Innovative Approach Individualizes Learning

Curriculum personalizes education and applies an internationally-minded approach to learning

February 28, 2011

A teacher works with a student at the British School of Chicago, where lessons are individualized based upon how the student learns.

Alison Kerr is a second grade teacher in the British American School of Los Angeles, one of a few American private schools that teaches the International Primary Curriculum. She says the main goal of the curriculum is to engage children in the learning process. This term, for example, her class is learning about historical figures.

"I got the children to come in secret and dress up with several clues of a famous person. They had to research and bring us 10 written clues and the rest of the class had to guess who these significant people were," says Kerr. "So the children do not simply do the same thing, the same work, sheet type of format every single time."

Students at the British School of Chicago.

Educator Martin Skelton, who co-authored the IPC eight years ago, says kids need a program that allows them to learn individually.

"Our view is the teachers should be thinking about their kid in their class and why they are not learning and trying to work out what they are going to be doing tomorrow to help individual kids learn much better," says Skelton, who adds that another important goal is preparing today’s children to become 21st century leaders. "Most of world problems are going to be solved internationally now. I mean no single country is going to solve the environment or terrorism. It’s a multi co-operational activity."