The child/student, our first notes on Visual Learning

Hattie's main argument in this section of his book is that students enter school not only with prior achievements, but also personal dispositions, and that these dispositions can then have an impact on the outcomes of schooling.

He identifies the key dispositional ingredients as:

1. the way the child is open to new experiences;
2. the child's emerging beliefs about the value and worth of investing in learning;
3. the manner in which they learn that they can build a sense of self from their engagement in the learning enterprise:

He explains that although children enter the school with these, they can be changed by the school, and that they need to be nurtured in order to raise achievement. He states that many feel that such dispositions to learning should be used as performance indicators of the school. This is something that we will look to incorporate into our school assessment. 

The personality attribute that is identified as critical is that of openness to new experiences.

"Openness to experiences involves the willingness (and it is an active process) to experience new ideas, to think outside the box, and of not being tied to one way of thinking. It involves a motivation to explore ideas, and to invest in the process of learning."

We hope that the approach of our school will actively support and develop this disposition, by encouraging children to pose their own questions and offering the time, space and access to expertise to find their own solutions. They will have the time to fully explore the ideas that interest them, and as they will have chosen their path we believe they will be more invested in the process. As a staff we will be there to support the students in linking their time and effort to the learning they are achieving, making this connection explicit.

Background

In the book they also identify that by the time a child enters school there have been a range of factors that have played a "major role in generating subsequent differences in school-based achievement" including prior achievement and lack of academic success. As a school, we should be looking into what we can offer to support these very young families in creating strong home learning environments. We feel very committed to the idea of the school reaching the community beyond school age, both before and after. This community aspect could be built into the students experience, embedded in our curriculum, so when planning a project they would look at how they could involve or support the community. For example creating and producing plays for pre-schoolers, writing stories and running a story time at the library, devising games and spending time as play workers in the local parks.

Creativity is also identified as another prior influence on achievement. It has been found that "Programs with more hands-on activities had stronger effects than those relying on more passive methods" "Those activities that directly adressed students' initial understandings were much more powerful than those which focused more on presentation of accurate scientific information with less attention to students' current understanding" As a school, our vision is for children to build their learning on practical experiences. To investigate their ideas, test, explore and update their thinking through this process. As the children will be leading their learning, being supported in posing their own questions as well as discovering the answers, it will always start from what they already know/understand and build upon this.

Each of the chapters had a great deal of detail, and would make enormous blog posts, so I have made notes on this sub-section of Background, in my next post from this book I will continue onto Attitudes and dispositions.

Another like minded group aiming to set up a free school.

Since starting this project, I have been blown away by the kindness and generosity of people also involved in the process. I have also been heartened to find others putting children at the centre of their plans. Once such group is the Canterbury Free School, who are aiming to apply in the same round as us.  They have kindly written an introduction to their vision and experience, we have our fingers crossed for them.

We are a group of parents and teachers based in Canterbury who are working towards setting up a primary Free School with the aim of opening in September 2015, based on the principles of the Reggio Emilia approach.  Our vision is that our school will be a welcoming and inclusive place where all children, families and teachers are valued as capable individuals who learn best together.  We will champion independent thinking, cultivate healthy social-emotional development, and will be rooted in our community and the natural environment.  We aim to raise educational standards with our unique curriculum, which will driven by our children’s interests and innate love of learning, setting them on the path to future success.

What inspired you to apply to open a free school?

We want to provide an education that encourages children to have a lifelong passion and enthusiasm for learning, with a flexible, skills-based curriculum that allows children to explore their own interests.

Who was the main instigator? How did you build your team?

Amy and Zoe are both teachers with young children.  We were concerned about the things we dislike about primary education at the moment, such as too much teaching to the test, a very rigid and prescriptive curriculum, lots of government interference, a heavy focus on data and test results and so on.  We feel very strongly that this is not the best way for children to learn.  We talked about homeschooling, and then we found that a lot of other parents had the same concerns as us so we thought, why not set up a homeschooling school, and the idea has evolved from there!  We have so far built our team through word of mouth and social media, although we are now approaching local businesses for support.

