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Developing Learning-centred classrooms and schools

Chris Watkins Reader in Education

May 1st 2012, 5:30 – 7:30 LCLL “Hot Topic” Starting points for the journey - 1

We’re going to be Talking about Learning

- it’s powerful and empowering for learners

But there’s not much of it in school

So what stops us?.

“Space Invaders” •  Themes which take up the space

which we would wish to give to a focus on learning

Teaching Performance Work

Watkins C (2003, 2011) ATL

One illustration:

Nice Title?

But in its 128 pages, I can only find the word “learn” used on two more occasions. These are both references to “parents supporting their children’s learning”, and not to school

A more recent illustration: the new HMCI gave a speech which mentioned the word learning ONCE – and that was tied up with a “space invader”

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Space Invader 1: Teaching •  “Teaching and Learning” strategies

“Teaching and Learning” policies

Many would better be called Teaching and Teaching Policies!

“TEACHING 'N’ LEARNING” pronounced just like “fish 'n' chips”

It's valuable to take learning and teaching apart for a moment, in order to think about each more effectively, and then to put them back together in a better articulation.

Teaching and learning

Bud Blake, from the “Tiger” series

Space Invader 2: Performance •  Performance tests, performance tables, performance management …

It's a right performance!!

•  And those who take a performance view often reveal a view of learning, “How does one learn as a human being, except through pressure and threat?”

Chief Inspector of Schools

•  And that other "P" word - pressure - shows their view of how to increase performance and the relationships implied: “We’re putting the teaching profession under a lot of pressure and we’re doing it for a simple reason: there are a lot of people putting us under pressure”

Prime Minister

Cambridge Primary Review says a “state theory of learning” has been imposed on our schools. Is this it?

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• Politicians’

• Panic over

• Performance leads to

• Policies which exert

• Pressure on schools, who then

• Pass it on to

• Pupils. The effects are:

• Plateauing of

• Performance improvements and

• Polarisation of the

• Pupil

• Population, in which the

• Privileged continue to

• Prevail.

The evidence is available

A focus on learning can enhance performance

A focus on performance can depress performance

How learning is talked about in the classroom

•  In a Learning-oriented Classroom teachers spoke about learning as an active process

that requires student involvement and discussion; that understanding - rather than memorization and replication - is important; and that interaction is a key feature.

•  In a Performance-oriented Classroom teachers spoke about learning as an individual process

achieved by listening and following instructions; correct answer is the goal, following procedures is the method.

Patrick, Anderman, et al. (2001)

Space Invader 3: "Get on with your work" "Have you finished your work" "Please Miss he's copying my work" "That was a good lesson - we didn't do any work"

•  Homework •  Schemes of Work •  Workshops

(Yet this might be one of the most effective ones to turn around first)

Work

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•  What do our learners say when we invite them to talk about learning?

Starting points for the journey - 2 From this year’s Sheffield project

One school’s initial findings

•  The children were enthusiastic about their learning but did not have the language to talk about it.

•  A significant number felt that learning was something that was done to them and about conforming to other people’s expectations.

•  “When I get something right” was a frequent answer to the question, “How do you know when you are learning?”

What’s this?

Where and when?

Earliest known classroom on the face of the planet

Sumer, 3000 BC

Thinking about the journey: classrooms and change Three models of management / development A. Problem-solving

1. Identify problems 2. Analyse causes 3. Analyse solutions 4. Develop action plans Can work well, but danger of exhaustion

B. Ensuring Compliance 1. Decide what is right 2. Promulgate single solutions 3. Regulate and inspect 4. Punish in public deviants and delinquents The dominant mode from government currently

C Appreciative Inquiry 1. Appreciate the best of what is 2. Envision what might be 3. Dialogue for new knowledge and theory - what should be 4. Create the vision - what will be We need to do this more, for future development

Tim Brighouse, (1998) Guardian Debate with Chris Woodhead at Institute of Education; 4 March Brighouse T and Woods D (1999), How to Improve Your School, London, Routledge. pages 146-7

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Times when learning has been best in classrooms you've known •  Take a few minutes to think of a classroom you know, in which the sense

of learning has been really positive. Maybe there has been engagement, excitement, reflection, whatever.

•  Choose the best experience you can. When you have identified that situation, do all you can to reconstruct it in your mind’s eye - recall the room, the conditions, the people and so on. Capture in concrete detail the things that made that experience possible.

Make some notes on the following: •  The occasion

•  What was positive about the learning

•  How you make sense of this positive occasion, how it was made possible

Effective learning in classrooms: Four dimensions

•  active

•  collaborative

•  learner-driven

•  learning-focused

From teacher-centred

•  active

•  collaborative

•  learner-driven

•  learning-focused

via learner-centred

to learning-centred classrooms

}

Two phases in the development of classrooms (and you can't rush them into one!)

If we have developed some degree of learner-centredness in our classrooms before we try learning-centredness, we will not be creating this:

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Active Reading? Active Writing? Three dimensions of building collaboration

•  The task

•  The structure of participants

•  The skills they employ

Storying the learning journey

Before starting: Where do we want to get to? Which way should we go? Has someone got a map? Or shall we make up our own route? Is there anything to remember from previous journeys? Do we need to take any equipment?

On the road: How’s it going? Are we on the right track? Do we need to change direction? Shall we check back on the map? Has anyone gone another way? Cor look!

