Visible Learning
Over the past few years the school staff have undertaken action research into how children learn best via a project called Visible Learning. This has been based on the ‘Mind Frame’ work by John Hattie. After collating our evidence, trialing different strategies and presenting our findings, I was delighted to receive the following email this week from Laura McWhinnie , Regional Director of Osiris Educational:
“It has been a great privilege to be able to work in partnership with you as you embarked upon your Visible Learning journey and committed to embedding the Visible Learning principles at St. Catherine’s Primary School. I would like to congratulate you on your successful application to become a Level 2 Visible Learning Plus Partner MAT. The case study that you have submitted, capturing your journey, was of high quality and provided a deep insight into how you have moved from evidence to impact. This is the first of its kind in the UK.”
A huge congratulations to all the staff who have worked tirelessly to enable such a fantastic result to be achieved. As a Visible Learning school our aim is that..
Pupils take ownership of their own learning. They know where they are within the curriculum and what their next steps are. Using their knowledge of their own learning, they can track their own progress. The pupils know what to do when they come across something they don’t know and have strategies to progress with their learning. Pupils seek feedback and respond to it, and more importantly they give feedback to staff about their teaching.
Pupils are active in their learning and are assessment capable. Assessment Capable Learners can ask and find the answer to: Where am I going? How am I going there? Where to next?
Pupils can employ a range of meta-cognitive strategies developed through a shared language of learning. Pupils see learning as hard work, have a ‘can do’ approach and a desire to succeed.
By further embedding Visible Learning strategies we encourage children to really challenge themselves. Each class, has a ‘learning pit’ when they find the learning difficult and challenging. The children often put themselves in to the pit, and work on strategies and skills to assist in their learning in order to achieve their learning intention and success criteria. We encourage the children to place themselves in the pit as this is where learning is at its best.
Visible learners are able to:
- Understand their learning intentions
- Know and are challenged by the success criteria
- Develop a range of learning strategies
- Seek feedback and look for their next steps in learning
Our Visible Learning and Meta-cognition Coach is Mrs Powell.
Metacognition here at St Catherine's
Metacognition, or "thinking about thinking," is crucial in primary schools because
it equips young learners with the skills to become active, independent, and successful learners
By developing metacognitive skills, students gain awareness of their own thinking processes, learn how to monitor their learning, and adapt their strategies to improve their understanding. This leads to better academic outcomes, increased motivation, and a stronger foundation for lifelong learning.
Learning Characteristics
Here at St Catherine's the pupils have helped us to design animal characters to represent our five learning characteristics: Responsible Elephant, Respectful Bee, Resilient Tortoise, Reflective Owl and Resourceful Squirrel. These characters help children to understand and develop the skills they need to be independent, self-motivated learners. Learning characteristics are crucial in primary schools because they focus on how children learn, not just what they learn and build a foundation for lifelong learning and development by fostering positive attitudes and behaviors towards learning. By understanding and nurturing these characteristics, we can help children become more effective, motivated, and confident learners, both in the classroom and beyond.
Visible Learning
We are Visible Learning trust and school and this is fundamental to our offer to pupils in the area of enhancing the learning skills which will support them and in later life. Visible Learning, based on John Hattie's research, is important in primary schools because it emphasizes making learning processes transparent and impactful, leading to improved student outcomes. It encourages teachers to reflect on their practice, use evidence of student learning, and tailor instruction to meet individual needs. This approach fosters a positive learning environment where students understand learning intentions, actively participate, and receive effective feedback.
Thinking Matters and Thinking Schools
The Thinking Matters approach is one we have recently adopted as a trust in support of our work in promoting metacognitive skills. It utilises a range of resources which support pupils to order and explore their own thinking and thinking skills. Through the explicit use of these resources, called Thinking Frames, Thinking Schools focus on the explicit teaching of fundamental cognitive processes and use a common language of thinking, which leads to better understanding and effective construction of knowledge for students. Students are supported to become self-managing and independent.
Some images of Visible Learning in our school:
Our Learning Dispositions: