Learning Diary...Learning Diary To accompany the online unit: A culture for building powerful learners Building Learning Power 2 4 3 1Learning cultures A big shift? Learning friendly

Learning DiaryTo accompany the online unit: A culture for building powerful learners

Building Learning Power

2

34

1 Learning cultures A big shift?

Learning friendly culturesLots of little shifts

Your classroom cultureSome ideas to get you started

Team Reflection and Planning

Welcome to

Understand, Assess, Improve your classroom culture

A culture for building Powerful Learners

Culture Tool 1 What view of Learning informs the classroom?Copyright TLO Limited 2016

Passengers:Teacher Focused

Crew:LearnER focused

Pilot:LearnING focused

Teacher decides what and how of learning

Teacher does most of the questioning

Main focus is on pupil performance

Most of the learning relies on text books and or worksheets

Most tasks are undertaken individually

Teacher devises and undertakes assessments

Teacher takes a ‘fount of knowledge’ role

Pupils believe responsibility for learning lies with the teacher.

Actively engaged in a variety of learning tasks

Learners have some degree of choice in what to learn

Learner’s questions drive their learning

Learners encouraged to organise enquiries

Learners involved in assessing their own learning

Learners monitor their own learning

Collaborative learning encourages dialogue

Learning tasks are differentiated and challenging

Main focus is on making meaning

Teacher takes the role of coach

Learning process given public focus

Learning process frequently reflected on

Lessons designed around content and process

Learning designed to promote progression in learning habits

Rich language of learning permeates the classroom

Learners conscious of using their learning behaviours

Learners self regulate their learning process

Focus is on becoming a better learner

Pupils engaged in making meaningSupportive learning environment

Pupils get along by doing what is asked of them

Effective learning promoted through learner activity, collaboration,

responsibility and meta learning.

Means

Means

Means

Means

Shifting the cultureEnds

Ends

Ends

Ends

Copyright TLO Limited 2016

Modelling learning

Exploring learning as a process

Reflective model for learning

Growing learning habits

Feel they are welcome

Devolving responsibility

Creating a language for learning

Linking content with learning behaviours

Re-defining failure

Takes responsibility for their learning

Coaching approaches

Nudging learning forward

Rich, challenging activity

Learning on display

Learn with and from others

Feel valued contributors

View themselves positively as a learner

Learns intentionally

Talk about their learning

Acts on feedback

Take risksSelf regulate, (self manage, monitor and modify)

Understand how they are learning

Think for themselves

Learn from mistakes

Put in the effort

Confident as learners

Take an active interest in their growth as a learner

Students:

Students:

Students:

Students:

Culture Tool 2

Relating for learningMaking learning a shared

responsibility

Talking for learning Making learning the object of

conversation

Constructing learningMaking learning the object of learning

Celebrating learningMaking learning the object of attention

Name:__________________________________

School:_________________________________ Date:_______

Copyright © TLO Limited 2018 | Learning Diary – To accompany the online unit: A culture for building powerful learners | 28/08/18 |


All rights reserved.

No part of this document may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, stored in an information retrieval system, or otherwise utilised in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereinafter invented, including photocopying, scanning and recording, without the written permission of TLO Limited.

TLO LimitedThe Park CentreDaventry RoadBristolBS4 1DQ

Tel: 0117 937 8080

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: www.tloltd.co.uk

3Copyright © TLO Limited 2018 | Learning Diary – To accompany the online unit: A culture for building powerful learners | 28/08/18 |Copyright © TLO Limited 2018 | Learning Diary – To accompany the online unit: A culture for building powerful learners | 28/08/18 |

Building students as powerful learners is about creating a culture in classrooms – and in the school more widely – that systematically cultivates habits and attitudes that enable young people to face difficulty calmly, confidently and creatively. By a ‘culture’ we mean all the little habits, routines and practices that implicitly convey ‘what we believe and value round here’. The medium of a school is its most powerful message, and the most important messages are conveyed to students in classrooms. Classrooms are the places where, hour by hour, students experience the values and practices that are embodied in the school, rather than just the ones that are espoused.

