So back from Wiltshire (again? Yes I do seem to spend quite a bit of time with Wiltshire and Dorset LA’s – nice places and nice people).

On Tuesday I was honoured to be invited to deliver a Key Note address at the Wilts PE Teachers Conference – a superb event which was very well attended. I was sharing the ‘platform’, as it were, with their first key note speaker Talan Skeels Piggins.

What can I say?

Not only was this mans story inspiring and inspirational; it was moving and motivational and very difficult to follow.

For those not in the know, Talan was a member of the 2010 UK Paralympic downhill skiing team.

He told his personal story of triumph over adversity starting in 2003 when he was involved in a horrific motorbike accident which left him paralysed from the chest down. His description of the accident and the aftermath had his audience horrified, amazed and amused.

If you get the chance to hear Talan speak then please take advantage of the opportunity.

During his talk I was not only as moved as the rest of the audience, but because I knew I had to follow his presentation, was forced to reflect more immediately on what he was saying. I remembered being in a similar situation having to ‘follow’ the Falklands vetran Simon Weston and a broad generalisation struck me.

It seems that it is only after a major life trauma, when we, as human beings, take careful stock of what it is we really want to achieve. When we are introduced to our mortality we have to take stock of what is important and valuable to us.

I recalled one of my early teachers/trainers asking me

“Alan, if you were given only six months to live hat you would you do?”

A question was followed with a challenge about “why” I wasn’t doing those things now?

Both Talan and Simon describe their feelings after the events that shaped their lives as being those of anger, frustration, depression… a sense of ‘why me?’

Both Talan and Simon describe a ‘turning point’ after which something ‘inside’ clicked and gave them a new direction, a new focus.

Both Talan and Simon then engaged almost ’single mindedly’ in a course of actions (behaviours) that led them from where they ‘were’ to where they ‘wanted to be’.

So what can we learn about motivation from their stories?

Firstly it is about accepting CHANGE – having some feelings about that change and more importantly looking beyond the fear, uncertainty and resistance to that change into some alternative future.

Secondly it is about CONTROL – psychologists talk about LOCUS of CONTROL. Individuals with a ‘high locus of control’ will make themselves responsible for their own actions. Those with a  ‘low locus of control’ will tend to put responsibility for change onto other people and situations.

In both Simon and Talan’s case their accidents were completely out of their control. The resulting physical limitations where also out of their control. The became ‘motivated’, for want of a better term, when they started to focus on the things they could control and take responsibility for.

Thirdly it is about the ‘NEED” for a ‘DREAM’ an aspiration or a target.

The popular (cranky and fluffy) notion of The Secret (see my Rational Mystic blog post of Rhonnda Byrne) takes sound psychological and  behavioural advice and turns it into a ‘psuedo-mystical’ belief system. But as Talan, specifically noted, the idea of having a dream and surrounding himself with images that reminded him of his ‘goal’ was very motivational.

Fourthly there is the need to work back from the dream in order to identify the STEPS that need to be taken from the NOW which lead into the FUTURE.

In education we have spent so much time thinking about motivation rather than being motivational that we forget the real value of what have been called SMART targets.

Simple Statements of outcome with a Measure linked to success, based upon Achievable and Realistic steps set within a valid Time frame. Whilst many of you who have heard me speak on the topic of motivation know that I think this model can be improved, I feel that the value of stating goals in terms of steps, timescales and measures is essential to getting where you want to go.

Fifthly it is about celebrating any success that is a ’step in the right direction’. Such celebrations are reminders that there is a journey and that there have been changes. These celebrations will also allow for review and reflection so ensuring that the ‘goal’ remains valid and relevant.

What the stories told by Simon, Talan and many many others tell us is that motivation comes from emotional connection to a goal; a willingness to take control of what you can; to be responsible for your own future and having the strength to bring your behaviours in line the steps you have identified.

It’s about D+PMA+A…

Dream + Positive Mental Attitude + Application

Alan

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Just how do you  if the professional development staff in schools are undetaking is making any difference?

The issue perhaps is that we are asking questions about ‘impact’ at the wrong time.

