We all entered teaching for one reason: to inspire passion in children and assist them with their learning. Children are fundamentally at the heart of the teaching and learning process. To fully engage our learners and ensure we meet their needs, we really need to know our learners.
Graham Nuthall’s book The Hidden Lives of Learners is an excellent resource that draws on years of research which outlines how students learn and what we as educators can do to aid their learning process.
The book is an easy read and clearly outlines key beliefs and philosophies that underpin quality learning and teaching and also exposes some alarming statistics that need to be addressed.
Here is a summary of some of his key ideas:
Learning is Individual:
Every person is different and as such draws on different backgrounds, knowledge, experiences and motivations, therefore, learning is highly individual. A lot of research looks at children as a collective group, but Nuthall has looked at the perspective of individual children. He found that most students know about 40-50% of what is being taught. Because children all have different experiences, they experience the class and teaching differently, so that about one third of what a student learns is unique to that student; it is not learned by other students. Thus, we need to tailor activities to childrens prior knowledge and account for differentiated learning. An activated facilitated classroom programme allows for this.
Learning needs to build on prior experiences/knowledge:
Learning rarely happens in isolation. One off learning experiences seldom lead to quality learning. Learning occurs best when it is built upon a previous idea/concept. Nuthall has found that at least 3 different sets of complete information about a concept/idea makes for the acquisition of a concept and better learning. As expressed in an earlier post, this leads directly to formative practice where learning intentions should be related to skill (as opposed to the context) as the learning intention may fit across multiple areas where children will make links with their learning. As teachers we need to ensure that the learning is embedded in a range of different activities.
Nuthall mentions, and other research has clearly indicated that learning is optimized and enhanced when it builds upon a child’s prior experiences and knowledge. Children need to have some working knowledge, experience to further learn, if they are to achieve success.
Children learn ‘how to learn’
Students ‘learn what they do’. When children undertake any activity task, they not only learn the intended curriculum focus, they learn how to undertake a task. For example, while the argument at the moment is heated on National Standards and ‘teaching to the test’ (and I do not advocate this!), children do need to learn how to take a test – they learn what they do. A child who has not sat a PAT is greatly disadvantaged against a child who has – that child has learnt the routine and system; how to fill in your name, how to read the questions and how to record your answer. Similarly in class, a child knows how to complete a reading activity off a task wheel, because at some point they have learnt the expectation of how to achieve this, “Along with learning the curriculum content, students learn the structures and processes in which content is embedded. It is within this framework that students ‘learn how to learn'” (Pg 157)
Nuthall also points out that children learn a great deal from their peers. Much of what they learn is gained from the interactions with their peers. Likewise, children learn how to complete tasks by observing and questioning their peers.
Student Ownership
People with a strong belief and pedagogy of formative practice will agree with this, a large proportion of a student’s significant learning experiences is self-selected, they have choice and ownership of their learning. Children who drive their own learning and are in control of their learning and more likely to be engaged, motivated and successful.
Big Concepts and Questions
Learning takes time – quality as opposed to quantity. It is better to invest our time and energy into posing those ‘big questions and concepts’ which will provide a greater catalyst for student’s learning. From the big question, smaller in-depth questions can be formulated – this ties in nicely with Inquiry Learning. Each child formulating their own question, to drive their own learning, working towards the ‘big question/concept.
Assessment
Again strong links to formative practice, if we are to truly tailor and differentiate the learning for each child, then the ultimate goal would be individualised assessment. This would then do justice to individual learning. Individual Assessment can be timely so an effective class programme that is rich in formative practice pedagogy and systems would be required to enable this to be achieved.
This book is truly a remarkable read and I would recommend any school unpacking this as a staff to question and challenge existing practice.