For learning to be truly engaging, it needs to be composed of some key components. We know we’ve succeeded in creating a quality learning experience when we feel it, hear it, see it and we JUST KNOW in our guts that it worked. The principles outlined below underpin all that is considered to be ‘full-on learning’.
One test for a successful learning experience can be found in the smallest of clues; students still discussing what and how they’d done as they walk out of the room OR when one or two of them come up to you later in the day, asking a follow-up question about what they’d covered. You also know it from the pure and simple feeling of whether YOU enjoy teaching the session...after all, we get our energy from each other in any learning session so this is probably the best indicator of all.
TEACHERS AS LEARNERS is the ideal model. This enables teachers to show their groups what REAL learning looks like, sharing how it feels and why it excites them and, most importantly, taking learning risks. A full-on learning school is learning community where everybody is engaged in some form of learning. This might be action-research, individual enquiry projects or collaborative problem-solving projects. It is a place where everybody is a member of the best club in the world.
Quality questioning is central to the learning and is led by learners’ creation of their own high order questions and learning challenges to provide AUTONOMOUS LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES . This is then followed up with guidance-questions from the teacher. Questions that CREATE new or re-worked knowledge and understanding are the highest order questions.
Learning is powered by EFFECTIVE PRE-THINKING. The big picture is shared, developed and agreed upon. Learning sessions flow, the learners are immersed and space is created for both planned and unplanned learning outcomes.
Encouraging everybody involved to express the excitement, joy and sheer exhilaration of successful learning experiences. This needs to be made explicit in our LEARNING BEHAVIOURS.
If we learn anything, we do so because we make EMOTIONAL & COGNITIVE CONNECTIONS (both good and bad!). Exploiting the ‘feel’ within all learning will make learning truly remarkable.
This is all about setting the right tone, COMMUNICATING EXPECTATIONS in just a moment and igniting the energy in what is about to happen. Ignition points can happen at any stage in the session, so a portfolio of them to draw upon and develop is vital to keep the learning fire fuelled.
Learners can create, shape and manage their own learning pathways. Opportunities must be matched by strategies that can be offered to learners so that they become LEARNING DESIGNERS.
Far better to pose AUTHENTIC CHALLENGES that require real solutions. Evaluative exercises like ‘write a tweet to a twitter-stream about this lesson’ have a lot more significance, purpose and opportunities for in-depth discussion...responses might be, ‘my teacher is really brave to set this task...it’s good to have to do something that has a real outcome and involves a real audience.’ (I make that 132 characters, btw...for those who just counted.)
LANGUAGE IS POWER. Talking about, reflecting on and developing a shared language for learning will empower all learners, teachers, teaching assistants and parents & carers in what really matters. Having a quality learning conversation will result in a question-rich environment so that teachers & learners are able to generate collaborative questions that identify successes and goals to achieve.