Traditionally courses are ‘evaluated’ by asking questions at the end of a particular pieces of training or training event. These questions tend to produce ‘in the moment’ responses with perhaps little reflection on exactly how the training experience will effect what happens subsequently.

At the CPD Leadership Conference in Dorset on the 10th June we explored an adaptation of Guskey’s evaluation framework and considered the propsition that impact evaluation not only allows for considerations of value and relevance but also is central to school development planning and performance management.

It was noted that perhaps  the word ‘impact’ could be replaced with the word ‘change’. Hence questions about ‘impact’ become very specific questions about ‘what has changed as a result of the professional development’?

More importantly in all cases the fundamental question is about BEHAVIOUR.

What is being done differently as a result of the training.

In order to put any evaluation in context it seems to make sense to ask ‘predictive’ questions before the training; to have some idea of the potential ‘impact’ by linking a needs analysis (defined by the school improvement plan personal performance targets) to the content of the ‘course’ (specific learning, skills to be delivered).

The evaluation frameworks, questions and notes discussed at the conference can be found with a literature review regarding measuring impact of M level CPD an be found in the Xtra Materials section of this blog.

Perhaps impact is abour….

Alan

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I’ve just returned from a couple of really interesting days in Wiltshire.

On the 27th of May I presented some thoughts about “modelling learning” to an HLTA Conference.

What a great group of inspired and inspiring people. For me it was an honour to be the “two slices of bread” either side of a sandwich that had Michael Rosen (Children’s Laureate 2007 – 2009) as an exciting ‘filling’.

Michale’s talk was superb, and I was pleased to note that the ideas he shared were very closely aligned to those I had presented in the morning session and was going to present in the afteroon workshop.

Of all of the things Michael Rosen spoke about his  “four essential qualities” of a learning activity struck the deepest chord with me.

What are Michales four essential qualities of learning activities and materials?

DISCOVERY : INVESTIGATION : INVENTION : CO-OPERATION

Does the work you ask learners to be involved in call for DISCOVERY (and that’s not simply filling the blanks on a worksheet or completing some kind of comprehension exerise)?

Does the work you ask learners to be involved in call for INVESTIGATION – exploration, research, information finding?

Does the work you ask learners to be involved in foster INVENTION – ‘what if?’ thinking; creativity and application (innovation)?

Does the work you ask learners to be involved in call for CO-OPERATION – working with others, in teams, collaborating, sharing?

Perhaps these four simple questions could help transform learning – what do you think?

On the 28th I was again fortunate to be invited to offer a few thoughts on effective communication to Langley School’s Staff and Governors at their training day. The venue was incredible and the staff warm, welcoming and passionate about their school and the children in it.

As someone who has the privilidge of visiting schools, speaking to teaching teams and local authority managers I am constantly being reminded of  the passion and drive so many educational professionals have when it comes to wanting the very best for the learners in their charge. It seems that inspite,or perhaps because,  of the political football our education system as become,  at its very core there beats a heart which remains commited, true and set upon doing the best that can be done with the resources that are at hand.

Education is a topic about which everyone has an opinion… many of those leading the educational debate at senior levels seem to be out of step with the real needs of learners and educators and are so far removed from the ‘chalk face’ that they do not understand the impact of their latest initiative or educational experiment.

The people trying to do the joined up thinking are the people working hard to implement the initiatives whilst still striving to maintain the quality of learning in their classrooms. They are doing so, on the whole, in the absence of time for professional dialogue and personal reflection on the bigger issues. The professional educators are distanced from the educational policy makers (professional politicians)…

Seems rather crazy to me…

Ah well

As promised the materials used in the two conferences can be found on the XTRA materials page. Please feel free to download as an aide memoir for the topics discussed.

Alan

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Well, almost but not quite.

As promised I’m trying to catch-up with all of the material I did say I would be posting on this blog.

So, for all of those who were interested in the revision materials you can find the following templates on the links below.

If, however, you would like a complete workbook and guide on revision techniques and approaches (from which the templates below are taken) it you can find it at LULU .

The templates below will be of most value and meaning to those who have attended my recent workshops on exam preparation and motivation but they will be useful to all those planning their personal revision timetables.

REVISION needs to be undertaken positively, with intention and a clear idea of what needs to be learned. Ideally revision is something that you do regularly,  it is not something that ‘has to be done’ at the end of a course.

