THE JOURNEY TO EXCELLENCE – LEARNING TOGETHER RESOURCE
Learning Together: Meeting learning
needs
Achieving success for all learners
Journey to Excellence
Professional development pack topics have been chosen to help you plan a
journey through popular staff development themes. They provide “guided tours”
through some of the resources on The Journey to Excellence website as a
window onto excellent practice. Engaging with the associated activities will help
you to reflect on and develop your practice purposefully.
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Meeting learning needs
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THE JOURNEY TO EXCELLENCE – LEARNING TOGETHER RESOURCE
This resource will be updated to reflect new and innovative
approaches as Curriculum for Excellence is developed. Please
email or comment in the box below any feedback on the
resource or suggestions for improvement to help keep the
resource up to date.
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THE JOURNEY TO EXCELLENCE – LEARNING TOGETHER RESOURCE
“We should turn out people who love learning so much and learn so well that they
will be able to learn whatever needs to be learned.”
John Holt
Purpose of this activity
This professional development pack provides staff at all levels with
opportunities to:
•
reflect on your own practice;
•
consider ways to involve your whole learning community in meeting the needs of
every single learner; and
•
develop an awareness of how to work towards excellent practice.
More specifically this activity aims to:
•
promote opportunities for reflection on the learning community’s existing practice in
meeting learning needs;
•
challenge and support staff to improve approaches to meeting learning needs;
•
raise awareness of relevant legislation and their implications for practice; and
•
encourage staff to share good practice and challenge each others' thinking.
Learning outcomes
After completing this programme you will have:
• identified your current level of knowledge and expertise of active learning strategies
and approaches;
• a deeper understanding of how methodologies can change to support the learning of
children and young people;
• gained a knowledge of innovative and creative practice in other schools;
• discussed and reflected on research evidence and the contributions of fellow
professionals; and
• planned, implemented and reviewed ways of developing active learning in your own
classroom practice.
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THE JOURNEY TO EXCELLENCE – LEARNING TOGETHER RESOURCE
Who is this for?
This programme is for all who work with learners in all sectors. It has particular
relevance for all those who design and deliver learning experiences in the classroom,
both teachers and other staff who support children’s learning. Indeed the programme
has relevance for a wide range of partners and professionals working in other sectors.
What will I/we need to work through this programme?
You will need enthusiasm, energy and imagination!
In addition you will need access to the online resource which supports The Journey to
Excellence.
Is this an individual activity or do I need to work with others?
The core activities enable you to work individually at a time and place of your choice.
However, there are opportunities to work with colleagues and to discuss and reflect on
how learning needs can be met. You will also be asked to consider how engagement
with this programme has changed and improved your classroom practice. It may be
helpful to work reciprocally with a colleague to observe practice and offer mutually
helpful feedback and advice.
The programme of study may easily be adapted at stage, department or whole school
levels to allow larger groups of staff to work through it collaboratively.
How long will it take?
This programme is designed to be open ended and flexible in response to the needs of
differing learning establishments. The series of connected activities will probably last
between 30 to 60 minutes per activity and would benefit from being planned into a
series of collegiate times or for a whole in-service day.
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THE JOURNEY TO EXCELLENCE – LEARNING TOGETHER RESOURCE
Challenging our thinking
Watch this movie clip on Personalised Learning by Dylan Wiliam
Consider the difference between individualised and personalised learning.
List examples of individualised and personalised learning which are currently common
in your establishment/class.
Individualised approaches
Personalised approaches
Can you merge or balance these two approaches in order to better meet learning
needs?
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THE JOURNEY TO EXCELLENCE – LEARNING TOGETHER RESOURCE
Reflecting on our own practice
Watch the informative movie clip: Meeting Children’s Learning
Needs
Highlight phrases on the improvement guide below using the following
key:
Green highlighter – I do this often and with confidence
Yellow highlighter – I sometimes do this, but am not consistent in
my approach
Red highlighter – I very seldom do this and am unsure of this
approach
Extract from improvement guide - A school is excellent to the extent that…
Teachers have a comprehensive understanding of children’s learning and development and
provide feedback personalised for each learner. They observe learners closely, track their
progress and use the information to plan their future progress. They strive to ensure continuity
of learning approaches and experiences at transition stages.
