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Looking into the whole child Planning for personal learning
Formative teaching expands divergently and reacts flexibly to the personal needs of the learner, harnessing both intrinsic and extrinsic drivers to engage and deliver masterful experiences.
We believe learning is akin to weaving – where we have enough tension to hold patterns but enough variations in scope to offer diversity.
To this end, we adopt a system called the 3 Threads Frame. The first thread focuses on engaging learners by integrating subjects to address our five KeyStone themes (what we call the Connections frame) in a large block of time. The second part of the day is our Concepts thread – where the specific subject concepts in English, mathematics, science and technology are targeted to develop mastery. The third thread is the Context frame – where we purposefully develop hands-on activities on and off site to contextualise learning. Our aim is to give all students the ‘aha’ moment – where learning ‘makes sense’ in the real world.
Living School explicitly emphasizes this focus by ensuring learners are ‘known’: lesson design considers what each person brings to an activity.
Physical space defines experience…
Experience is defined by our emotion!
The holo lens is a guide to draw into focus the attributes for engaging, critical and creative learning experiences. Teaching becomes purposeful.
Using a “learning” lens is like using a scaffold for building, it guides teachers to be more aware – to notice the elements that are sometimes so obvious they are overlooked, to reach the places we cannot access normally. When we look through a lens, we can see the world differently. There is an intentional emphasis on altering our vision to improve our sight. For example, my reading glasses are now one of my most prized possessions, because they correct my presbyopia. Reading glasses allow me to see things that are right in front of my nose.
I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think
EQ is emotional intelligence, e.g. self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, and empathy.
IQ is cognitive competence, e.g. working memory, verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, processing speed, etc..
PQ is physical proficiency, e.g. manual skills, gross/fine motor coordination, athleticism, etc..
XQ is expressive expertise, e.g. creative arts, speeches, poetry, scripts, arrangements, media, etc…
We can group EQ and IQ together as they are both internalised. They are how we think and feel. Like our beliefs (and values and attitudes), EQ and IQ are only ever revealed if we choose to exhibit them. These domains allow us to contemplate on spiritual levels. They are intrinsic to our sense of being whole.
PQ and XQ are external displays in a social context. These two domains are extrinsic and are nurtured via confidence and ego. They are powered by skills and often defined in terms of talents.
Planning consciously using the HOLO lens guides teachers to become learning designers – purposefully focusing on how best to develop deep, memorable and challenging learning opportunities.
Unpacking these four domains for learners provides clarity. Any lesson that has a focus on the four domains will be engaging.