REVISION is about REVIEWING what has been learned and IDENTIFYING what need to be learned.

SWOT : A Template for defining your strengths and weakness in a subject as well as defining who/what can help or hinder. Use this tool to define what needs to be learned and how you can best get support in learning it.

ActiveRevision : Active Revision is about using a planned revision session to maximise learning. Avoid the trap of thinking that reading through your notes is ‘revision’. The active revision framework is designed to allow you to identify what needs to be learned clearly; how to set about using revision time in a structured way and how to ensure that you learn what you set out to learn.

PlanningTime : Knowing how you use your time is the first step in managing your time. Whether you like the idea or not preparing for a examination requires you to plan your revision. There are so many ways to sabotage your good intentions when you allow yourself to be sidetracked by time-wasting activities. Planning your time will actually result in you worrying less and having more time to focus on the things you want.

The workbook, Everything you Wanted to Know about Revision – but were afraid to ask, is a concise guide to the techniques covered in the workshops I have been running.

Sections include thoughts on motivation, learning, memory, exam practice and approaches, stress management and revision techniques. It’s written in a no-frills way and contains practical exercises for the student to complete in order to meet their own revision needs.

The original version of this book was used as part of the Aim Higher Initiative in Cornish Schools and since then abstracts and earlier editions of it have been used by schools throughout the UK.

It is now available as a 68 page printed book or e-book from Lulu.

Alan

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It’s that time of year again in English schools – exams are approaching.

BUT

Why oh why are some schools actually perpetuating the “NOW is the time for revision” myth?

Approaching the final month or so of any examination course attention should be directed towards celebrating what has been learned rather than what still needs to be crammed into the heads of the learner.

During the last three weeks I have had the pleasure of working with a number of  Year 11 GCSE students, teachers and parents in a number of different schools and whilst the focus has been on ‘preparing for the exams’, there is still the idea in the minds of some parents and students that the forthcoming exams require more an more revision to be done. In most cases the word ‘revision’ can be replaced by ‘cramming’.

Revision is not something that is done at the end of a course or programme of study; it is part and parcel of an ongoing ‘review cycle’ that is embedded within the learning system.

Preparing for exams, I feel, has three major components…

1) Preparing intellectually for examinations – putting the forthcoming assessment within the framework/context of longer term, personal goals

2) Preparing emotionally for examinations – exploring stress and emotional management techniques; managing anxiety, building confidence

3) Preparing practically for the examinations – ensuring that exam timetables and requirements are understood; exp0loring examination techniques and approaches; managing time – prioritising, planning.

The ‘revision’ that most students seem to want to engage in is not about cementing or revisiting learning but more about trying to ‘remember things’ and ‘learn more stuff’.

Over the next week or two I will be putting on line some of the review, learning, planning and motivational tools I have been sharing in the latest round of workshops. I hope you will register on this blog for updates so if this series interests you you will be able to keep informed of its publication.

Alan

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There’s no such thing as a demotivated student!

All human behaviours are motivated by something – some need, desire or aspiration. When we say someone is not motivated perhaps we are really saying that they are not motivated in the direction we want (or need) them to be.

Many models of human motivation are overly simplistic and the discourse as to whether someone is internally or extrinsically motivated is obviously a superficial one. An individuals motivational style is perhaps determined as much by their personality (another complex construct) as the situation they find themselves in. So, whilst some behaviours are ‘needs’ driven, others may be to do with aspirations, beliefs (both empowering and limiting) and expectations.

Perhaps we can consider individual motivation in terms of learning to be about:-

General Motivation – an indiviudals personal approach and attitude to a task as defined by their behaviour

Internal Motivation – their attitude to self-directed goals

External Motivation – the extent to which behaviours are defined and driven by others

Internal Causality – the individuals beliefs/attitudes about ownership and responsibility for success

External Causality – the individuals beliefs/attitudes about other things controlling their ownership of success

Interest/Value – the ‘intrinsic’ value, relevance and importance of what is being learned

Competence - the individuals perception of their own skill levels in order to undertake/complete the task

Confidence - the emotional state in which competences can be combined in order to foster exploration

An individuals application to a task can be considered as being defined by Expectancy Theory in which the perception of success (expectancy) is related to the ability to connect that success to some kind of reward (instrumentality) and the outcome having value (valance).

