James Nottingham


www.JamesNottingham.co.uk   - @The Learning Pit
www.ChallengingLearning.com

The typical effect of giving students choice is to slow learning down because too many pick the easy option.
We are familiar with curling parents- helicopter parents.
How much curling teaching is happening in our classrooms
How often are our students being supported too much. Which students are being praised more, the wobblers or those succeeding. We praise the completed. Support and help the wobblers.
will take the easy path to receive the praise - 10/10 Play it safe
How do staff respond when students are confused or make mistakes- teachers go quietly and help, support and correct. Inference mistakes are embarrassing and hidden.
Scenario - “That is a brilliant mistake-what can we learn from it” Loudly - Let’s keep going until we get it. 
Do not link challenge with making things difficult.

Convince students - easy is boring. Challenge is interesting.

Students are choosing the easy option because they think it is what we want. - because we Praise success. Wobblers - “keep trying” They think - I am already trying- will go back to success.
We should praise -" well done you - wobbling and not giving up. Well done"

For the next 10 - 15 mins I am going to be looking for the best mistakes we can learn from. 
If no mistakes - make it more interesting. Add another level. 
If making mistakes - take a mental note. At appropriate time stop all or select group and notice/address mistakes. 
Wobbling is right at the edge of our comfort zone. Encourage and celebrate the value of taking risks. 

We set the culture - this teacher likes it when we wobble, when we go right to the edge of our comfort zone.

WE get what we measure- what do we show value for? 

Focus now on - Resilience - not giving up. How do they deal with uncertainty. 
The quality of questions that they ask. 
What is it that we are ‘measuring’ that will encourage this culture. 

Failure- computer games. Momentary failure, fail, fail again. Ask a friend. fail again. Go online to find the cheat. 
How often do we give the opportunity to fail, collaborate, try again. 
“What desirable difficulties have you experienced today?"
IF they learn it easily they they forget it easily. If it is difficult, desirable difficulties enhance learning. badly to begin with more likely to remember it.

SOLO taxonomy-get slide
significant struggle is moving from multistructural to relational. Challenge-‘what would happen if we took the sun out of the water cycle’ “Enjoy the struggle and I will get back to you"
Preview- Flipped classrooms is an example
Next week we are going to start our new subject about the water cycle. This is what the water cycle looks like. Those of you who already know lots about the water cycle- multistructural - you will go straight to the challenge table. 
You make sure there are plenty of opportunities for preview support before starting unit.
example- At 11 o’clock I will be testing you on what you know. Then leaving water cycle up. Preview
Number bonds shootout-preview homework-be prepared - be ready for it
Not just research/information- Next week in PE we are going to be working on throw and catch.
Reading - every day in class have a Reading Champion conversation for the day. Rotate children. Identify night before so have time to preview
Once a day- tell us about your reading. What was your challenge/ What have you been reading?Learning? Questioning
- Reading everyday is powerful, talking about it everyday makes it more powerful


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