learning to learn as professionalising pedagogy

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pedagogische wetenschappen en onderwijskunde

23 August 2011

faculty of behaviouraland social sciences

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Learning to learn as professionalising pedagogy

EARLI SIG 14 (Learning and professional development) round table

University of Antwerp, Belgium, 22–24 August 2012

Ernst D. Thoutenhoofd & Marieke van Roy

With contributions by Chawwah Groothuis, Annet Sikkens and Jorien Vugteveen

This slideshow is publicly available at slideshare.net/ernstt

How can teachers learn to support self-organising learning?

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Educational freedom is not about the absence of authority but about authority that carries an orientation towards freedom with it.

Gert Biesta 2008

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[1] Problem definition

[2] Notes on concepts and related research

[3] Our study

[4] First conclusions

[5] Round table questions

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Learning to learn is the ability to pursue and persist in learning, to organise one's own learning, including through effective management of time and information, both individually and in groups. This competence includes awareness of one's learning process and needs, identifying available opportunities, and the ability to overcome obstacles in order to learn successfully. […] Learning to learn engages learners to build on prior learning and life experiences in order to use and apply knowledge and skills in a variety of contexts […] Motivation and confidence are crucial to an individual's competence.European Parliament (2006/962, §5)

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Unfortunately the EU’s definition confuses process and outcome: before learners can organise their learning, they need to learn from and with others how to organise their learning.

We conceive of this emancipatory process as learning to learn. In schools, collective learning is organised around formal teaching, which imposes structure and targets on learning.

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The problem is that currently neither education nor teaching are oriented towards self-organising learning—on the contrary...

The competence to plan and undertake one’s own learning would itself need to become a main goal of formal education.

But this presupposes that teachers have the competence to teach learners how to become independent learners who can plan and undertake their own learning.

The combination of teaching and learning competence is what we mean to address through a professionalising pedagogy of learning.

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Here is a reminder about the need for research into learning to learn:

‘It was not a pleasure to become aware that I was constantly asking myself what I should do to satisfy the lecturer. What I did, was that enough for him? What I wanted, would he agree with me? But he kept on stating that I could do whatever I thought was needed. I realized that after many years of education I had apparently learnt to please teachers… Why is it so difficult for me to count on my own experiences and knowledge?’

Posting to a master-level course blog, 2011 (name withdrawn)

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[3] Our study



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[2.1] Self-organisation is a term we use to denote a persistent process such as learning that is autonomous, operationally closed and based on non-intentional principles of sociality. We consider learning ‘self-organising’ when it does not depend on the external authority of formal teaching.Self-organisation (or autopoiesis) was the term used by Humberto Maturana & Francisco Varela in 1972 to describe the structural integration of mechanism and function in living systems.

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[2.2] A different explanans of teaching arises from monological and dialogical paradigms of autopoietic learning.

When learning is taken to be an neurocognitive (monologic) event, it follows that teaching is an externally imposed factor in relation to ‘sociobiological’ learning systems.

When considered a discursive (dialogic) event, teaching may alternatively be conceived an internal enabling condition of ‘cultural chain’ learning systems.Cf Wegeriff 2005

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[2.3] Our study borrows from the Learning to learn (L2L) project of the British Campaign for learning, which defined learning to learn as ‘a process of discovery about learning […] At its heart is the belief that learning is learnable’.• The project ran from 2000-2010• 40 schools across the UK participated (nonprobability sample)• Projects and reporting done by teachers, in public (Stenhouse 1981)• Effects relate to skills and dispositions, not academic achievementWall et al. 2010. Study carried out by the Centre for Learning and Teaching (CfLaT), University of Newcastle upon Tyne (Dir. David Leat). See the project website at the Campaign for Learning, www.campaign-for-learning.org.uk/cfl/learninginschools

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[2.4] Related findings emerged from another British study (40 schools in 4 LEAs) called Learning how to learn, one strand of which focussed on teachers developing ‘LHTL’ practices. Successful teachers:• Adopt substantive beliefs (act in the ‘spirit’ of LHTL, not the letter)• Demonstrate a capacity for strategic and reflective thinking• Engage in collaborative enquiry (learning from research and practice)• Benefit from supportive organisational structures

James & McCormick 2009. Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council ‘Teaching & Learning Research Programme’ (TLRP) that ran from 1999–2009. LHTL was a collaborative project carried out by the Institute of Education, the Open University and King’s College London.

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[3] Our study: a teacher research network on thinking and learning



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Our research network aims at teacher professionalisation by inviting teachers to experiment with thinking and learning in their teaching.

The network promotes the teaching of

thinking and learning to learn skills.

It is a multi-methods, voluntary participation study in which teachers collaborate with university staff and students through master projects.

10 teachers (7 institutions) and 6 pg students, 2011-2012

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Participants subscribe to three shared objectives:

1. professionalise and innovate teaching through thinking and learning to learn practice

2. carry out research (collect data, etc) in a scientifically sound manner

3. publicly report findings and discuss results with others

An overall aim is to enhance our collective understanding of thinking and learning skills in education.

