Aiming for a = learning-focused=20 school

Aiming For a Learning-Focused School: Fairlawn Primary = School Paves=20 the Way

What is learning? Sounds = simple, but=20 ask yourself and all your teaching colleagues the same question and = you=E2=80=99re=20 likely to get a wide range of different answers. That=E2=80=99s exactly = what Robin=20 Bosher, head teacher of Fairlawn Primary school in Lewisham did with his = staff=20 two years ago. =E2=80=9CMost of us misconstrued it as a question about = teaching=E2=80=9D, he=20 says. =E2=80=9CUntil recently the emphasis in schools has been on = teaching. It has=20 always been assumed that if there=E2=80=99s good teaching, then learning = will take=20 place. Now we know that=E2=80=99s not the = case.=E2=80=9D

Ex-Ofsted inspector, Mike = Horton, who=20 is now headmaster at the British School of Chicago, backs up = Robin=E2=80=99s comments.=20 =E2=80=9CI think that a lot of us in the profession don=E2=80=99t truly = understand what it means=20 when you start talking about learning,=E2=80=9D he says and recalls an = example from his=20 inspection days: =E2=80=9CThe teacher I was inspecting had everything; = he was well=20 prepared, had lots of interactive materials, questions and answers, the = lot. But=20 when I spoke to the children after the lesson, they hadn=E2=80=99t been = challenged at=20 all because they=E2=80=99d done all the learning before. The children = had enjoyed the=20 lesson and so had the teacher, but they hadn=E2=80=99t learnt anything=20 new.=E2=80=9D

Becoming=20 learning-focused

It = was this=20 realisation that a focus on learning was critical that inspired Robin = Bosher to=20 adopt a new approach for Fairlawn Primary; one that helped the whole = school=20 become learning-focused. It was a programme called Looking for Learning, = developed over a six year period by Fieldwork Education, the = organisation that=20 created the International Primary Curriculum. Looking for Learning is a=20 leadership toolkit which aims to help schools answer crucial questions = such as=20 =E2=80=98What is learning?=E2=80=99 and =E2=80=98What does it mean to be = a learning-focused school?=E2=80=99 and=20 helps schools to identify, improve and increase the learning that is = taking=20 place within their classrooms. =E2=80=9CThere=E2=80=99s been a complete = change in 18 months as a=20 result,=E2=80=9D says Robin. =E2=80=9CWe=E2=80=99ve moved from a focus = on =E2=80=98Am I teaching well?=E2=80=99 to =E2=80=98Are=20 the children learning?=E2=80=99 and this is a whole school philosophy = that every teacher=20 has adopted.=E2=80=9D

So = how did Robin=20 and the teachers at Fairlawn make the change with Looking for Learning? = =E2=80=9CWe=20 approached it in three ways,=E2=80=9D says Robin. =E2=80=9CAs an audit = about quality teaching=20 and learning, as a lead for looking at key questions for monitoring = learning=20 within the classroom, and as an observation process that focuses on = whole school=20 improvement.=E2=80=9D

Fundamental to the=20 process was to establish a clear understanding amongst all the staff of = what=20 learning really means. =E2=80=9CLooking for Learning provided just the = right help we=20 needed to define the different kinds of learning and to ask the right = questions=20 of children in the classroom to identify what learning was going = on,=E2=80=9D explains=20 Robin.

Identifying = Learning in=20 the Classroom

The = next step was=20 to get the teachers into each other=E2=80=99s classrooms to observe and = identify the=20 learning that was going on. A major part of Looking for = Learning=E2=80=99s observational=20 approach includes talking to the children about their learning and = knowing=20 exactly what questions to ask to identify the learning was a crucial = part of the=20 process. =E2=80=9CTo achieve this we had to help our children understand = exactly what is=20 meant by learning too,=E2=80=9D says Robin. =E2=80=9CThis has become a = constant part of our=20 school life in and out of the classroom. For example, we have six = learning=20 questions, each one focusing on the children=E2=80=99s learning and we = rotate them on a=20 week-by-week basis. These questions appear all round school so that = everywhere=20 the children go they see the same questions. For example, this = week=E2=80=99s question=20 is =E2=80=98Why are we learning this?=E2=80=99 Another question that we = use is =E2=80=98How is this=20 connected to our other learning?=E2=80=99 It=E2=80=99s helping everyone = to embed that=20 understanding of learning.=E2=80=9D

Robin says that=20 classroom observations have shifted in focus because of the Looking for = Learning=20 process: =E2=80=9CDeveloping key monitoring and observation questions so = that the=20 observers clearly know that they are looking for the learning rather = than just=20 good teaching is very important,=E2=80=9D he says. =E2=80=9CNow our = teachers are much more=20 confident about classroom observations because they know what = they=E2=80=99re being=20 observed for. This was quite a difficult shift for them because they = were used=20 to the old observational techniques on such issues as =E2=80=98Are the = children in the=20 correct groups?=E2=80=99 =E2=80=98Are they behaving well?=E2=80=99 and = =E2=80=98Do I have good resources?=E2=80=99 These=20 questions all focused on good teaching practice but not on good = learning. They=20 are not the best questions for making sure that children are learning = well. As=20 teachers, we=E2=80=99ve had to make a distinct shift from being praised = for having=20 quiet, studious lessons to learning that it=E2=80=99s good if = there=E2=80=99s collaborative=20 learning going on which is so important for successful learning. Now = everyone=20 knows that what we=E2=80=99re observing for is to assess whether the = children have=20 learnt anything. The teaching elements are still there in our = observation, but=20 they=E2=80=99re of much less importance.=E2=80=9D

The = results of the=20 Looking for Learning observations then became the source of group = discussions=20 for the teachers and leaders to identify and then improve the amount and = the=20 quality of learning that was going on in all of the classrooms. This = process=20 continues today.