Csikzentmihayli in his book FLOW ( Harper & Rowe 1990) connects learner motivation to their personal perception of their own skill level when considered against their personal perception of the difficulty of the challenge.

Steven Reiss makes an interesting point about the ‘reality’ of intrinsic motivation.

The article below is taken from Research News

Intrinsic Motivation doesn’t exist!

COLUMBUS , Ohio – While some psychologists still argue that people perform better when they do something because they want to – rather than for some kind of reward, such as money — Steven Reiss suggests we shouldn’t even make that distinction.

Steven Reiss

Reiss, a professor of psychology at Ohio State University , argues that a diverse range of human motivations can’t be forced into these categories of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. Psychologists say intrinsic motivations are those that arise from within – doing something because you want to – while extrinsic motivations mean people are seeking a reward, such as money, a good grade in class, or a trophy at a sporting event.

“They are taking many diverse human needs and motivations, putting them into just two categories, and then saying one type of motivation is better than another,” said Reiss, who outlines his argument in the current issue of the journal Behavior Analyst.

“But there is no real evidence that intrinsic motivation even exists.”

The issue is more than academic, Reiss said. Many sports psychology books, and books advising how to motivate students and business people, tout the value of intrinsic motivation and warn that extrinsic rewards can undermine people’s performance.

The argument is that people should do something because they enjoy it, and that rewards only sabotage natural desire.

Reiss disagrees.

“There is no reason that money can’t be an effective motivator, or that grades can’t motivate students in school,” he said. “It’s all a matter of individual differences. Different people are motivated in different ways.”

Reiss has developed and tested a theory of motivation that states there are 16 basic desires that guide nearly all meaningful behavior, including power, independence, curiosity, and acceptance. Whether you agree there are 16 desires or not, he said there is not any way to reduce all of these desires to just two types.

In addition to trying to fit all motivations into two types, Reiss said proponents of intrinsic motivation are also making value judgments by saying some types of motivation are better than others.

“For example, some people have said that wealth and materialism lead to inferior quality happiness, but there is no real proof of that,” he said.

“Individuals differ enormously in what makes them happy – for some competition, winning and wealth are the greatest sources of happiness, but for others, feeling competent or socializing may be more satisfying. The point is that you can’t say some motivations, like money, are inherently inferior.”

In the article, Reiss points to some of the problems he sees with the theories and studies connected to intrinsic motivation. One problem is that people who tout the value of intrinsic motivation have several different definitions for what that means, and these definitions change depending on circumstances.

One common definition, for example, is that intrinsic motivation is that which is inherently pleasurable, while extrinsic motivation is not. For example, the argument is that children are naturally curious and enjoy learning for the joy it brings them. Grades, they argue, are an extrinsic reward that fosters competition and makes learning less pleasurable.

However, Reiss said his research has found people show a wide range of curiosity – some people are very curious and enjoy spending a great deal of time learning on their own. However, many people are not very curious and don’t enjoy learning for its own sake.

“There are many children for whom the important reward to them is the grades they get, the competition among classmates,” Reiss said. “This goes against what some psychologists say, who think competition is bad and a non-competitive attitude is good, and that learning and curiosity are intrinsic values that everyone shares. They are pushing their own value system on to everybody.”

Another way of defining intrinsic motivation is the means-end definition, which says intrinsic motivation is doing what we want, whereas extrinsic motivation is doing something to get something else. For example, some might argue that children playing baseball are intrinsically motivated by the joy of playing, while a professional baseball player is extrinsically motivated, by money and championships.

But Reiss said this definition confuses means and ends. A child playing baseball may be satisfying his need for physical exercise, while the professional player is satisfying his parental instinct by providing a good income for his family.

For children and professionals, baseball is a means to two different ends.

Reiss also criticized many of the studies which proponents say prove the existence of intrinsic motivation, and how it can be undermined by extrinsic rewards.

