Learning Fundamentals Preparing children for a lifetime of learning A new teacher toolkit for designing and delivering meaningful learning experiences Learning with visuals Learning through talk Learning by connecting Learning by thinking critically structural-learning.com Learning through building Learning through visuals Learning through talk Learning to Learn How does this approach enhance comprehension and memory? The Structural Learning toolkit provides teachers with the resources they need to drive students forward in their learning. Acting as a vehicle for deeper engagement, this metacognitive approach enables whole-school communities to build a shared vision of the fundamental principles of how we all learn. The frameworks and strategies are designed to equip children with the academic skills they need to become successful lifelong learners. Underpinned by evidence-informed ideas, the fundamental principles are applicable to pupils of all ages and backgrounds. Planning Learning Facilitating Learning “This unique way of thinking about the curriculum makes the process of learning more visible across whole school communities.” Assessing Learning The Structural Learning Toolkit Our membership offer provides schools with a complete approach for optimising curriculum engagement and advancing learning deeper outcomes. The resources and strategies provide teachers with the tools they need to bring a greater level of challenge to classroom activities. So how exactly can this family of learning tools make learning more memorable in your school? 1. Understanding learning Planning sequences of learning that stimulate student thinking and generate a greater depth of understanding. 2. Facilitating learning Implementating engaging learning activities that help build conceptual understanding. 3. Reinforcing Learning Skills Creating whole-school cultures of thinking and learner independence. Learning through Building Thinking Framework • Explain complex tasks in an accessible, direct way • Equip children with a clear language for learning • Provide practical steps toward educational success Staff Professional Development Enabling your staff to foster fundamental models of how children learn. Learning through Visuals Learning through Talk • Encourage children to take ownership of their learning • Promote a better understanding of curriculum content • Provide greater access to complex classroom tasks Skills Framework • Highlight the skills that enable children to behave more effectively in educational settings • Reward learners when they demonstrate progress • Develop a well-rounded understanding of how the mind works. • Untangle knotty classroom issues. • Set children up for lifelong educational success. structural-learning.com What does the membership support look like? The training that accompanies your learning toolkit includes a period of consultancy support for school leadership, followed by one launch workshop and 3/4 followup sessions. The training model can be delivered entirely online or using a blended approach incorporating face-to-face training. Depending on the size of the school and the context of the project, the professional development can be cascaded through a small team or with the whole staff within small schools. Through an open dialogue with your head or leadership team, we explore your school’s context and the purpose of your interest in adopting the learning fundamentals. Collaboratively, we fine-tune the plan and discuss how to implement your new strategies. We also use this opportunity to introduce our action research model and lesson design canvas. Your membership gets you an annual supply of physical resources, access to digital resources and termly professional development support. Whole Staff Launch [Half/full day] An introduction to the practical applications of the learning fundamentals: Visual tools and thinking actions, using physical tools to build knowledge, classroom talk for facilitating learning and reinforcing learning skills and behaviours. We usually schedule in the follow-up sessions once every half-term. Thinking Framework Graphic Organisers Block Building Talking Toolkit Session 1 - Thinking framework [1 - 2 hour workshop] Planning for deeper learning: How can we use this new framework to plan, facilitate and assess deeper learning? Supported Gap task: Plan an activity using the framework and monitor how it helps your learners. Session 2 - Visual Tools [1 - 2 hour workshop] Learning through organising: How can we use visual tools for planning and consolidating knowledge? Supported Gap task: Design an activity using a visual tool and monitor how it enhances learning outcomes. Session 3 - Building Blocks [1 - 2 hour workshop] Learning by connecting: How can we use the building blocks for facilitating critical and creative thinking? Supported Gap task: Design a block-building task and monitor the impact it has on your learners. Session 4 - Talking Toolkit [1 - 2 hour workshop] Learning through talk: How does purposeful classroom discussion help children understand new ideas more effectively? Supported Gap task: Incorporate a talking exercise into your lesson and observe how it helps your learners. Advancing Comprehension Using the Structural Learning resources for developing conceptual understanding Resource Strategy Strategy Strategy Check conceptual understanding by asking learners to complete a graphic organiser after they have finished a non-fiction text. Useful as a formative assessment tool. Use a cause and effect graphic organiser to explore why geographical and historical events happened the way they did. Utilise a mindmap to consolidate understanding after finishing a unit of work. Facilitate higher-order questioning to foster deeper understanding. Enable learners to build meaning using the blue organisational learning actions. These actions require children to structure information into organised schema. Provide children with a choice of challenges from the thinking framework. Graphic Organisers Thinking Framework Vertebrates