Guy Claxton

7/30/2019 Guy Claxton

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Professor Guy Claxton

SSAT 20th

National Conference: Innovating Learning4 - 5 December ACC Liverpool


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BUILDING LEARNING POWERSTANDARDS THE RIGHT WAY


Centre for Real-World LearningUniversity of Winchester, UK


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Global dissatisfaction

There is a significant disconnection between

education systems and the needs of the 21st century.

People may or may not have the right clutch ofcertificates, but far too few of them have the

attitudes that employers know are the more

important foundations of that elusive world-class

work-force. Effective Education and Employment: A Global Perspective, 2009


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Global responses are similar

The key skills of the Junior Cycle [include]: being

flexible, being positive about learning, imagining,

exploring options, taking risks, discussing and

debating, learning with others, being curious,

reflecting and evaluating (Irish Junior Cycle, Key

Skills)


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Singapore

a confident person who is adaptable and resilient, knows

himself, thinks independently and critically, and

communicates effectively;

a self-directed learner who takes responsibility for his own

learning, who questions, reflects and perseveres in the

pursuit of learning;

an active contributor who is able to work effectively in

teams, exercises initiative, takes calculated risks, is

innovative and strives for excellence


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The New Zealand Curriculum

Our vision is for young people who will be confident,

connected, actively involved, lifelong learners.

Resourceful, enterprising, entrepreneurial, resilient Able to relate well to others

Critical and creative thinkers

Competent problem-solvers [who] reflect on their own

learning, draw on personal knowledge and intuition, askquestions, and challenge the basis of assumptions and

perceptions


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Even in much-vaunted Finland

The Finnish system, despite the international

success, needs to change The engineering

skills and mindset that built - and let down -Nokia are not the recipe for future success

The concerns are the same as in Singapore

and in South Korea...


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Mindset, attitudes, key competencies, 21

st

century skills,habits of mind, PLTS, learning dispositionsare harder to

graspand slower to build

But can we build these Qualities of Mind more deliberately,

systematically and demonstrably

At the same time as we develop literacies and raise

standards?

What does it take to go beyond fine words, fond hopes,bolt-ons and team sportsand what gets in the way?


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Do we have to OR or can we AND?

Content OR Process

Algebra OR learning skills

Standards OR Skills

Rigour OR Relevance Traditional OR Progressive

Academic OR Vocational

Can we teach in a way that get results ANDprepares young people for the risks and rigours of21st century life ?


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Do we put it in the too hard basket and play Punch

and Judyor join the quest for the Holy Grail?

Initiatives keep flaring up and fizzling out


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Possible barriers to progress

Either / or thinking

Antiquated view of ability as fixed Bolt-on, quick fix attitude

Off-putting language

Misunderstanding the learning required of teachers

Lack of courage, energy or imagination Cynicism masquerading as maturity

This is not back to the 70s


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Whats at the heart of Bushfield School?

Its our job not just to help children master

literacy and numeracy but to prepare them for

a very turbulent and complex world. We are

failing if we dont prepare them with the skills

they need to cope with uncertainty; to cope

with differing perspectives; to cope with

working with different kinds of people; to ask

good questions. Our children are at a very

crucial age. We need to get those skills right

into the DNA of the way our children think andlearnbefore its too late.

Dr Shum, Chair of Governors


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What is Building Learning Power?

A collaborative enquiry; a work in progress

A philosophy three aims for education

1. A generic preparation for life in a complex world (qualities of

mind)

2. The literacies: verbal, symbolic, digital, emotional

3. The best grades you can (but not for all)

An evidence base rigorous and practical

The learning sciences (e.g. learnable intelligence)

Impact and implementation (exams and inspections)

A set of seeds and frameworks

Seeds and scaffolds for teachers habit change

A route-map for school development

Progression, monitoring and CPD (the long haul)


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Building Learning Power: the research

12 years exploring BLP

18 schools evaluation of

Impact Implementation

Vital, challenging, possible 3 years timescale


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Monitoring students reactions

If somethings hard you dont want to say Oh this is hard, this is hard, Illjust skip it. You try - because when you grow up you might come to someanswer youll still not know, and you cant skip it then (Daneisha, 6)

If youve been focusing on one of the learning muscles in school, when Igo home I think, How could I use that here? Like when I go to swimmingclub I think maybe I could persevere more, or ask more questions, or usemy imitating muscles (Madeleine, 12)

In my old school they just gave you harder and harder worksheets. But

here they really stretch you to learn in different ways. You get lots ofencouragement so you learn to keep going and dig deep when things getdifficult. Now I always like to see if I can take things one step further(Tom,15)


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Checking the results


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Asking visitors

Walthamstow School for Girls (Outstanding) Few schools in similar contexts do as well as this school to prepare

students so well for lifethe Building Learning Power course has

successfully developed students understanding of effective learning

strategies.

