How do we create more active, independent learners?

Matt Dickenson, Director, London G&Tmatt.dickenson@londongt.org

Eat up Year 1, we’ve got

target grades to meet!

Not on my patch, surely…

Knowledge is indispensable - but never sufficient

Facts are like fish. They go off.

Wilde

Spoon feeding improves results, but doesn’t develop chewing muscles

Claxton

We are really important

‘If you treat people as they are, you will be instrumental in keeping them as they are. If you treat them as they could be, you will help them become what they ought to be.’

Goethe

Speaks for itself doesn’t it?

A narrower view of independence

Focused

Determined/persistent

Self-motivated

Able to work on his/her own

Completes homework

Able to follow instructions

Meets deadlines

Meets targets

Acts on advice

Doesn’t waste time

A broader view of independence includes all of these too…

What are some of the ways in which we tend to reduce or even subvert the challenge in learning, for EAL learners, as well as for other learners?

Unhelpful approaches

‘Knights in shining armour’ coming to the rescue way before there is any distress expressed

‘Here’s one I prepared earlier’ pre-cooking and pre-digesting resources and delivering knowledge without the difficulty

‘Negators of challenge’ not trying to de-familiarise materials, over-scaffolding and over-simplifying

‘God’ on tap as the expert, who has been there, done that and doesn’t explain how they got there or back

Unhelpful approaches

‘Apologists’ accepting first sound bite responses too readily, not planning spaces to think and not grilling students

‘Life support machines’ creating need and not encouraging independence, or planning for student choice

‘Blue Peter presenters’ over-praising and dispensing badges of approval too readily and with sketchy evidence of merit

‘Echo chambers’ happily paraphrasing each student’s comments for the others who weren’t listening and helpfully adding a little too

Learned helplessness

What do able but dependent students look like?

They tend not to take themselves seriously as learners

They often pretend to be bored or tired to avoid having to engage with difficulty.

They tend not to talk back to, negotiate with or question teachers and assume the teacher's job is always to be on hand with answers.

They don't really listen to or value each other's views or ideas and often don't take notes unless directed to do so.

They are locked into patterns of underachievement and don't know how to get out of their rut.

They don't how to 'customise' their approach to whatever environment they are in and find it difficult to manage intellectual interactions.

They don't seem to be interested in becoming expert

They won't read around the subject unless specifically directed to do so.

They often stick rigidly to the demands of the syllabus only, and question teachers who stray off the path.

They offer generalities and opinions without feeling the need to justify or support their answers or opinions.

They don't value speculation or intriguing questions, just facts and answers, and are more interested in their mark or result rather than any explanations or suggestions for deeper learning that their teachers may offer.

They are fearful of being seen as less than smart

They are often in awe of those students they perceive to be more successful than they are and are dismissive of those who fail.

They tend to allow peer pressure to overly influence them.

They are reluctant to move out of their familiar language base or to use adventurous or speculative language.

They show reluctance in demonstrating learning and knowledge in debates, in case they might be wrong and often don't see themselves or their ideas as being worthy of adult attention and interest.

They don't choose to take risks or go outside their comfort zones

They shirk taking responsibilities and new opportunities for learning.

They are rarely subversive or irreverent in their responses and in turn expect to be supported not challenged, anticipating being entertained or indulged in lessons.

They are more content with exposition and stories than analysis, which they often claim to be too dry and so they rarely choose to engage with real complexity.

They don't really learn a sense of confidence, entitlement and adventure, instead they tend to learn uncertainty, constraint and caution

A largely unasked question…

How do we ensure that students are actually required to think?

‘Higher order thinking occurs when a person takes new information and information stored in memory and interrelates and/or rearranges and extends this information to achieve a purpose or find possible answers in perplexing situations.’

What do we really mean by higher order thinking?

InformationRelates, rearranges Possible answers

Lewis and Smith (1993)

So, higher order thinking is also new thinking

Stretching questions

How?

Why?

When?

Where?

Who?

What?

What if..?

Could…?

Should…?

The 5Ws and an H formula may not be enough to require new thinking

Questions that require new thinking