Invertebrates Dis ful respect Causal More gases Block Building Use the blocks to categorise information and build background knowledge. ness happy Un Decoding: Break words down to find spelling patterns. Higher Temp Identify the main points from a text and explain their connections. Strong Talking Toolkit Importance Wisdom Use the talking toolkit to facilitate a debate about an issue raised in the text. Use the ‘talk tactics’ to encourage children to take on different roles. Forgiveness Friendship Kindness Warmer ocean Sea rise level ecstatic blissful Trust cheerful Sociability Weak Extract information from the text and then ask learners to reason and rank the significance. pleased Discuss the meaning of adjectives. structural-learning.com Writing Preparation Using the Structural Learning resources for advancing language skills Resource Strategy Strategy Strategy Use a completed graphic organiser as a prewriting tool and ask learners to present their thoughts verbally. Encourage students to use a graphic organiser for notetaking after a presentation or visit. Cluster students ideas using a visual tool to help them formulate logical paragraphs. Breakdown a complex piece of writing into manageable stages. Use the red learning actions to bring more creativity to a piece of writing. Encourage critical thinking by utilising the yellow learning actions. Graphic Organisers Thinking Framework Surface Run-off Precipitation over land Infiltration Block Building Talking Toolkit Cultivate creativity by prompting children to look for conceptual connections between the blocks. Facilitate classroom discussion and provoke new ideas by asking students to take on different talk roles. Monkey Bus Bring order to children's writing by sequencing their ideas into logical progressions. Speedy Florence is playing football Encourage ambitious vocabulary by showing the grammatical structure of sentences. Generate new ideas by building on each other's thoughts. Help learners clarify their own thinking by engaging peers in dialogic learning. structural-learning.com Becoming an independent learner What does progression look like? Independent Thinking The Structural Learning Toolkit is designed to help children understand how we think and learn. As the resources begin to be adopted across your school, you will notice children engaging more deeply in their learning. With repeated exposure and enough practice, pupils gradually take more strategic decisions over their learning. This exciting shift in mindset sets a child on a pathway of classroom independence and a journey of fulfilling lifelong learning. The following statements can be used to monitor the wider educational outcomes of your learners. Metacognition Strategy Planning and problem-solving Reflection and Self Regulation I am able to evaluate the range of possible actions and strategies available to me and select the most appropriate ones. I am able to use the full range of thinking actions fluently and am able to combine them into effective sequences. I can sequence appropriate actions to complete a task. I am able to choose appropriate methods to complete complex activities. I am fully able to justify my reasoning for choosing my strategies. I can work independently, choosing and evaluating the appropriate ways to complete a task. I can understand when I need to change a strategy and I am comfortable choosing alternative approaches. I can evaluate the effectiveness of the various approaches, stages and tools that I undertook. Refining and improving my work has become a habit. I understand that I can get better at most things with practice. I am aware of some of the thinking actions and strategies available to me. I am able to name and talk about the function of a significant amount of thinking actions available to me. I am able to select appropriate actions and strategies to complete a task. I can understand it is possible and necessary to select varying approaches to complete different tasks. I am aware of the strategies, tools and thinking actions available to me. I am aware that complex tasks can be broken down into stages. I am comfortable knowing that I won’t get everything right the first time. I sometimes know what went well and what didn’t. I am comfortable selecting ways of improving my work. Knowledge is not passively received and absorbed but actively built up by the individual. J. Watson How can we work together? We provide a range of options for developing school-wide independent learning and metacognition. Whether you are addressing a wholeschool agenda or supporting a small cohort of learners, we can help you create the positive changes you need to make. Most schools complement their thinking tools with a variety of training options. The options below will help you plan your learning journey. School membership The membership provides every member of staff with access to all the digital resources and an annual supply of physical resources. Classroom Tools Additional classroom resources to get everyone thinking: Staff set of durable framework cards £10 Writer’s Block £199 Professional Development Just need staff training on the fundamental principles of learning? Choose from the following options. Staff meeting £150 A great way to explore these new ideas and takeaway some new perspectives. Staff workshop £350 A half-day session digging deeper into cognitiion and learning. Full training day £600 A whole-staff session of facilitated activities. Membership £4 per pupil This includes a whole staff induction and an annual professional learning project. Ream of ‘printable’ card inserts for the blocks £25 Research into practice program (4 x sessions) £1400 A longer term action research project putting theory into practice. structural-learning.com We improve educational outcomes by enabling children to think their way through any challenge they encounter in school and beyond. We provide tools and strategies that help pupils develop into active, confident learners who can successfully engage with the curriculum and society.