Journey’s end: What was it like? Is this the place we planned? Maybe it’s better! Shall we take a photo/send a postcard? Did anyone get here by another route? Where next?

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Developing more narrative about learning, appreciatively, supported through scaffolds such as “storyboards”

Things I do that help me to take charge of my learning

•  I gave myself time to stop and think •  I experimented and checked my results •  I got stuck, then I thought for a second, then I found an answer •  I got stuck, then I used my imagination to take charge •  I kept thinking “I have to do it” •  I told myself that I had to do it, so I did!! •  I concentrated and believed in myself •  I pulled myself together •  I said to myself “I can do it” •  I said to myself “I believe in myself” •  I said to myself “I believe I can do it” I gave myself hope •  I believed in myself and doing what I want to do, not what I have to do •  I watched others and kept on practising •  I saw my friends and said “they’re human as well: if they can do it then I

can do it” •  I kept on trying until I got the hang of it •  I didn’t give up •  I pushed myself and read it over and over and over again •  I push and push and push myself to write •  I used the two “p” words – patience and perseverance

•  The four headings are accepted and used by professionals, who also seek to clarify their meaning and deepen understanding.

•  In each of the headings, as we try out various classroom tweaks, we may identify school practices which work against them.

•  Teachers usual “ah but”s (behaviour will get worse, results will go down) turn out to be unfounded.

•  An element which can continue to work against development is how teachers feel they are being judged/assessed.

A school on its way to becoming learning-centred

• Overheard in the staff preparation room:

Teacher 1 (without looking up): “Have you used any stickers lately?”

Teacher 2: (pause to think) “No”.

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“What helps teachers see themselves as learners” • Aspects of the school’s language and culture - an open and

honest ethos which supports reflection •  School leadership who view themselves as learners •  Staff meetings more learning focused and less managerial •  Peer-collaborative enquiry into teaching and learning, e.g.

lesson study, professional learning communities •  An open and valuing approach to teacher’s practice being

shared – show and tell during meetings, videoing lessons •  Being encouraged to innovate, review, take what are perceived

to be risks •  A collaborative approach to the development agenda •  Showing the children that you are a learner

Key to school-based development: agency and urgency

“Proof of the pudding” from recent project

And wider research •  Analysis of influence of all predictors together revealed that

different areas of self-regulation could explain 34% of variance of school performance in the primary school. (Vukman, 2010)

• Year 5 “A massive improvement in the classes' motivation to learn and their behaviour. In fact, I am no longer 'managing' behaviour.” APS increases: Writing 3.5 Reading 3.6 Maths 4

• Year 2 “My change of planning/lesson structure has had an impact on the children's capacity to learn” APS increases: Writing 4.5 Reading 5 Maths 5

• Year 1 “Previously underachieving children are amongst those adding 6 to 7 points” APS increases: Writing 6.0 Reading 5.5 Maths 5.5

• “KS2 results: English best ever, Maths best for four years.” • “Children are more able to talk reflectively about their learning; when

they learn best and what helps them to achieve this” Reception class scores for “Good level of development” were above national average for the first time ever

When performance is a bonus •  Woodthorpe School, Sheffield.

“Below floor targets”, “special measures” “hard to shift”

•  % of Year 6 achieving Level 4 and above:

Deputy Head: “Our results in the summer were astonishing. For us our next challenge is to improve the number of level 5's! To be honest this is a position a few years ago we could have only dreamt about. What we are seeing in our learners now is an increased number of high attainers, which is a true reflection on the approaches to learning we see throughout our school.”

Our journey – and performance •  Teacher centred classrooms

create a culture which tests the motivation of predictable groups of learners to the limit, and a pattern of performance in which the long-standing patterns of school achievement remain.

•  Learner-centred classrooms create a more engaging culture for a wider range of learners but may not generate a widely shared wish to achieve

•  Learning-centred classrooms create an engaging culture and an identity as learners for all their participants Enhanced thinking, challenge and agency can lead to pupils making double the progress in measured performance

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Schools are not interested in this journey if …

•  They think they're doing it all already •  They want a package or a quick fix •  They think that exam results are the purpose of

schooling, rather than an indicator •  They think that Ofsted is the sole arbiter of quality in

classrooms

Are you: A school that’s driving? “Prospective”

•  Values are visible •  Focus on reflection and

learning •  Leadership is distributed •  Values of trust, respect •  Open discourse

A school that’s driven? “Retrospective”

•  Values are unclear •  Passing on performance

pressure •  Leadership is “top-down” •  “Toxic relationships” •  Favouritism

Based on Dan Archer’s doctoral research

And look out for: Jane Reed et al (2012) “The Adventurous School”, Institute of Education Publications

And at the largest level

•  Schools that are learning-centred will remain a minority in the current context of England. because the current pattern of forces suits the interests of the powers that be.

•  Meanwhile in other countries:

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Core curriculum Conception of learning

•  The national core curriculum has been formulated on the basis of a conception of learning as an individual and community process of building knowledge and skills. Through this process, cultural involvement is created.

•  In addition to new knowledge and skills, both learning and work habits are to be learned that will serve as tools of lifelong learning.

•  In all its forms, learning is an active and goal-oriented process that includes independent or collective problem-solving.

•  In learning, new possibilities open up for understanding culture and the meanings that culture contains, and for participating in social activity.

www.ioe.ac.uk/people/chriswatkins http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chris-Watkins/e/B001HPWKTG http://ioe.academia.edu/ChrisWatkins