A significant point in time…?

WP_Query Object ( [query] => Array ( [page] => [name] => a-significant-point-in-time ) [query_vars] => Array ( [page] => 0 [name] => a-significant-point-in-time [error] => [m] => [p] => 0 [post_parent] => [subpost] => [subpost_id] => [attachment] => [attachment_id] => 0 [pagename] => [page_id] => 0 [second] => [minute] => [hour] => [day] => 0 [monthnum] => 0 [year] => 0 [w] => 0 [category_name] => [tag] => [cat] => [tag_id] => [author] => [author_name] => [feed] => [tb] => [paged] => 0 [meta_key] => [meta_value] => [preview] => [s] => [sentence] => [title] => [fields] => [menu_order] => [embed] => [category__in] => Array ( ) [category__not_in] => Array ( ) [category__and] => Array ( ) [post__in] => Array ( ) [post__not_in] => Array ( ) [post_name__in] => Array ( ) [tag__in] => Array ( ) [tag__not_in] => Array ( ) [tag__and] => Array ( ) [tag_slug__in] => Array ( ) [tag_slug__and] => Array ( ) [post_parent__in] => Array ( ) [post_parent__not_in] => Array ( ) [author__in] => Array ( ) [author__not_in] => Array ( ) [search_columns] => Array ( ) [ignore_sticky_posts] => [suppress_filters] => [cache_results] => 1 [update_post_term_cache] => 1 [update_menu_item_cache] => [lazy_load_term_meta] => 1 [update_post_meta_cache] => 1 [post_type] => [posts_per_page] => 10 [nopaging] => [comments_per_page] => 50 [no_found_rows] => [order] => DESC ) [tax_query] => [meta_query] => WP_Meta_Query Object ( [queries] => Array ( ) [relation] => [meta_table] => [meta_id_column] => [primary_table] => [primary_id_column] => [table_aliases:protected] => Array ( ) [clauses:protected] => Array ( ) [has_or_relation:protected] => ) [date_query] => [queried_object] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 1534 [post_author] => 2386 [post_date] => 2024-12-04 13:59:10 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-12-04 13:59:10 [post_content] => Every now and again comes a point in time that leads to a significant change in direction in education. The forthcoming curriculum review by the Department for Education may just be one of those times.   The current national curriculum has been in place, largely unchanged, for just over 10 years and counting. This has been the longest period of stability since the introduction of the national curriculum in 1989 (fig 1). The current direction was set by a desire to introduce a more demanding and ambitious curriculum, rich in knowledge to help drive up academic standards and help children succeed in life. Areas that had previously been described as ‘skills’ were reframed as different types of knowledge, such as disciplinary knowledge in science and procedural knowledge in maths. This new vocabulary meant that aspects of learning previously described as skills were perhaps out of favour. Thinking skills was an example.   Fundamentally, there is a lot to agree with in the concept of ‘rich knowledge’. Secure schema formation is built by connecting secure knowledge together in a way that explains the world. However, in the interpretation of a ‘knowledge rich curriculum’, there has always been the risk that building knowledge was seen as the goal of the curriculum without appreciating that important element of connection.   The purpose of education When considering my response to the curriculum review, I’m reminded of the following quote: “It is proposed that the purpose of education is to enable people to live happy, healthy and useful lives — now and in the future.” Sugata Mitra (2020) Any consideration of curriculum and assessment would be well placed to consider this as a starting point.     What should schools be doing to achieve this purpose of education? I've had the privilege of working with thousands of teachers, leaders and governors across hundreds of schools. One of the most common activities I've used involves mapping out what the teachers, leaders and governors would like their learners to become. They have identified attributes of the ‘ideal learner’. The words they use to describe these are often quite similar (see fig 2 for a word cloud, showing the most-often occurring words as largest).     This adds more details about the components of any curriculum that supports pupils on their journey into adulthood.   Learning is about connecting knowledge Any teachers of a Let’s Think approach will know that learning is all about connections. When I was trained as a CASE teacher, I learnt quickly that the start of each lesson recapped or introduced key vocabulary and checked that there was a secure knowledge and understanding before moving to more demanding activities. The lessons then tended to look at connecting knowledge together in a meaningful way, looking at exceptions to commonly understood rules and helping children become accustomed to counterintuitive ideas through social construction.   A crucial component of CASE is developing the ability of pupils to be critical in their thinking, to see beyond that which is immediately obvious and to see the subtly and nuance in the world around them. This really helps with understanding where rules apply and where they don’t. This helps pupils understand subjects in a connected way that comes with an appreciation of the limits of their knowledge. This helps them separate the facts from fiction, exacting truth from hyperbole and prepares them to deal with a world of smoke and mirrors where exploitative people and organisations might lead them to think or act in a way that is detrimental to them in the long term.   Aside from the rapid development of science substantive knowledge (biology, chemistry and physics) and the disciplinary knowledge (working scientifically) that I’ve seen result from schools where I’ve implemented (or supported the implementation) of CASE, what I’ve noticed as a positive side effect is the ‘extras’ that this particular approach to teaching has provided. This includes:

