Session title: Independent learning
Learning Independence – techniques for improving lesson observation outcomes overnight
Learning Independence is a half-day session.
Information for event organisers
Lesson observation profiles are often used by organisations to determine their effectiveness and the impact of their development work. However, too often, the process is flawed as it focuses on what teachers and their learners do, rather than the difference the chosen teaching strategies make to learning. And in too many cases, teachers focus almost exclusively on coverage of the vocational syllabus at the expense of creating expert learners who can do much of this for themselves.
Many teachers also misunderstand the term ‘independent learning’ and fail to see how their strategies need to evolve to allow these sustainable skills to develop in their learners. Focusing on the completion of activities rather than making a difference to learning can also lead to poor differentiation and the typical inspection issues listed above; a recipe for ‘requires improvement’ or worse.
This session challenges teachers’ custom and practice and helps them understand how some commonplace teaching strategies build dependence on, rather than independence of, the teacher. Delegates explore expert learner skills, the teaching strategies needed to develop them, and the resource implications for their organisation.
Publicity information for potential delegates
One of the most common reasons we have found for the awarding of a grade of ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’ is the poor approach to the development of learners’ independence of the teacher. But what is ‘independent learning’ and do your teaching strategies enable or stifle this expert learner skill? In this session, we will look at commonplace teaching strategies and see how damaging they can be to the overall mission of creating learning independence. We will also look at the changes that can be made immediately and those which may take more focused investment by your curriculum team and organisation.
This short session alone could increase your observation judgement by at least one grade.
This session will enable staff to:
- Evaluate the negative impact on independent learning of commonplace teaching strategies
- Identify teaching issues that can be resolved instantly
- Explore the groundwork needed to resolve more difficult issues
- Consider the fertile infrastructure needed to enable independent learning to flourish
What the delegates say
- A squeezed out, dried up dinosaur teacher that’s just been rehydrated. Trafford College
- Very exciting and the time has flown too fast. Bellerby’s (Oxford)
- I have had so many lights switched on!! Canterbury College
- It helped challenge pre-conceived notions. Collyer’s College
- I will look at developing independency skills rather than just allowing students to work independently. Hertford Regional College
- I thought I had reached the top of the mountain regarding learning strategies. Now I feel like I’ve plenty more climbing to do. Myerscough College
- You brought back memories of how I felt when I first began to teach. Solihull College
- I feel like a caged animal whose cage door has been left open… Tresham College
Why not see what other providers said about this training? Click here, then ‘Filter by session’, and select the title for an overview of providers’ feedback. You may then wish to ‘Filter by provider’ to see further details of the impact it has had on individual staff. These comments can be invaluable when generating curiosity about forthcoming training.
Half-day session. Typical uses in a staff development day include:
|Independent learning (group 1)||Independent learning (group 2)|
|HoT Learning||Independent learning|
|Independent learning||HoT2 – techniques for engaging learners|
|Independent learning||Equality and diversity|
|Independent learning||‘Yes, we’re all individuals’ Brian, 1979|
|Independent learning||Transformational lesson observation|
To discuss your requirements in detail, please phone or drop us a line.
* ArtsWork – a 60-minute documentary on outstanding teaching. Includes three outstanding lessons as extras on the DVD.