As Ron Ritchhart observes in ‘Creating Cultures of Thinking’:

“The culture of the classroom teaches. It not only sets the tone for learning but also determines what gets learned. The messages sent through the culture of the classroom communicate to students what it means to think and learn well. These messages are a curriculum in themselves, teaching students how to learn and ways of thinking.”

So ‘culture’ concerns the details of the micro-climate that teachers create in their classrooms. What they do and say, what they notice and commend and what they don’t, what kind of role model of a learner they offer: all these are of the essence. And what really matters is how they design and present activities so that, over the course of a term or a year, their students are cumulatively getting a really good all-round mental work-out. All the learning bits of their brains are being stretched and strengthened, one by one and all together.


Introduction: All about classroom culture

4 Copyright © TLO Limited 2018 | Learning Diary – To accompany the online unit: A culture for building powerful learners | 28/08/18 |

Culture Tool 1 What view of Learning informs the classroom?Copyright TLO Limited 2016

Passengers:Teacher Focused

Crew:LearnER focused

Pilot:LearnING focused

Teacher decides what and how of learning

Teacher does most of the questioning

Main focus is on pupil performance

Most of the learning relies on text books and or worksheets

Most tasks are undertaken individually

Teacher devises and undertakes assessments

Teacher takes a ‘fount of knowledge’ role

Pupils believe responsibility for learning lies with the teacher.

Actively engaged in a variety of learning tasks

Learners have some degree of choice in what to learn

Learner’s questions drive their learning

Learners encouraged to organise enquiries

Learners involved in assessing their own learning

Learners monitor their own learning

Collaborative learning encourages dialogue

Learning tasks are differentiated and challenging

Main focus is on making meaning

Teacher takes the role of coach

Learning process given public focus

Learning process frequently reflected on

Lessons designed around content and process

Learning designed to promote progression in learning habits

Rich language of learning permeates the classroom

Learners conscious of using their learning behaviours

Learners self regulate their learning process

Focus is on becoming a better learner

Pupils engaged in making meaningSupportive learning environment

Pupils get along by doing what is asked of them

Effective learning promoted through learner activity, collaboration,

responsibility and meta learning.

Where is your classroom culture just now?• Spend a little time thinking about your

classroom culture.• Highlight those that best describe your

classroom culture now.• Which panel has most statements

highlighted?• What does that imply?• Would your students see it the same way?

• Which statement in the middle panel would you most want to be able to highlight to make your classroom more learner friendly? i.e. in place in your classroom.

• OR• What do you need to work on first in the

right hand panel to make your classroom more learning friendly?

Capture your ideas


Culture Tool 1


Means

Means

Means

Means

Shifting the cultureEnds

Ends

Ends

Ends


Modelling learning

Exploring learning as a process

Reflective model for learning

Growing learning habits

Feel they are welcome

Devolving responsibility

Creating a language for learning

Linking content with learning behaviours

Re-defining failure

Takes responsibility for their learning

Coaching approaches

Nudging learning forward

Rich, challenging activity

Learning on display

Learn with and from others

Feel valued contributors

View themselves positively as a learner

Learns intentionally

Talk about their learning

Acts on feedback

Take risksSelf regulate, (self manage, monitor and modify)

Understand how they are learning

Think for themselves

Learn from mistakes

Put in the effort

Confident as learners

Take an active interest in their growth as a learner

Students:

Students:

Students:

Students:

Culture Tool 2

Relating for learningMaking learning a shared

responsibility

Talking for learning Making learning the object of

conversation

Constructing learningMaking learning the object of learning

Celebrating learningMaking learning the object of attention

Ask yourself 12 searching questions1. How much do I learn aloud in front of

pupils?2. In what areas of learning have I devolved

responsibility to pupils?3. What’s the balance between telling &

coaching in my classroom currently?4. How much do I talk with pupils about the

process (not content) of learning itself?5. Would a language for learning be useful in

my classroom?6. How could I promote students’ own positive

self-talk?7. To what extent is reflection on content or

learning process a consistent feature in my classroom?

