Enquiry based learning

Image: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

As part of the preparation for the LinkedUp Project that we’re working on, I was invited to take part in a training day at Bedlington High School in December.

In conjuction with Newcastle University, the school have been running a programme in KS3 to promote and develop independent learning and thinking skills, which will equipe their pupils with the tools that they need to do well not only in the classroom but also that they can transfer into their lives outside of school. As our 14-19 project is based around developing  independent learning and transferable skills this was a fantastic opportunity to see these kind of activities in action across the curriculum.

The project is based around Habits of Mind which are essential skills that pupils can transfer to use outside of the classroom, whilst also improving their languages skills. Many of the tools involved are Thinking Skills, with the “Tool Kit” including such activities as diamond ranking, odd one out, venn diagrams, 8 Qs and, my current favourite, inference squares. What I particulary liked was they way the plenaries centered around which “Habits of Mind” pupils used and how they used them.

We watched 3 lessons, Food Technology, Maths and PE all at different levels- an education in itself, as I don’t think I’ve observed many lessons outside of my own subject area in the last 15 years. It was amazing to see how independent these pupils were. They were, not only able to work on their own far better than my own pupils but also able to articulate themselves so well! The confidence they had when speaking to adults was very impressive! Not only could they talk about the “Habits of Mind”, but they could also express how they used them in lessons and outside of lessons, why they were important but also how they felt that they made a lot more progress using enquiry-based learning. One thing that did concern me was a comment from an MFL teacher about not being able to do it properly in Languages!

Feeling inspired and determinded to show you can use enquiry-based learning in MFL I returned to my school on a mission. As ever, I’ve started small, introducing the Habits of Mind to my classes. We’ve talked about the Habits of Mind and how they apply to Language Learning and in many lessons we have focussed on these through the lesson, with the plenary focussing on which Habits of Mind the pupils have used and, more importantly, HOW. It’s been interesting to see that just about all pupils recognise the need to be persistent learners (something I’ve been very pleased to see!) and now I’d like to see them recognise some of the other skills they use on a daily basis – not only in MFL lessons but in all lesson.

For me, I want to develop this are as follows:

• Encourage pupils to discuss in groups how they use Habits of Mind
• Integrate “Habits of Mind” into more of my lessons
• Look at how I can combine the Habits of Mind with Learning to Learn
• Use Chris Harte‘s session on Debriefs, which he delivered at the lauch of our LinkedUp project , to help me taylor these strategies more towards MFL teaching – particularly in the Target Language aspect, to encourage more use of TL from my pupils.

I will keep you updated…

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LinkedUp

At the end of September I was approached by Zahida Hammond to work with her on an application for one of the new LinkedUp grants that are being funded around the UK, to promote language learning. The idea was to continue to build on work that local 14-19 MFL Networks had begun last year, creating resources and activities for KS4 and KS5 that use new technologies and  develop pupils independence.

After much hard work from Zahida, we learnt in November that the application had been successful and now it’s full steam ahead. We have 3 14-19 Networks working together on the project-Stockton, Middlesbrough and Whitley Bay with about 10 members across the network. We will all work on different aspects of the resources and they will all be shared together at the end. The idea is that we will use some technologies that will be new to some colleagues in the groups and also develop activities that encourage pupils to become independent language learners.

I’m very excited about this project and am looking forward to being able to use the resources created through the Networks and also to adapting the activities we create to being used in other topic areas and in other year groups too.

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• The end of an era
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