by placing its focus on student autonomy and co-creation rather than on teacher-centred considerations. The project team explored approaches to create a personalized learning journey for aspiring teachers which in turn enables them to understand and experience its potentially transformative impact. This may then shape their practice to enable their future students to become confident, reflective, autonomous learners. 

The symposium draws on four case studies across three countries starting with the experience and learning from the INTERPEARL project. It then explores teacher agency as relates to personalised learning in one University in Lithuania. Next is an exploration of an institutional response to the emergency pivot to online learning during the Covid pandemic aligned with the INTERPEARL personalised learning framework. The last presentation focuses on how problem-solving orientation and collective solutions paved the way for improved learning opportunities in web-based teaching.  

Critical reflection is used in this Symposium to draw connections between the four case studies and surface learning from the project. Critical reflection is an ability to think about our practice, develop an understanding of it by questioning and systematically evaluating it, and make decisions to respond or act. It allows us to negotiate the complex realities we encounter in our everyday practice. (Loughran, 2002). Critical reflection in the INTERPEARL project moved from individual student assessments, to the development of novel teaching scenarios and to the creation of an overarching personalised learning framework; each step moving the lens out and connecting to broader themes and issues in global educational research. It enables the situating of the INTERPEARL project findings within a broader consideration of teacher education and the development of a deeper awareness for our practice (Biesta, 2019).

Culture is another strand in this Symposium, both in how it shapes the attitudes, values, and behaviors the  in-service teacher brings to their practice as well as the learning environment. When academic knowledge and skills are situated within the lived experiences and frames of reference of students, it is expected that they become more meaningful, of a higher interest, and open up for learning that makes  more sense (Gay, 2002). Culture was important in interpreting the findings from the INTERPEARL project and for uncovering the implications for professional practice. 

This symposium proposes an approach to integrate the local with the global by enhancing student autonomy, situating learning within broader societal considerations, and cultivating student competences and teacher-identity formation in response to an increasingly diverse and interconnected world. 

Alisauskiene, S., Guðjónsdóttir, H., Kristinsdóttir, J. V., Connolly, T., O'Mahony, C., Lee, L., Milteniene, L., Meliene, R., Kaminskiene, L., Rutkiene, A., Venslovaite, V., Kontrimiene, S., Kazlauskiene, A., & Wozniczka, A. K. (2020). Personalized Learning within Teacher Education: A Framework and Guidelines. Current and Critical Issues in Curriculum, Learning, and Assessment, 37, 1–50. Biesta, G. (2019). How have you been? On existential reflection and thoughtful teaching. In R. Webster & J. Whelen (Eds.), Rethinking reflection and ethics for teachers. Springer. Coldron, J. & Smith, R. (1999). Active location in teachers' construction of their professional identities. Journal of Curriculum Studies. 711-726. Published online: 08 Nov 2010. https://doi.org/10.1080/002202799182954 Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2), 106–116. Loughran, J. J. (2002). Effective reflective practice: In the search of meaning in learning about teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(1), 33–43.