Professor Guy Claxton

SSAT 20th National Conference: Innovating Learning

4 - 5 December ACC Liverpool

BUILDING LEARNING POWER

STANDARDS THE RIGHT WAY
Professor Guy Claxton
Centre for Real-World Learning University of Winchester, UK

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 of certificates, 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

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)

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

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, ask questions, and challenge the basis of assumptions and perceptions

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...

 Mindset, attitudes, key competencies, 21st 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?

Do we have to OR or can we AND?

Content Algebra Standards Rigour Traditional Academic OR OR OR OR OR OR Process learning skills Skills Relevance Progressive Vocational

Can we teach in a way that get results AND prepares young people for the risks and rigours of 21st century life ?

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

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

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 and learn before its too late. Dr Shum, Chair of Governors

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) The literacies: verbal, symbolic, digital, emotional The best grades you can (but not for all)

2. 3.

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)

Building Learning Power: the research

12 years exploring BLP 18 schools evaluation of
Impact Implementation

Vital, challenging, possible

3 years timescale

Monitoring students reactions

If somethings hard you dont want to say Oh this is hard, this is hard, Ill just skip it. You try - because when you grow up you might come to some answer 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 I go home I think, How could I use that here? Like when I go to swimming club I think maybe I could persevere more, or ask more questions, or use my 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 of encouragement so you learn to keep going and dig deep when things get difficult. Now I always like to see if I can take things one step further (Tom,15)

Checking the results

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 makes a 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

how do you want me to be different?

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 tools 5. Give pupils increasing responsibility 6. Attribute performance to the habits, not to ability 7. Get students talking about the process of learning

We know how to do it

Plenty of pioneers
Opening Minds Thinking Schools Expansive Education Network 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 (International schools) Argentina (Ushuaia) Australia (Port Pirie)

THERE IS ANOTHER WAY!

The Ebacc does not require 19th century teaching!

And remember, the results generally go up!

guy.claxton@winchester.ac.uk www.buildinglearningpower.co.uk www.expansiveeducation.net

7 small habit changes for BLP teaching

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-kit

imagining, connecting, crafting, capitalising

3. Thinking and reflecting strategic awareness

organising, self-evaluating, analysing, applying

4. Social sophistication learning with others

collaborating, resisting pressure, empathising, collecting feedback

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

2. Plan split-screen lessons

Learning History AND Scepticism Learning Maths AND Risk-taking Learning Science AND Questioning Learning RE AND Self-evaluation

3. Be a model learner

4. Use visual tools and displays

Display childrens work-in-progress

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 group size? How well are we working? Harris Student Commission

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 pushing yourself more nowchoosing things you are not so good at, and really sticking at them

7. Talk about the process of learning

classroom chat that foregrounds the ups and downs of learning
o o o o o o o o o o o o How did you do that? How else could you have done that? Who did that a different way? Which are the tricky bits? Whats tricky about them? What could you do when you are stuck on that? What would have made that easier for you? How could you help someone else understand that? How could I have taught that better? Where else could you use that? How could you make that harder for yourself? ..? ...................................?

What are the effects of BLP?

On pupils? On Ofsted? On results?

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

Its the detail of teaching that makes all the difference

The biggest effects on students achievement occur when teachers become learners about their own teaching, and when students become their own teachers (John Hattie)

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

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

Learning habits in school?

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

Being right Creating ideas Listening to teacher 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

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 Discussing with peers Questioning things Working with others Being active Imagining possible solutions Showing initiative Taking responsibility Self-evaluating

Professor Guy Claxton

SSAT 20th National Conference: Innovating Learning

4 - 5 December ACC Liverpool