VIEWS & OPINION
(if the Conversational Framework and ABC doesn’t fit your bill, you could explore others such as The Open University’s Learning Design approach or ADDIE) encourages the kind of complexity that aids learning – taking a tricky concept and bringing a student through a journey that includes reading, watching, communicating, and creating an artefact, all to enhance understanding and demonstrate it.
But we can also take learning design a step further. Building on research done at The Open University in 2018, which demonstrated that students studying online and at a distance displayed distinct learning behaviours, there is an interesting space opening up to enhance learning design with learning behaviours. Learning behaviours (Ellis, Gallagher and Peasgood, 2018) is based on the idea that when students learn, they display core identifiable behaviours recognisable and replicable but emphasised or de-emphasised due to particular factors, such as: personal preference, proficiency, digital skills and their current place in the education journey.
The research, which is relevant to organisations such as Arden University with a student body of blended and distance students, identified that students that display learning behaviours are more likely to progress positively throughout their education. These behaviours are: Goal-setting - the tendency to set goals and plan ahead. Time - prioritising time to spend studying, sticking to a study schedule to keep up with work. Focus - avoiding clutter and distraction, including ‘digital’ distraction. Note-making - the tendency to make and store notes, either digital or physical
Digital-preferred - the ability to use technology to carry out tasks, whether choosing to do so or not Help-seeking - the ability to connect with other people for support with their studies. Elaboration - the desire to seek information and relate new ideas to ones already known.
At Arden University we are exploring actively how we can collaborate with our Academic Professional Development team to build and encourage our academics’ understanding of Learning Design, particularly while delivering live sessions either online or in the classroom. Part of this approach will be to demonstrate how activities can enhance opportunities for students to display or engage in learning behaviours. By offering a more structured approach to both of these aspects that educators would see the immediate impact of through their teaching, we have a hope of turning the tap off on Learning Styles.
The urge to engage in learning styles often comes from a good place – for many educators it’s the only language they have for trying to be more accessible for their students and meet their needs. But differentiation based on a neuromyth harms the efforts of both teacher and student. We can push back on the idea that in some way it is about modifying student behaviours or training students to behave in a particular way that ensures success. Learning design augmented by learning behaviours champions differentiation based on knowledge, engagement and skills development. It also champions putting the student at the centre of their own learning journey and giving them the confidence to take ownership of this as well.
Giving PE a boost
Comment by DAWN JONES, School Games Organiser, Smestow Academy
Inclusion and participation in PE are familiar topics for teachers and schools, with many trying and testing new ways to build a better environment for students. As School Games Organiser,
I knew significant changes were needed in our approach to PE. After an extensive review, the academy decided to get involved with the Sport England-funded
Secondary Teacher Training (STT) programme to help increase inclusion and participation. It proved to be a significant milestone. We decided to join the programme at a time when our school was going through a period of difficulty. We had recently seen a 40 per cent increase in English as an Additional Language (EAL) pupils, who spoke little to no English. We were also battling with decreasing PE participation levels. Coupled together, this challenged teachers who wanted to better understand the needs of their students and their motivations for getting involved in PE. In addition, internal changes to the school’s leadership structure meant that there was no Head of Department, only a head of faculty with limited knowledge of PE.
I saw that there was a clear need to intercept and change our approach to engaging students in sport.
I began by creating a bespoke curriculum, introducing four-week blocks that each ended in a review. The aim was to improve communication and socialisation as well as upskilling young people in fundamental movement skills. The curriculum was underpinned by two key principles: every child
November 2022
had to feel welcome, and every child had to have a PE kit. Crucially, if a student turned up without their kit, they were still able to participate with staff providing a suitable replacement.
The introduction of basketball proved a pivotal moment. I identified a Lebanese student who had learnt English from watching films and social media. When he became the head of the school’s basketball club, children flocked to join. It instantly became our most popular sport. As part of the STT programme, we ran an Inspire and Engage festival. The experience was fully inclusive, becoming a place where less engaged groups such as SEND students, those from sports clubs who were never chosen to play a match, and girls were encouraged to participate. And they did in higher numbers than anticipated. At the end of each four- week block, students were asked to decide whether the school held a competition or introduced a new sport. Girls were invited to voice their thoughts through the Girls Active Programme. A poster was displayed, and girls asked to place comments on post-it notes. Simple, yet effective. In a short space of time, we saw a rapid increase in participation levels across the school. By engaging multiple groups in lots of different activities, we saw an increase in academic achievement and a noticeable boost in students’ confidence.
My advice for other schools is to keep it simple when approaching change. A school’s focus shouldn’t be to achieve everything at once. Instead, start with a view to engaging more girls, or encouraging many more EAL students to take an interest in PE. And listening to their interests and motivations is key in helping to drive success.
We have maintained the programme’s momentum by continuing to ask students what activities they want. Form tutors remind them what activities are available. Also, with constant feedback playing a central role, the PE department has built a good relationship with students, which has significantly helped to maintain participation levels. For more information about the Sport England-funded Secondary Teacher Training programme, please visit
https://bit.ly/3fUZEeO
www.education-today.co.uk 21
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