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Teachers design and plan small interventions alongside master students, who research the ambitions and corresponding activities and report their findings. We do not impose methods but encourage good research practice and instruments, e.g.• ILS—Inventory of Learning Styles; Jan Vermunt a.o. [1]

• ICALT—International Comparative Analysis of Learning and Teaching didactic skills questionnaires and observation schemes; Wim vd Grift a.o. [2]

[1] Scaled questionnaires available for learners in primary, secondary/tertiary and higher education. The HE version also has an English translation. [2] Secondary only; Dutch only. Observers require prior training by UOCG.

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For Dutch speakers there is a project website at

www.rug.nl/pedok/onderzoek/denken_leren/

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In year 1 (2011-2012) the network included 7 studies:

De Steiger * a SEN school for learning-disabled children aged 4-20

WSNS Salland a bi-weekly class for high-ability pupils in a regional network of 35 primary schools

Noordoost polder one teacher joining two primary schools in a project

Iselinge a primary education teacher training college

Noorderpoort a cluster of professional education colleges [1]

PAMAOK003 * a course of the master in educational sciences

SPO * an HE access course for teachers

* Results now available.

[1] This project was a preliminary study carried out by 2x2 Bachelor students.

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De SteigerAnnet Sikkens (MA)

Question Does coaching teachers lead to more effective use of thinking skills questioning by teachers and more initiative by pupils?

Conclusion The coaching conversations did not lead to changed classroom practice. They did affect the professional attitude, particularly in relation to enabling pupils to practice their thinking skills and enabling feedback.

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PAMAOK003Jorien Vugteveen (MA)

Question What effect does assessment for learning (AfL) have on the learning styles of students and the inquiring attitude of the lecturer?

Conclusion AfL positively contributed to the autonomy of students (yet also made them more hesitant) and to the inquiring attitude of the lecturer.

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SPOChawwah Groothuis

Question What effect does assessment for learning (AfL) have on the learning of students and lecturer?

Conclusion AfL promoted an inquiring attitude in the lecturer.

AfL positively affected the learning styles of students.

AfL extended the learning ability of students.

AfL positively affected the learnability of content.

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[3] Our study



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A plenary discussion of first-year findings with schools, teachers and students has led to some first shared conclusions. For example:

• Teachers and lecturers working ‘shoulder to shoulder’ with university students on innovating teaching impressed schools most.

• Learning to learn places considerable demands on teachers’ inquiring attitude and willingness to take risks with their classes.

• Beliefs about learning to learn seem to draw primarily on teachers’ and students’ own experiences as learners.

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‘It is definitely motivating to be able to learn what you want, but it is also a bit scary. Because what do I want to learn?? Now we have to think about our own learning, instead of just following the curriculum. Which also means, indeed, you have to be motivated or else you won’t learn. You cannot sit back for a couple of weeks and then, just before the exam, read a summary of the literature. Which you could, if you’re not motivated for a certain course but you still want to pass the exam.’

Posted by Brenda, a master student, on the course bloghttp://pamaok003.wordpress.com

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[3] Our study


[5] Round table questions (4)

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[5.1] Design

Most findings to date seem general rather than particular.

How might we focus data and findings on the particular themes of teaching thinking and learning to learn?

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[5.2] Methods

The variety in institutional types of the network is, we think, good for the validity of the research but detrimental for reliability.

How might we optimise the reliability of the studies without resorting to standardised quantitative methods or inhibit participation?

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[5.3] Practice

A noted issue is that teachers may ‘forget’ the research intervention and fall back into their habitual didactic routines.

How might we balance teaching habits with research rigour?

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[5.4] Theory and ethics

The many intentions and practices invested in the research network raise issues about our own position and orientation as researchers.

How might we actively pursue relevance and coherence (applied science), trace their emergence or shaping (phenomenology), and analyse their co-construction (critical science), all at the same time?

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EndReferences on the next slide.

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Further reading31

Biesta, Gert (2008) Beyond learning: Democratic education for a human future. Paradigm Publishers.European Parliament (2006) Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 on key

competences for lifelong learning. Official Journal for the European Union 2006/962:L394/16.Grift, Wim van de (2007) Quality of teaching in four European countries: A review of the literature and application of an

assessment instrument. Educational Research 49(2):127–152.James, Mary and Robert McCormick (2009) Teachers learning how to learn. Teaching and Teacher Education 25(7):973–982.Stenhouse, Lawrence (1981) What counts as research? British Journal of Educational Studies 29(2):103–114.Varela, Francisco and Humberto Maturana (1972) Mechanism and biological explanation. Philosophy of Science 39(3):378–

382.Vermunt, Jan D.H.M. (1987) Learning styles and self-regulation. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American

Educational Research Association. Washington, DC, April 20-24, 1987 (available through ERIC).Wall, K., Elaine Hall, Vivienne Baumfield, Steve Higgins, Victoria Rafferty, Richard Remedios, Ulrike Thomas, Licy Tiplady,

Carl Towler and Pam Woolner (2010) Learning to learn in schools phase 4 and Learning to learn in further education. London: Campaign for Learning.

Wegeriff, Rupert (2005) Reason and creativity in classroom dialogues. Language and Education 19(3):223–237