8. What proportion of tasks in my classroom are rich and challenging?

9. Do I ask - ‘how are my students going to learn this?’ Instead of ‘How am I going to teach this?’

10. Are pupils in school becoming increasingly skilful as learners during their time with us. What’s the evidence?

11. How do I treat ‘stuck’, ‘mistakes’ and ‘praise’ in my classroom?

12. What does the display in my classroom reveal about my priorities and commitment to keeping the process of learning in the foreground?

2 Learning friendly culturesLots of little shifts

Culture Tool 2

For more detail and reminders see section 2 a. d. c. d in A culture for building powerful learners


Lear

ning

Cul

ture

Rev

iew

Rela

ting

for

lear

ning

Talk

ing

for

lear

ning

Cons

truc

ting

for

lear

ning

Cele

brat

ing

lear

ning

Area

s th

at y

ou th

ink

are

secu

re n

ow

Wha

t I fo

und:

• as

exp

ecte

d

• in

tere

stin

g

• pu

zzlin

g or

sur

pris

ing

Wha

t I th

ink

will

be:

• ea

sy to

impr

ove

• tr

icky

to im

prov

e

Nam

e Cl

ass

Date

A cu

ltur

e fo

r bui

ldin

g le

arni

ng p

ower

Cop

yrig

ht T

LO L

imite

d 20

16

Complete this Learning Culture Review in light of your answers to the 12 questions and what you learned from the online unit.

2 Learning friendly culturesLots of little shifts


Take

a lo

ok a

t wha

t you

do

now

Look

at t

he s

tate

men

ts a

nd w

ork

out:

• ho

w o

ften

you

try to

hel

p st

uden

ts

deve

lop

such

beh

avio

urs

by th

e w

ay th

at y

ou te

ach

at p

rese

nt;

• ho

w m

any

of y

our s

tude

nts

disp

lay

thes

e be

havi

ours

in th

e cl

assr

oom

(with

out k

now

ing

it).

Hav

ing

com

plet

ed th

e qu

iz a

sk y

our-

self:

From

the

left

hand

col

umn:

• W

hich

beh

avio

urs

did

you

deno

te

OFT

EN?

• W

hich

do

you

RAR

ELY

atte

nd to

?•

Whi

ch p

sych

olog

ical

dom

ain

rece

ives

mos

t atte

ntio

n? (e

mo-

tiona

l, co

gniti

ve, s

ocia

l, st

rate

gic)

• W

hat m

ight

this

reve

al a

bout

you

r te

achi

ng?

• Ke

y Q

uest

ion:

How

do

you

know

if/

how

stu

dent

s ar

e im

prov

ing

in

thes

e be

havi

ours

?•

From

the

right

han

d co

lum

n:•

Whi

ch b

ehav

iour

was

mos

t diffi

-

cult

to a

ssig

n st

uden

ts to

? i.e

. the

th

ings

you

may

not

kno

w a

bout

yo

ur s

tude

nts

• W

hat p

atte

rns

are

emer

ging

?•

Is th

ere

a lin

k be

twee

n w

hat y

ou

do a

nd h

ow s

tude

nts

are

as le

arn-

ers?

• W

hat i

s th

is m

akin

g yo

u w

onde

r?

How

oft

en d

o yo

u en

cour

age

pupi

ls t

o bu

ild t

hese

ca

paci

ties?

How

man

y pu

pils

in

your

cla

ss d

ispl

ay t

hese

ca

paci

ties?