For example, many studies have purportedly shown how people who enjoy doing a specific activity – such as children who enjoy drawing – do that activity less after they are offered rewards. But when the results show the subjects continue the activity even after the rewards are offered, the researchers have argued that this just shows the subjects expect to get a reward and no longer are intrinsically motivated.

“The results are always turned around to prove their hypothesis.”

Also, researchers have assumed that rewards simply make people less interested in the intrinsic joys of an activity. But Reiss said many of these studies haven’t considered the possibility that the negative effect of rewards has nothing to do with intrinsic or extrinsic motivations. Instead, rewards may cause some people to pursue an activity less because of the negative feelings they cause, such as performance anxiety. Avoiding an activity because of performance anxiety related to a reward is not the same as avoiding it simply because the reward undermines intrinsic motivation.

“Too many studies that supposedly prove intrinsic motivation have serious flaws in logic, or too many important uncontrolled variables,” he said. “There needs to be more scientific rigor.”

Contact: Steven Reiss, (614) 292-2390; Reiss.7@osu.edu

Written by Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457; Grabmeier.1@osu.edu

Article taken from:   http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/inmotiv.htm

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Learning is defined as the “process by which experience or practice results in a relatively permanent change in behaviour or potential behaviour”.

In practical terms we can suggest that learning happens when the learner:-

Makes New Connections

In a very literal way, when you learn something, the wiring in your brain changes – new connections are made or old ones reinforced. It’s all to do with the neurons (your brain cells) and how your incredible brain works. What’s even more interesting, and important in terms of learning, is the role of “emotion” and “repetition” in helping us learn.

Finds Associations

The brain is the ultimate “pattern matching” device so it wants to find links between what it is currently experiencing and what it has experienced in the past. Maybe we are taking liberties with the term ‘experience’ here and the words ‘processing’ and ‘processed’ would be more accurate – but I think you get the idea.

This remarkable ability of the brain allows us to take short cuts when it comes to perceiving situations and so allows us to function in the world in which we live. It can also lead to problems of ‘misidentifying’ or ‘misreading’ some sensory cues however which is why can get caught out by optical illusions.

Resolves Dissonance

Simply put the difference between what you ‘know’ and what you ‘don’t know’ creates a kind of internal emotional tension. Imagine a rubber band being pulled between your hands. On the one-hand is what you need to learn, the ‘new’ information, and on the other is what you already know. The greater the difference between ‘what is new’ and ‘what is known’ the more tension there is – just like the tension I the rubber band as you pull your hands apart. That ‘resistance’ is what we call ‘dissonance’. If the dissonance is too great the mind may simply reject the new learning or experience. When we learn something we reduce the tension between the ‘new’ and the ‘known’ and so increase our understanding.

Finds Relevance

New information is less likely to be rejected if it has direct, personal relevance or value. Hence interest, desire, curiosity and utility (usefulness) are all important factors in learning.

Develops Competence

The degree to which new information is used or new skills practiced is directly proportional to stick-ability in terms of learning and memory. That’s why practice, rehearsal and some aspects of ‘rote learning’ are important factors. The application of new learning (knowledge) and techniques (skills) is therefore extremely important.

So, having said all of that, what practical steps can be taken to improve personal learning

1) KNOW what you want to learn. To put it another way recall what you already know about a particular topic and decide on relevant and meaningful questions that will take you from what you know to what you want to know. Questions motivate learning!

2) VALUE what you want to learn. Make sure you have a clearly defined reason or personal value in wanting to learn something. That could come from the fact that you’re simply interested or curious or because you need to learn something as a stepping stone to a desired goal.

3) ORGANISE your learning. I’m a big fan of thinking tools like mind-maps to help record what I’m learning when I’m learning it. For most people simply reading new information does not really enhance learning. Reading then turning that information into something different (keywords, bullet points, mind maps, affinity diagrams) is the most effective way of understanding new ideas and concepts.

4) ENGAGE your emotions and your senses in the learning. Be focussed and interested enough to become immersed in the learning experience. We learn by seeing, hearing, doing and thinking. Make sure you create space to see, hear (talk), use and reflect upon what you have learned.

5) ASSOCIATE new ideas with what you already know. Make links between your current knowledge and the new material. Tony Buzan’s Mind Maps are excellent for this purpose, but any form of concept map or flow chart will help.