Young people often engage in cooperative learning and discussion with other learners. These
activities are designed so that independent thinking by each learner contributes to the group’s
work. Young people build on each other’s contributions to reach a common understanding
while respecting minority viewpoints.
Children consistently work at a brisk pace, but are also given sufficient time to develop and
make sense of their learning, particularly in the early years. Teachers allocate appropriate time
to instruction, signalling changes of focus in lessons, activities and episodes of learning. Time
is not wasted or spent on non-progressive tasks. Where activities are repeated, this is done
judiciously and with the stated aim of consolidating previous learning.
Learning is flexible and adapted to take account of learners’ interests. Children become more
confident in their learning by being given appropriate support and challenge. Teachers take full
account of the understanding and learning needs of all learners. Lessons and episodes of
learning are well structured, with challenging goals and use of organisers. New knowledge is
linked to prior learning. Ideas are linked and contextualised. Materials are presented in stages.
Structured curriculum areas are taught in structured ways. Learners master basic concepts
before moving on to the next steps so that they develop confidence in their abilities. Teachers
interact sensitively with young people, as appropriate to their stage of development.
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THE JOURNEY TO EXCELLENCE – LEARNING TOGETHER RESOURCE
Everyone should write down on Post-it notes examples or ideas of approaches
and activities under each category and how this practice can either be sustained,
improved or started.
Some things that I do often which meet learners’ learning needs
I have planned a
topic based on
my children’s
holiday
destinations
I put L.Is on
sticky labels so
everyone’s jotter
can have a
different one
Some things that I do sometimes which meet learners’ learning needs
Some things that I would like to do to meet learners’ learning needs
I want to build
on my children’s
pre-school
experiences
better
This should generate sharing of good practice within the group. How about auctioning
or trading post-its? Choose your favourite post-it, take it to its writer and make an
arrangement to see it in action.
Select one area for improvement and develop a brief action plan (individually,
departmentally or as a whole school).
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THE JOURNEY TO EXCELLENCE – LEARNING TOGETHER RESOURCE
What?
How?
Who?
When?
Outcomes
e.g.
Provide more
linked and
contextualised
learning
experiences
Re-develop
programmes
for social
subjects to
connect
subject areas
PT and
departmental
staff in
consultation
with Good
Practice High
School
3 CPD
sessions and
1 hour
inservice day
May
The quality of
learners’
experiences is
improved
through the
delivery of
relevant and
improved
contextualised
learning
across subject
areas.
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THE JOURNEY TO EXCELLENCE – LEARNING TOGETHER RESOURCE
Meeting Needs in Practice
Copy the prompts below and make notes as you watch these movie clips:
Learning as personal development
Setting sights high
Meeting the needs of young people with difficulties
Challenge learning
Use these prompt questions to assist with your note-taking.
Establishments meet learning needs by…………. (Make 3 key statements)
Key outcomes for learners are……………………. (Make 3 key statements)
The most important thing I learned about learning from this movie clip was………
What common themes of ‘excellence’ in meeting learning needs ran through these
clips?
Learning together
Carry out a Case study over an agreed time scale.
•
Consider a learner in your school or class (not your own class).
•
Complete a mind map briefly outlining his/her strengths and needs.
•
Record the learner's main barriers to learning.
•
Record the way in which staff are challenging and supporting this
learner.
•
Include the learner in this piece of development work if possible.
Document how you did this.
Now consider how you could improve aspects of this young person’s learning and
share this with the staff and young person/parents.
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THE JOURNEY TO EXCELLENCE – LEARNING TOGETHER RESOURCE
Planning for the future
Watch this movie clip:
A Learning Classroom (Brian Boyd)
What will your school/classroom look like in the future when it is in a
position to meet all the changing learning needs of all learners?
Open How good is our school? and use the four quality indicators below
to organise your thinking.
Teaching for
effective learning
What will your
teaching look like in
10 years time?
Meeting learning
needs
How will you meet
the needs of every
single learner?
Learners'
experiences
What will learners be
experiencing?
Improvements in
performance
How will we evaluate
key improvements?
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