Rare

lySo

me-

times

Oft

enCO

GN

ITIV

E RA

NG

EFe

wSo

me

Mos

t

See

how

thi

ngs

fit

toge

ther

Beco

me

curio

us a

bout

pos

sibili

ties

Ask

que

stio

ns. G

et t

o th

e bo

ttom

of

thin

gs

Mak

e th

e m

ost

of a

ran

ge o

f le

arni

ng r

esou

rces

Not

be

afra

id o

f no

t kn

owin

g

Be lo

gica

l and

sys

tem

atic

whe

n ne

cess

ary

Use

imag

inat

ion

to g

ood

effe

ct

EMO

TIO

NAL

EN

GAG

EMEN

T

Find

sat

isfa

ctio

n in

sol

ving

a p

robl

em

Relis

h a

chal

leng

e

Not

afr

aid

of f

indi

ng t

hing

s ha

rd

Iden

tify

signi

fica

nt d

etai

l, le

t pa

tter

n em

erge

Stic

k at

thi

ngs

desp

ite d

iffi

culti

es

Min

imis

e ne

gativ

e di

stra

ctio

ns

Wor

k fo

r ex

tend

ed p

erio

ds. G

et ‘l

ost’

in le

arni

ng

Am I

deve

lopi

ng s

tude

nts’

lear

ning

cha

ract

er? Co

pyrig

ht T

LO L

imite

d 20

17

How

oft

en d

o yo

u en

cour

age

pupi

ls t

o bu

ild t

hese

ca

paci

ties?

How

man

y pu

pils

in

your

cla

ss d

ispl

ay t

hese

ca

paci

ties?

Rare

lySo

me-

times

Oft

enST

RATE

GIC

RES

PON

SIBI

LITY

Few

Som

eM

ost

Chan

ge t

ack

if ne

cess

ary

Sort

out

wha

t ne

eds

to b

e do

ne

Org

anis

e w

ork

Pull

out

key

poin

ts f

rom

exp

erie

nce

Talk

abo

ut h

ow I

lear

n

Antic

ipat

e bl

ocks

and

obs

tacl

es

Take

sto

ck t

o m

ake

sure

thi

ngs

are

on t

rack

SOCI

AL IN

TERA

CTIO

N

Wor

k w

ell w

ith o

ther

s

Mai

ntai

n ow

n id

eas

in a

gro

up

Put

self

in o

ther

peo

ple’

s sh

oes

Abso

rb a

nd u

se t

he w

ay o

ther

peo

ple

do t

hing

s

List

en t

o w

hat

peop

le s

ay, s

how

und

erst

andi

ng

Know

whe

n to

lear

n al

one

or w

ith o

ther

s

Shar

e id

eas

and

info

rmat

ion

Am I

deve

lopi

ng s

tude

nts’

lear

ning

cha

ract

er? Co

pyrig

ht T

LO L

imite

d 20

17

3 Your classroom culture Going in deeper


This tool shows some of the small, yet profound, shifts teachers make when they are revealing learning to students.Left-hand column are statements = ‘good’ teaching. Right-hand column = shift to developing students’ learn-ing behaviours.

Estimate where you tend to function along the scale.• Show which of the statements you are already

working on• Which others might you find it easy to try?• Are these shifts the ones you want to make?• Do they fit with your views of good teaching and

learning?

Good teaching 1 2 3 4 5 Boosting learning power

1AMy lessons have clear objectives based on a scheme of work

1BMy students know which learning disposition we are trying to build in each lesson

2AI am secure and confident in my curriculum knowledge

2BI show students that I too am learning in lessons

3AStudents answer my questions confidently

3BI encourage students to ask curious questions of me and each other

4AI ask questions that encourage exploration of the subject matter

4BI ask questions which help students explore their learning process

5AI show students how to remember things

5BI guide students to build their capacities to learn

6AI ensure students work together in groups

6BI help students understand how to learn effectively in groups

7AI’m always available to help students through a learning challenge

7BI help students develop their own strategies for coping with being stuck

8AI build variety and change of pace into lessons

8BI vary methods of working in order to develop different learning capacities

9AI mark work regularly with supportive comments and targets

9BMy marking poses questions about students’ progress as learners

10AI display students’ best work on classroom walls

10BI display work in progress on classroom walls

11AMy records show that students make progress with attainment

11BI chart progress in the development of learning capacities with my students

12A I work hard to get things right 12BI learn from my mistakes with my students

Statements in the left hand column are about conventional ‘good teaching’. Those in the right hand column describe the subtle shift needed to build students’ learning power.