Progress

So = just how much=20 difference has this process made to the school? =E2=80=9CSix months = after introducing=20 Looking for Learning we had an Ofsted inspection and learning was = regarded as=20 =E2=80=98outstanding,=E2=80=99 says Robin. =E2=80=9CIn the space of just = six months we had shifted from=20 =E2=80=98good=E2=80=99 at a max, to =E2=80=98outstanding=E2=80=99 in = many lessons. Looking for Learning=20 definitely took us from good to great and we continue it today to = maintain and,=20 hopefully improve, on the standard of our learning. You can=E2=80=99t = underestimate the=20 change that it has made for us.=E2=80=9D

The = Looking for=20 Learning classroom observations are just one of five steps in the = Looking for=20 Learning Toolkit; a cost-effective, self-help, toolkit of resources = about=20 learning designed to help leaders to enable their school to become = driven by=20 learning. The Toolkit includes 5 practical, jargon-free manuals guiding = leaders=20 every step of the way from putting the Looking for Learning process into = practice, to understanding learning, to creating, leading and managing a = learning-focused school supported throughout with three DVDs and an = effective=20 range of resources. In addition, the Looking for Learning Toolkit = includes a=20 membership of the Learning Network, a live, evolving website designed as = a=20 one-stop resource for finding out, discussing and learning more about = learning=20 as new developments and thinking are published. Within the Learning = Network is a=20 members-only secure, online database for recording and analysing the = Looking for=20 Learning evidence within your own school. For more information about the = Looking=20 for Learning Toolkit call Fieldwork Education at 020-5731-9696.=20

How to Create = a=20 Learning-Focused School

The = Looking for=20 Learning Toolkit provides school leaders with a whole range of practical = ideas=20 for creating a learning-focused school such as turning meetings into=20 learning-focused meetings, writing learning-focused targets and creating = learning-focused displays. Here are some ideas from the Looking for = Learning=20 Toolkit for creating learning-focused displays:

Use learning-focused language in your=20 displays

Make = sure you talk=20 about =E2=80=98learning=E2=80=99 displays to each other and to the = children. Use =E2=80=98learning=E2=80=99, or at least = learning-related language, in all of the=20 titles, questions, descriptions and so on = that make=20 up the display. For example, the title = =E2=80=98Ancient Egyptians=E2=80=99 becomes =E2=80=98What we have learnt = about life in Ancient Egypt=E2=80=99=20 or =E2=80=98Evidence that we are = developing our skills in=20 history=E2=80=99. This learning-focused = language can also=20 be applied to individual pieces of learning within=20 the overall display. For example, a caption on an individual piece of = work=20 can change from =E2=80=98A lovely = timeline from Sarah=E2=80=99 to=20 =E2=80=98Sarah chose this piece of learning for the display because it = shows how she is=20 getting better at sequencing important historical = events=E2=80=99.

Engage the=20 learners

Make = the displays=20 interactive so that they enhance and move forward your = children=E2=80=99s learning:

=E2=80=A2 Add questions to=20 them, or problems to be solved.

=E2=80=A2 Refer to the=20 displays at the start of the school day.

=E2=80=A2 Situate a=20 =E2=80=98teaching=E2=80=99 part of the lesson near to a display and use = it to help=20 the children focus on the = subject.

=E2=80=A2 Entice the=20 children by a blank board along with a notice =E2=80=98Watch out for=20 some exciting new learning coming soon to = this=20 board!=E2=80=99

=E2=80=A2 At the start of=20 a new project, leave a strange but related object by a = blank board and ask the children to write about it (either = directly on the=20 board or by using a post-it note). For = example,=20 what do they think this is? What do they want to=20 learn about it? What do they already know about it?

Create a = =E2=80=98Learning=20 Wall=E2=80=99

For = either an=20 individual class or a whole-school department, create a display=20 area that represents a wall =E2=80=93 the = =E2=80=98Learning Wall=E2=80=99.=20 Each child has their own =E2=80=98brick=E2=80=99 in = the wall,=20 represented by a coloured piece of paper. At the end of a day, week or=20 project ask the children to write or draw = what they=20 have learnt =E2=80=93 perhaps on a post-it note. They=20 should then put this on to their brick on the learning wall. As this = activity=20 is repeated and the children revisit = their bricks=20 over regular periods of time, the wall provides for=20 them (and others) a record of the progressions in their = learning.

education zones

conferences
secon= dary=20 leadership
in= ternational=20 education
primary= =20 leadership
early=20 years
creative=20 curriculum
prof= essional=20 learning
every = child matters
e-learning<= /LI>
learning = outside the classroom
schools of = the future
parents-= governors
leader= ship=20 briefing
leader= ship=20 research
manager= 's=20 briefcase
school=20 business
healthy=20 schools

browse