What are the most important aspects of your school to you?

It's really important to us to have an extended Foundation Stage to age 6, as research shows this gives children the best possible start.  We also won't compromise on having a curriculum that can be adapted according to children's interests.  Assessment for learning will also be a key feature in our school, based on portfolios of children's work rather than formal written tests.  Another key aspect of our school is the Forest School, where we hope to have children in the forest one full day each week, all year round.  Basically we want to focus on learning and what is best for the children, rather than on data.

What are you finding the hardest part of the process?

At the moment everyone in our steering group is a parent with young children at home, this makes for a considerable juggling act and lots of late nights!  

What has surprised you most about the process?

We have been surprised that everyone involved with the process has taken us so seriously and really respects our vision and ethos.  We were concerned that because our approach is a bit different to the norm that people would see us as a bit 'alternative' and 'out there' but so far everyone has been very supportive, perhaps because we have worked hard to back up all our ideas with evidence.

Visible Learning, thoughts based on John Hattie

I came across John Hattie's book only last year, slightly late, but being hailed as the Holy Grail of teaching I thought it was definitely worth my time to read and attempt to digest.

On reading one of the introductory chapters, this section resonated with what I am hoping to achieve with the school.

"The remarkable feature of the evidence is that the biggest effects on student learning occur when teachers become learners of their own teaching, and when students become their own teachers. When students become their own teachers they exhibit the self-regulatory attributes that seem most desirable for learners (self-monitoring, self-evaluation, self-assessment, self-teaching).

With the approach of the school being so fluid and responsive to the children I believe that the teachers who work there will definitely need to be "learners of their own teaching".Working with the students to  create the best possible experiences to support their development. With this being an ever changing task the teacher will not have the opportunity to become complacent and know that they can just churn out the same lessons year on year, they will be kept on their toes. From my own experience of working this way in the Early Years, it is initially scary, but is also so much more interesting and exciting for both teacher and student, and ultimately led to much more enriching opportunities for both.

Also the students will be trusted to be "their own teachers", by this of course I don't mean they will be left on their own to get on with it, but they will encouraged to build on the independence skills, supported in the EYFS, throughout their schooling. They will be afforded the time to fully explore their ideas, to look critically at their discoveries and decide how to move forward.

I have decided that it would be a useful exercise for me to work through the findings of this book and think about how these ideas are incorporated into our proposed school, and if they are not think carefully about why not,

The book is structured around six factors:

1. the child;
2. the home;
3. the school;
4. the curricula
5. the teacher
6. the approaches to teaching

So I will follow this structure in my posts. I would love any thoughts and feedback on these musings as hopefully this will be an important learning experience for me and strengthen the school proposal.

West Newcastle Academy

Some local papers have been very kind and written articles about my efforts to try and start the school. I was really pleased when someone contacted me via an article on the YourTownWimbledon. The man who contacted me was Phil Garner, who is part of the group that has set up a free school called the West Newcastle Academy (WNA). On reading their website I was even more excited.

The school shares lots of the same values and approaches that I would like to incorporate. Phil is lovely and has kindly offered to give us the benefit of his knowledge and experience of not only setting up a free school but also of running a school.

Phil has many years' experience in teaching and leading schools, he was formerly the Head of Newcastle School for Boys. He kindly took some time out to answer a few questions on the motivation and ethos behind setting up WNA, as well as the actual process. I am sure we will find more questions to ask as we progress along this journey.

What inspired you to apply to open a free school?

I am passionate about learning and how many state schools are not providing either an appropriate

curriculum or appropriate learning and teaching styles.  I wanted to focus on Performing Arts as well as 

Personalised Learning.

Were you the main instigator? How did you build your team?

Initially I wanted to start my own Free School in Sunderland but decided to work with Kids n Us in

Newcastle to ensure a successful application.  We are now considering opening 3 or 4 more in the North East.

What are the most important aspects of your school to you?