From Building 101 ways to Learning Power

A subtle shift


3 Your classroom culture Going in deeper


A cu

ltur

e fo

r bui

ldin

g le

arni

ng p

ower

Deve

lopi

ng a

n en

quir

y qu

esti

on

Cop

yrig

ht T

LO L

imite

d 20

16

Befo

re fi

lling

in th

e en

quiry

que

stio

n, th

ink

agai

n ab

out

• W

hat

you

wan

t pu

pils

to

get

bett

er a

t. T

his

coul

d be

with

re

gard

to

any

of t

he f

our

area

s of

cul

ture

.

• W

hat

you

wan

t to

do

vis

intr

oduc

ing

aspe

cts

of t

he le

arni

ng

cultu

re t

hat

you

cons

ider

will

hav

e an

impa

ct o

n pu

pils

.

Over

a 4

wee

k pe

riod

will

(Wha

t I’m

goi

ng t

o do

)

impr

ove/

deve

lop/

enha

nce

(Pup

il be

havi

ours

/ach

ieve

men

t et

c.)

in m

y id

entif

ied

grou

p of

pup

ils?

The

Cultu

re fo

r Bui

ldin

g Le

arni

ng P

ower

Pers

onal

Act

ion

Plan

– S

uppo

rtin

g Cu

lture

1.As

pect

s of

Lea

rnin

g cu

lture

I’ll

wor

k on

Rela

ting

Talk

ing

Cons

truc

ting

Cele

brat

ing

2.Pa

rtic

ular

issu

es I

wan

t to

focu

s on

3.Ho

w I

inte

nd to

spr

ead/

orga

nise

the

chan

ges

I wan

t to

mak

e ov

er th

e ne

xt fo

ur w

eeks

4.Th

e w

hole

-sch

ool c

ultu

re is

sues

I ha

ve a

gree

d to

exp

erim

ent w

ith.

Mon

itorin

g, I’

ll w

atch

out

for:

Chan

ges

in m

y pr

actic

e

• • •

Chan

ges

in p

upil

beha

viou

r

• • •

Nam

eCl

ass

Date

Copy

right

TLO

Lim

ited,

201

6

Tack

le T

ime

line

12

34

4 Team Reflection and PlanningPersonal Action Planning

Capt

ure

your

lear

ning

enq

uiry

as

a qu

estio

nPu

t a li

ttle

enqu

iry p

lan

toge

ther


Evidence from my learning culture experiments that I will report to the team at the next meetingImprovement in how students engaged with learning

How students showed growing understanding of what learning is about

How students are recognising their role in the learning process

Evidence of less stress...

Evidence of reduced reliance on me / teacher

Evidence of increased focus ...

Other things I observed

4 Team Reflection and PlanningPersonal Action Reporting

Copyright © TLO Limited 2018 | Learning Diary – To accompany the online unit: A culture for building powerful learners | 28/08/18 |

www.tloltd.co.uk

www.buildinglearningpower.co.uk

Approved courses from TLOTLO offers a range of courses, on-line learning, conferences and resources to stimulate and extend schools’ practice in Building Learning Power.

– Enhance understanding and skills

– Ensure BLP principles are interpreted for full effect

– Encourage staff to explore and experiment

Our new in-depth courses fit any budget – and really work.

For more details contact

TLO Limited t: 0117 937 8080The Park Centre Daventry Road e: [email protected] 1DQ w: www.bulildinglearningpower.com

w: www.tloltd.co.uk

TLO Limited have worked closely with Professor Guy Claxton since 2001. Together we have sought to create a dynamic programme for translating and extending his ideas into effective practice, in ways that can benefit every classroom and every young person. Schools, teachers and children have participated in every stage of this exciting journey of development. Our growing range of publications, face to face and on-line training and other on-line materials and training is the fruit of this endeavour.

Documents

Learning Diary...Learning Diary To accompany the online unit: A culture for building powerful learners Building Learning Power 2 4 3 1Learning cultures A big shift? Learning friendly