Park High School, Harrow (Outstanding)

Parents report favourably on the growing confidence of their

children, and the development of skills that prepare students for the

world of work is exemplary Students enthusiasm for learning makesa major contributionthey work cooperatively with each other and

achieve well. Through the Building Learning Power programme the

school develops students understanding of how to learn and their

skills for lifelong learning


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how do you want me to bedifferent? 7 small habit changes for 21st century

teachers

1. Notice positive changes in students learning habits

2. Design activities that stretch different learning

muscles

3. Model being a confident learner (not a know-all)

4. Display work in progress and visual tools5. Give pupils increasing responsibility

6. Attribute performance to the habits, not to ability

7. Get students talking about the process of learning


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We know how to do it


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Plenty of pioneers

Opening Minds

Thinking Schools

Expansive EducationNetwork

Flow Foundation

BLP

Habits of Mind

P4C

Whole Education Tapestry

Learning-Centred Schools

.

BLP schools in Isle of Man (Laxley)

Dubai (Wellington)

Poland (Silesia)

Netherlands (Utrecht)

New Zealand (St Cuthberts)

Malaysia (Internationalschools)

Argentina (Ushuaia)

Australia (Port Pirie)


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THERE IS ANOTHER WAY!The Ebacc does not require 19th century teaching!

And remember, the results generally go up!


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[email protected]

www.buildinglearningpower.co.ukwww.expansiveeducation.net
mailto:[email protected]://www.buildinglearningpower.co.uk/http://www.expansiveeducation.net/http://www.expansiveeducation.net/http://www.buildinglearningpower.co.uk/mailto:[email protected]


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7 small habit changesfor BLP teaching


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1. Notice childrens learning muscles

The four main muscle groups

1. Active engagement locking on to learning

inquiring, persisting, venturing, concentrating

2. Skilful learning the cognitive tool-kitimagining, connecting, crafting, capitalising

3. Thinking and reflecting strategic awareness

organising, self-evaluating, analysing, applying

4. Social sophistication learning with otherscollaborating, resisting pressure, empathising,collecting feedback


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So how do you write reports?What do you act as if its worth capturing about your

students?

Usain is getting better at

careful observation, bringing his own questions into

class, asking when he doesnt understand, working with

a range of others, thinking things through, seeing how

he can improve what hes done

Jessica is becoming more

resilient in the face of difficulty, imaginative in her

writing, thoughtful about her own work, sceptical about

knowledge claims, careful in her checking, willing to

push herself


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2. Plan split-screen lessons

Learning History AND Scepticism

Learning Maths AND Risk-taking

Learning Science AND Questioning Learning RE AND Self-evaluation


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3. Be a model learner


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4. Use visual tools

and displays


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Display childrens work-in-progress


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5. Involve pupils in designing /

evaluating / repairing their education

Qualified student teachers

Student lesson observers Give you 2 stars and a

wish

Whats the best groupsize?

How well are weworking?

Harris StudentCommission


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6. Talk about learning habits, not ability

I like the way you wrote those summaries to help you

remember

Well done for concentrating through all those distractions

Wow how did you come up with so many creative ideas?

Lets try to figure out what it is that is making this hard for

you to learn, and what might help you get the hang of it

I know you used to love being the one who knew all the

answers But Im really excited about how you are pushingyourself more nowchoosing things you are not so good at,

and really sticking at them


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7. Talk about the process of learningclassroom chat that foregrounds the ups and downs of

learning

o How did you do that?o How else could you have done that?o Who did that a different way?

o Which are the tricky bits? Whats tricky about them?o What could you do when you are stuck on that?o What would have made that easier for you?o How could you help someone else understand that?o How could I have taught that better?o Where else could you use that?

o How could you make that harder for yourself?o ..?o ...................................?


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What are the effects of BLP?

On pupils? On Ofsted?

On results?


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BLP works!

Confident, capable and

enthusiastic learners

Do better on the tests

Impress Ofsted

Please parents

Develop literacy and

numeracy skills faster

Do better on open-ended

problem-solving

Transfer their learning better

from place to place

Are better able to cope with

uncertainty


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Its the detail of teaching that makes

all the difference

The biggest effects onstudents achievement

occur when teachersbecome learners about

their own teaching,and when students

become their ownteachers (John Hattie)


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Attitudes for life?

Being right

Creating ideas

Listening to teachers

Questioning things Working alone

Being active

Remembering facts

Showing initiative Following instructions

Self-evaluating

Being adventurous

Copying down

Discussing with peers

Accepting what youre told Working with others

Sitting still

Imagining possible solutions

Showing deference Taking responsibility

Being evaluated


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Being right

Creating ideas



Being active

Remembering facts


Self-evaluating

Being adventurous

Copying down



Sitting still



Being evaluated


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Learning habits in school?

Being right

Creating ideas



Being active

Remembering facts


Self-evaluating

Being adventurous

Copying down



Sitting still



Being evaluated


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Being right

Creating ideas

Listening to teacher


Being active

Remembering facts


Self-evaluating

Being adventurous

Copying down



Sitting still



Being evaluated


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A preparation for what?

19th century clerk?

Being right

Copying down

Listening to teacher

Accepting what youre told

Working alone

Sitting still

Remembering facts

Showing deference Following instructions

Being evaluated

21st century explorer?

Being adventurous

Creating ideas


Questioning things

Working with others

Being active


Showing initiative Taking responsibility

Self-evaluating


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SSAT 20th National Conference: Innovating Learning

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Guy Claxton