That it serves the community, that it works with parents who want a better learning experience for their children, that it focuses on learning and ensuring children are well prepared for life.  

What did you find the hardest part of the process?

Firstly getting enough expertise and volunteers to do all the essential preparation work. Completing the

application forms and having the stamina to keep going through the various meetings, briefings, debriefings, interviews, rewrites etc.

What surprised you most about the process?

How helpful, knowledgeable and supportive the New Schools Network are. They are the biggest source of help and information for you. 

If you were to give one piece of advice to someone hoping to set up a free school what would it be?

Have a clear vision and do not be diverted from your essential beliefs about what you are 

trying to achieve.  

Introductory Meeting

So yesterday was the day of my initial meeting for parents and interested parties. I was very nervous as I didn't know if anyone was coming, I had had some people email to show interest but I had also had some saying that although they had hoped to attend they were now unable to. My unsettled feelings must have passed on to my baby who decided that me getting any sleep was a silly idea.

So we headed off early, which was a good thing as when we got to the Polka theatre, we discovered that the projector cable did not fit to my mac, small panic. Luckily my husband had was in Wimbledon with my oldest, so a quick visit to Stormfront saved the day.

Then people began to arrive, a trainee journalist and local councillor were the first, adding to my panic, then some parents arrived. Neil (my husband) was keeping the my oldest entertained outside with a light-sabre or 2, and my mum was there to help with the baby, although he did initially help me with the presentation.

Once I started talking I felt a lot less nervous, and actually really enjoyed the opportunity to share the idea. At the end of my presentation there was also a really good question and answer session, and the parents seemed really interested and engaged. I was over the moon that after the meeting all the parents expressed interest in being involved.

I am going to start a FAQ post that I will update as I get more questions and as I find out more answers. If you were unable to attend the meeting and have any questions about the schools vision please have a look at My school idea in a nutshell post, and if this doesn't help please email me at curiouserandco@icloud.com

My first meeting with the New School Network

As part of making the decision to see if I can take this school idea forward, I have contacted some people who have experience with this process. So far the education community have all been really helpful and supportive. All of the people I spoke to gave me the same advice, get in touch with the New Schools Network, which was good as I had already booked myself on to an introductory morning at their London offices.

They are the charity that support groups through the free school application process. I was really excited about the meeting.

I found my way to their offices a few minutes before the meeting was about to start. Being there on my own I must have looked slightly awkward while pouring my glass of water, so one of the NSN staff took pity on me and came to chat. All the staff are young and attractive, definitely the face of free schools.

The day started with all the visitors together and an introduction what the NSN do. It was interesting seeing the other prospective applicants, it was mainly mainstream, but there was also Alternative provision and Special school applicants there too. Also interesting that of the 5 mainstream schools, 3 were specific community oriented, Greek, Turkish and Russian.

For the rest of the session we were divided up by the type of school we were hoping to open, and then talked through the first steps of defining the schools vision, building the team and gathering evidence of demand.

It was very helpful and reassuring to know that there are people that you can go to to answer any questions that arise. I have the feeling that once you are involved in the process there will be many many questions arising!

My first meeting this Saturday

A month ago I decided to be more proactive in seeing if I can move this idea along. I feel so passionately about it that I think I would always regret not trying.

My first step is to have a meeting to share my idea with local parents and interested people. To achieve this I have had to learn a few things. I have discovered Mailchimp and created an email invite. I have started a Facebook page, this was a big step as it meant that I had to put my idea infront of all my friends and family. It's weird really that the people who care about me most felt like the scariest audience too. I have also had flyers printed and put them in public places, as well as sprung them on unsuspecting parents walking down the street. I am excited about the meeting, obviously nervous, nervous of no-one coming, nervous of lots of people coming and generally hoping I can do the idea justice.

So if I have not managed to invite you to the meeting in any of these ways please let me invite you now.

I would love you to join me at 10.30 this Saturday the 6th of April in the learning annexe at the Polka theatre.