6) SHARE what you have learned or want to learn. The best way to learn something is to teach someone else. Teaching means you have to explain and explanation relies upon (or tests) understanding. If you are trying to learn about a very technical subject try writing a jargon free, plain English description of it or tell someone who is a non-technical about it.

7) REVIEW what you have learned regularly. Up to 80% of what you have learned will be forgotten in 24 hours if it is not reviewed (revisited). For this reason cramming is not the best way to enhance learning or long term memory. Before starting a ‘learning session’ reflect upon what you know. At the end of each learning session re-read your notes or mind maps; at the end of the day review what you have learned. More importantly revisit your learning on a weekly basis until you feel you really understand what you have learned.

At the end of the day its worth remembering that learning is not always fun but it is about emotional engagemen

The importance of the emotions, as expressed through attitudes, values, personal beliefs and behaviour, cannot be understated. If learning is not relevant, cannot be placed within a meaningful context and lacks emotional connection then it will be difficult to engage the mind.

Having said all of this it must be remembered that learning is something the brain does naturally. It’s really good at it. As individuals we often put barriers in the way of our own learning. Sometimes the barriers come from the expectations and agendas of others (as in school curricula for example) or from our own self limiting beliefs – but that’s for another article.

Alan

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Learning Styles

Over the last twenty years or so the learning to learn agenda has made much of the idea that learners have different styles of learning and that to teach to these styles will actually improve learning. The statutory guidance for teachers from the Government has much to say about V A K learning styles (Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic).

Many teachers have embraced the notion that it is ‘good’ to develop work which supports individual learning styles and of course it does seem to make sense of an intuition that ‘different people learn in different ways’.

Over 70 different models of learning styles have been proposed and few, if any, lack any sound basis in empirical research.

It seems like this blog could be the place to start a discussion about this issue, especially in the light of yet another report which shows that there is no evidence to support the notion that ‘visual learners’ learn best from ‘visual stimuli’ and ‘auditory learners’ learn best from ‘auditory stimuli’.

The key problem seems to be that most of the studies undertaken to test this idea have been flawed in their methodology.  It seems that this ‘nice’, ’simple’ and ‘intuitive’ idea has not been tested scientifically.

I for one have been guilty of perpetuating this ‘myth’, but in recent years I have found myself challenging the overly simplistic approaches used by some schools. It may not surprise you to discover that there are some schools which ’set’ pupils according to their learning styles . This is quite an horrendous idea!

Even if the ‘hypothesis’ that individuals have clearly defined learning styles is correct surely part of an educators role is to work to ‘extend’ the capabilities of their students and not limit them with yet another label! Indeed in one school I visited I heard s pupil remark …. “I can’t do it that way because I am a kinesthetic learner!”

Not a the most empowering of belief systems there then!

The learning style questionnaires that many teachers use are at best overly simplistic and at worst totally meaningless – the results artifacts of the questions rather than offering any real objective assessment of ‘how a student learns best’

Surely the way in which we learn something depends more on what we are learning and the context in which we are learning that some notional ‘fixed’ learning preference… yes, and FIXED is often the way these learning styles are implied as being.

Where a consideration of learning styles IS valuable is in encouraging the teacher to plan a varied diet of learning activities – this is good practice anyway.

The ‘fun questionnaires’ used for ‘identifying learning styles’ are also valuable in promoting a classroom discussion of the different ways we can learn provided that the discussion results in the exploration of specific learning tools and approaches.

Alan

reference:  Pashler, McDaniel, Rohrer, Bjork: Psychological Science in the Public Interest Dec 2009

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-12/afps-lsd121609.php

Other references:

“Increasing Retention Without Increasing Study Time” by Doug Rohrer and Hal Pashler in Current Directions in Psychological Science.http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118000121/abstract

“The Read-Recite-Review Study Strategy: Effective and Portable” by Mark A. McDaniel, Daniel C. Howard, and Gilles O. Einstein in Psychological Science. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122269051/abstract

“Test-Enhanced Learning: Taking Memory Tests Improves Long-Term Retention” Henry L. Roediger, III, and Jeffrey D. Karpicke in Psychological Science. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118597351/abstract

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