• collaborative group work (aligning to ‘team-player’)
• well-articulated discussion (aligning to the ‘good communicator’)
• well-developed problem-solving skills (aligned to ‘inquisitive’ and ‘problem-solver’)
• pupils keeping going when they are challenged (aligned to ‘resilient’)
• high levels of enthusiasm (aligned to enthusiastic)

  In short, well implemented Let’s Think lessons develop a much broader set of attributes. Although the graphic in figure 2 aligns very closely with what educators envisage for their learners, that particular graphic comes from a frequency analysis carried out with a group of STEM-based employers. They align very strongly with the views of educators, but it is interesting to note that it is what the employers are looking for in their employees.   An opportunity…? Back to the curriculum review - here is the opportunity to make this a significant point in time. There is an opportunity to ensure that the curriculum prepares children for the future. It is a future where their ability to think critically, to work as a team and to solve problems will serve them well.   References: Mitra, S (2020) Children and the Internet: Learning, in the Times to Come. Journal of Learning for Development vol 7 no 3 pp286-303. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1280603.pdf [post_title] => A significant point in time…? [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => a-significant-point-in-time [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-12-04 13:59:39 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-12-04 13:59:39 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://letsthink.org.uk/?p=1534 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [queried_object_id] => 1534 [request] => SELECT wp_posts.* FROM wp_posts WHERE 1=1 AND wp_posts.post_name = 'a-significant-point-in-time' AND wp_posts.post_type = 'post' ORDER BY wp_posts.post_date DESC [posts] => Array ( [0] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 1534 [post_author] => 2386 [post_date] => 2024-12-04 13:59:10 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-12-04 13:59:10 [post_content] => Every now and again comes a point in time that leads to a significant change in direction in education. The forthcoming curriculum review by the Department for Education may just be one of those times.   The current national curriculum has been in place, largely unchanged, for just over 10 years and counting. This has been the longest period of stability since the introduction of the national curriculum in 1989 (fig 1). The current direction was set by a desire to introduce a more demanding and ambitious curriculum, rich in knowledge to help drive up academic standards and help children succeed in life. Areas that had previously been described as ‘skills’ were reframed as different types of knowledge, such as disciplinary knowledge in science and procedural knowledge in maths. This new vocabulary meant that aspects of learning previously described as skills were perhaps out of favour. Thinking skills was an example.   Fundamentally, there is a lot to agree with in the concept of ‘rich knowledge’. Secure schema formation is built by connecting secure knowledge together in a way that explains the world. However, in the interpretation of a ‘knowledge rich curriculum’, there has always been the risk that building knowledge was seen as the goal of the curriculum without appreciating that important element of connection.   The purpose of education When considering my response to the curriculum review, I’m reminded of the following quote: “It is proposed that the purpose of education is to enable people to live happy, healthy and useful lives — now and in the future.” Sugata Mitra (2020) Any consideration of curriculum and assessment would be well placed to consider this as a starting point.     What should schools be doing to achieve this purpose of education? I've had the privilege of working with thousands of teachers, leaders and governors across hundreds of schools. One of the most common activities I've used involves mapping out what the teachers, leaders and governors would like their learners to become. They have identified attributes of the ‘ideal learner’. The words they use to describe these are often quite similar (see fig 2 for a word cloud, showing the most-often occurring words as largest).     This adds more details about the components of any curriculum that supports pupils on their journey into adulthood.   Learning is about connecting knowledge Any teachers of a Let’s Think approach will know that learning is all about connections. When I was trained as a CASE teacher, I learnt quickly that the start of each lesson recapped or introduced key vocabulary and checked that there was a secure knowledge and understanding before moving to more demanding activities. The lessons then tended to look at connecting knowledge together in a meaningful way, looking at exceptions to commonly understood rules and helping children become accustomed to counterintuitive ideas through social construction.   A crucial component of CASE is developing the ability of pupils to be critical in their thinking, to see beyond that which is immediately obvious and to see the subtly and nuance in the world around them. This really helps with understanding where rules apply and where they don’t. This helps pupils understand subjects in a connected way that comes with an appreciation of the limits of their knowledge. This helps them separate the facts from fiction, exacting truth from hyperbole and prepares them to deal with a world of smoke and mirrors where exploitative people and organisations might lead them to think or act in a way that is detrimental to them in the long term.   Aside from the rapid development of science substantive knowledge (biology, chemistry and physics) and the disciplinary knowledge (working scientifically) that I’ve seen result from schools where I’ve implemented (or supported the implementation) of CASE, what I’ve noticed as a positive side effect is the ‘extras’ that this particular approach to teaching has provided. This includes:

