Philosophy for Learning

Philosophy for Learning at Surbiton High School

Do I think about how I learn best?

Am I able to work alone and know when to ask f or help?

Do I stick at things even when they are hard?

Am I being curious and asking questions?

The aim is to make students active in the learning process until they reach the stage where they become their own teachers.

Visible Learning - John Hattie

link s ing

Am I able to pick out and use important information?

Do I think about how I learn best?

v it y

c ti

Am I being flexible?

Do I monitor and review my learning?

du

n Imitatio

Em

pa th

Do I pick up and adopt learning habits from others?

Do I make use of a full range of resources available?

Do I plan and work out my learning in advance?

vis ing

g

em

t

Do I use logic to work out things methodically?

Plann ing

illin

ol v

en

Do I listen carefully to others to understand what they say?

Capitalising

Re

arning

In v

Do I work and learn effectively with others?

ng oni s a Re

t Dis

y&

lla

Co

ce nden

n tio a r bo

a Im

n ni gi

How are you learning today?

Meta-le

Am I able to work alone and know when to ask for help?

g

Lis ten ing

epe Interd

Do I use my imagination/explore possibilities?

e

Ma nag ing dis trac tion s Absorption

Th

Do I make connections between different topics?

Ma k

a nc ever

ng

i tic No

Am I completely engrossed in learning?

Questioning

Do I stick at things even when they are hard?

Do I perceive subtle differences and patterns?

Do I block out distractions when learning?

Am I being curious and asking questions?

ing ink

ns

Pers

Em oti o

Adapted from the learning wheel developed by Building Learning Power

Pr

o

We are what we repeatedly do. Success is not an action but a habit. Aristotle

Why is it important for pupils to develop good learning habits?

At Surbiton High School, we inspire our pupils to be dynamic learners who can thrive in a sophisticated, interconnected and complex world. We successfully blend the thrill of intellectual discovery and strong academic knowledge, alongside encouraging lifelong learning habits.

Our tailored approach to our pupils’ learning enables us to fulfil our ambition to realise our pupils’ primal need for learning. Underpinning our learning and teaching is the desire to create engaging and exciting learning experiences every day. Our pupils flourish academically. We know they perform best when they learn to relish every opportunity available to discover their own individual talents and interests.

Education is not about forcing pupils to fit a predetermined mould, but rather preparing them to be adaptable to an ever-changing world. We believe that education should be a stimulating and organic process that is constantly evolving.

We know that the best way to prepare our pupils for the academic challenges of life beyond Surbiton High School is to ensure that they are: • Inspired in their thinking, asking questions, making connections, imagining possibilities, reasoning methodically and capitalising on their resources •E ncouraged to be emotionally invested in their learning, persevering in the face of difficulties, noticing subtle differences and patterns, managing their distractions, and becoming absorbed in their learning •E mpowered to be fully involved in their learning, growing in interdependence, collaborating effectively, listening empathetically to others and imitating their learning habits • I nspired, encouraged and empowered to be productive, planning their learning in advance, revising and reviewing their progress, distilling important information, and developing their own meta-learning

Spoon feeding in the long run teaches nothing but the shape of the spoon.

E M Forster Pupils today will be entering the world of work in the 2020s and 2030s. Many of our young people are highly likely to take up jobs that do not yet exist; they will follow careers and work patterns that we may currently find difficult to imagine and it is, therefore, imperative that we prepare pupils for the 21st Century and beyond. To that end, we empower our pupils to gain an excellent academic profile, which becomes their passport to accessing the life-defining opportunities they so richly deserve. At the same time, we recognise the need for pupils to develop a wide range of well-honed learning habits, encouraging them to respond with confidence and creative thinking to whatever unusual or unforeseeable challenges they may face in the future.

Our Learning Habits: Habit: a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up. Oxford Dictionary Emotions - being emotionally engaged in learning • Being fully absorbed: being lost in the learning, engrossed, rapt and attentive • Managing distractions: recognising and reducing distractions by creating the best learning environment • Noticing: taking a more perceptive approach to learning, looking for patterns and taking account of fine detail • Persevering: not giving up easily, learning how to channel frustrations to become productive, and understanding that slowing down is sometimes necessary in the learning process

Thinking - embracing the joy of being cognitively challenged • Being curious and asking questions: delving down more deeply into a subject • Making links: linking complex prior knowledge to enhance the understanding of new concepts • Tapping into imagination: creatively exploring possibilities and hypotheses to cultivate fresh ideas •D eploying logic and reasoning: to work through problems methodically and objectively, developing the confidence to challenge flawed arguments • Using all resources available, capitalising on prior knowledge and wider experiences

Productivity: knowing oneself as a learner, being reflective and flexible • Planning the route to take, the actions needed, time and resources required, and being able to flex around obstacles that might be encountered • Possessing the adaptability for revising plans or work in light of new ideas or information • Distilling down information to the most relevant essentials • Using meta-language confidently to perceive and focus on the best personal route for learning

Involvement: knowing when to work independently and when to collaborate with others • Embracing interdependence, confidently choosing when to work independently and when to depend on others • Collaborating to draw on the strengths within groups and appreciating the “give and take” nature of teamwork • Empathising with others and listening carefully to them for a deeper understanding of their perspectives • Imitating and adopting the healthiest habits, values and methods from others, to become complete learners Inspired by The Learning Powered School. Guy Claxton et al.

How do we develop our pupils’ learning habits?

Talking about Learning • Tutors assist pupils in setting targets that focus on the development of one or more learning habits • All staff draw pupils’ attention towards their own learning habits • All staff respond to pupils’ comments and questions in a way that encourages learning habits

Supporting Learning • When planning lessons, teachers choose activities that develop pupils’ learning habits • Teachers share and clarify the learning intentions behind specific activities • Tutors help pupils to monitor their focused learning habit targets • All classrooms and learning spaces have displays which encourage learning habit development

Modelling Learning • All staff respond to mistakes or unforeseen events in a way that models constructive learning feedback • Teachers externalise thinking through problems and decision-making to show learning in action • All staff talk about and share their own learning experiences and careers

What can parents do to further this work?

If you are keen to keep the momentum going at home, then please do initiate discussions in the spirit of enquiry rather than giving an immediate straight answer when help is required. Asking questions that stimulate curiosity and deepen thinking will help young people to develop their own ideas and to revise their opinions. The emphasis should be on coaching and prompting, to help with teasing out answers, only providing the solution at the end of the process; a wonderful way to foster interdependence. Many young people will frequently respond well to reflecting upon their learning habits each week or half-term; encourage them to think about their natural propensities and how they can tap into the habits they have less affinity for.

To further understand our philosophy, please refer to the Building Learning Power website or read What’s the Point of School? by Guy Claxton.