• collaborative group work (aligning to ‘team-player’)
• well-articulated discussion (aligning to the ‘good communicator’)
• well-developed problem-solving skills (aligned to ‘inquisitive’ and ‘problem-solver’)
• pupils keeping going when they are challenged (aligned to ‘resilient’)
• high levels of enthusiasm (aligned to enthusiastic)

  In short, well implemented Let’s Think lessons develop a much broader set of attributes. Although the graphic in figure 2 aligns very closely with what educators envisage for their learners, that particular graphic comes from a frequency analysis carried out with a group of STEM-based employers. They align very strongly with the views of educators, but it is interesting to note that it is what the employers are looking for in their employees.   An opportunity…? Back to the curriculum review - here is the opportunity to make this a significant point in time. There is an opportunity to ensure that the curriculum prepares children for the future. It is a future where their ability to think critically, to work as a team and to solve problems will serve them well.   References: Mitra, S (2020) Children and the Internet: Learning, in the Times to Come. Journal of Learning for Development vol 7 no 3 pp286-303. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1280603.pdf [post_title] => A significant point in time…? [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => a-significant-point-in-time [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-12-04 13:59:39 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-12-04 13:59:39 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://letsthink.org.uk/?p=1534 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) ) [post_count] => 1 [current_post] => -1 [in_the_loop] => [post] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 1534 [post_author] => 2386 [post_date] => 2024-12-04 13:59:10 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-12-04 13:59:10 [post_content] => Every now and again comes a point in time that leads to a significant change in direction in education. The forthcoming curriculum review by the Department for Education may just be one of those times.   The current national curriculum has been in place, largely unchanged, for just over 10 years and counting. This has been the longest period of stability since the introduction of the national curriculum in 1989 (fig 1). The current direction was set by a desire to introduce a more demanding and ambitious curriculum, rich in knowledge to help drive up academic standards and help children succeed in life. Areas that had previously been described as ‘skills’ were reframed as different types of knowledge, such as disciplinary knowledge in science and procedural knowledge in maths. This new vocabulary meant that aspects of learning previously described as skills were perhaps out of favour. Thinking skills was an example.   Fundamentally, there is a lot to agree with in the concept of ‘rich knowledge’. Secure schema formation is built by connecting secure knowledge together in a way that explains the world. However, in the interpretation of a ‘knowledge rich curriculum’, there has always been the risk that building knowledge was seen as the goal of the curriculum without appreciating that important element of connection.   The purpose of education When considering my response to the curriculum review, I’m reminded of the following quote: “It is proposed that the purpose of education is to enable people to live happy, healthy and useful lives — now and in the future.” Sugata Mitra (2020) Any consideration of curriculum and assessment would be well placed to consider this as a starting point.     What should schools be doing to achieve this purpose of education? I've had the privilege of working with thousands of teachers, leaders and governors across hundreds of schools. One of the most common activities I've used involves mapping out what the teachers, leaders and governors would like their learners to become. They have identified attributes of the ‘ideal learner’. The words they use to describe these are often quite similar (see fig 2 for a word cloud, showing the most-often occurring words as largest).     This adds more details about the components of any curriculum that supports pupils on their journey into adulthood.   Learning is about connecting knowledge Any teachers of a Let’s Think approach will know that learning is all about connections. When I was trained as a CASE teacher, I learnt quickly that the start of each lesson recapped or introduced key vocabulary and checked that there was a secure knowledge and understanding before moving to more demanding activities. The lessons then tended to look at connecting knowledge together in a meaningful way, looking at exceptions to commonly understood rules and helping children become accustomed to counterintuitive ideas through social construction.   A crucial component of CASE is developing the ability of pupils to be critical in their thinking, to see beyond that which is immediately obvious and to see the subtly and nuance in the world around them. This really helps with understanding where rules apply and where they don’t. This helps pupils understand subjects in a connected way that comes with an appreciation of the limits of their knowledge. This helps them separate the facts from fiction, exacting truth from hyperbole and prepares them to deal with a world of smoke and mirrors where exploitative people and organisations might lead them to think or act in a way that is detrimental to them in the long term.   Aside from the rapid development of science substantive knowledge (biology, chemistry and physics) and the disciplinary knowledge (working scientifically) that I’ve seen result from schools where I’ve implemented (or supported the implementation) of CASE, what I’ve noticed as a positive side effect is the ‘extras’ that this particular approach to teaching has provided. This includes:

• collaborative group work (aligning to ‘team-player’)
• well-articulated discussion (aligning to the ‘good communicator’)
• well-developed problem-solving skills (aligned to ‘inquisitive’ and ‘problem-solver’)
• pupils keeping going when they are challenged (aligned to ‘resilient’)
• high levels of enthusiasm (aligned to enthusiastic)

  In short, well implemented Let’s Think lessons develop a much broader set of attributes. Although the graphic in figure 2 aligns very closely with what educators envisage for their learners, that particular graphic comes from a frequency analysis carried out with a group of STEM-based employers. They align very strongly with the views of educators, but it is interesting to note that it is what the employers are looking for in their employees.   An opportunity…? Back to the curriculum review - here is the opportunity to make this a significant point in time. There is an opportunity to ensure that the curriculum prepares children for the future. It is a future where their ability to think critically, to work as a team and to solve problems will serve them well.   References: Mitra, S (2020) Children and the Internet: Learning, in the Times to Come. Journal of Learning for Development vol 7 no 3 pp286-303. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1280603.pdf [post_title] => A significant point in time…? [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => a-significant-point-in-time [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-12-04 13:59:39 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-12-04 13:59:39 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://letsthink.org.uk/?p=1534 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [comment_count] => 0 [current_comment] => -1 [found_posts] => 1 [max_num_pages] => 0 [max_num_comment_pages] => 0 [is_single] => 1 [is_preview] => [is_page] => [is_archive] => [is_date] => [is_year] => [is_month] => [is_day] => [is_time] => [is_author] => [is_category] => [is_tag] => [is_tax] => [is_search] => [is_feed] => [is_comment_feed] => [is_trackback] => [is_home] => [is_privacy_policy] => [is_404] => [is_embed] => [is_paged] => [is_admin] => [is_attachment] => [is_singular] => 1 [is_robots] => [is_favicon] => [is_posts_page] => [is_post_type_archive] => [query_vars_hash:WP_Query:private] => 26eff8398ca1f1d0fe2d43045d920426 [query_vars_changed:WP_Query:private] => [thumbnails_cached] => [allow_query_attachment_by_filename:protected] => [stopwords:WP_Query:private] => [compat_fields:WP_Query:private] => Array ( [0] => query_vars_hash [1] => query_vars_changed ) [compat_methods:WP_Query:private] => Array ( [0] => init_query_flags [1] => parse_tax_query ) )