Www.journeytoexcellence.org.uk1 OPENING UP LEARNING Self-evaluation Learning Together Resource Learning together resources use carefully selected videos.

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OPENING UP LEARNINGSelf-evaluation

Learning Together Resource

Learning together resources use carefully selected videos of excellent practice

and information from The Journey to Excellence website.

Whilst you watch examples of practitioners and learners, and listen

to the perspective of researchers, you will be encouraged to carry out activities and

put your learning into your practice.

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OPENING UP LEARNINGSelf-evaluation

Learning Together Resource

This resource links with the

Learning Together : Opening Up Learning (2009) publication

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The resource is presented using a slideshow format.

• Slides can be accessed in succession, using arrow keys, through hypertext links or navigation buttons. Hypertext links are live in slideshow format only.

OPENING UP LEARNINGSelf-evaluation

Learning Together Resource

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Who is this for? The pack is relevant to teachers, parents and other professionals working in all sectors and contexts who contribute to the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence.

It explores how teachers, by working together and with learners, parents and members of their communities, can ‘open up learning’. That is, gather evidence on learning and its outcomes, engage in professional development with colleagues,and plan improvements in response.

OPENING UP LEARNINGSelf-evaluation

Learning Together Resource

An asterix* highlights there is additional information in the notes pages of a particular slide.

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ImprovementGuides

VideosActivities

Introduction

OPENING UP LEARNINGSelf-evaluation

Learning Together ResourceThe resource is organised in 4 sections. Each can be accessed individually or in succession.

Additional resources can be found after the activities section.

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Introduction

“Self-evaluation is forward looking. It is about change and improvement, whether gradual or transformational, and is based on professional reflection, challenge and support.” (HGIOS 3, p.6)

This pack draws together themes, features and characteristics of effective improvement through self-evaluation.

For self-evaluation to give an accurate,rounded view, it must triangulate evidence from people’s views, directobservation of learning and teaching, and quantitative data.

The activities and videos in this pack will help you to explore each of the threesides of the triangle.

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VIDEOS

The following two slides link to a sample of clips showing effective practice in opening up learning. These can be viewed online or downloaded. They can be accessed by clicking the school name on the slide. Alternatively, enter the school name into the video search engine on The Journey toExcellence online resource. The clips are also available at iTunes U .

Dunbar Grammar Observe, reflect and developlearning.

Cumnock Academy Learning together through self-evaluation.

Fairview school Reviews that revolutionise.

Cross Arthurlie Primary School Opening up learning through self-evaluation.

Dundonald Primary Personal planning in literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing.

Opening up learning:introductory video

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VIDEOS

Garshake Nursery Building good foundationsfor learning.

Brucehill NurseryEncouraging learning forA younger age.

St Luke’s High School Reflective and effectivelearning.

Minishant Primary School Involving learners in creating their own success criteria.

St Kenneth’s Primary SchoolImproving learning by listening tochildren and young people.

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Improvement Guides – What is excellence in learning?

Promotion of active learning

Learning as personal development

Meeting children's learning needs

Planning the outcomes of learning

Continuous professional development

Being data rich

Developing parents’ support to improve their

children’s learning

The following improvement guides provide information on opening up learning. They are part of a series

available at the Journey to Excellence online resource. They illustrate the difference between good practice

and excellent practice in assessment. They can be applied in any learning context.

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Activities

Activity 1 This activity explores improving learning through gathering learners’ views.

Activity 2

Activity 3

This activity explores improving learning through gathering parents’ views.

This activity explores ways toImprove learning through gathering staff views.

This activity explores ways to improve learning through gathering views from the community.

Activity 4

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Activities

Activity 6

This activity explores improving learning through direct observation. It helps you to apply discussion prompts for practitioners in different contexts.

Activity 7

This activity helps you to evaluate your own approaches in gathering data. It provides clearillustrations of excellent practice in being data rich to improve learning.

Activity 5 This activity explores improving learning through direct observation. There is a focus on active, challenging and enjoyable learning.

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Opening up learning through exploring and using people's views

Learners, parents, staff and members of the community all have important perspectives on learning. Individually each is valuable. Taken together, people’s views can be a major force for innovation and improvement.

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What do learners think?*Encouraging learners to discuss their views about learning with each other and with their teachers, including their successes and disappointments, can provide powerful evidence for self-evaluation.

Activity 1Choose one of the learning improvement guides. How well does your practice in learning match the features of excellence. List your strengths and areas for development below.

Strengths Areas for Development

Discuss with a colleague*Children, young people and adults have daily, first-hand experience of learning and teaching and can be responsive and perceptive when encouraged to express their views.How do we encourage learners to comment on the quality of their experiences? How effectively do we make use of learners’ views about pace or challenge, active learning or learningindependently, to improve learning and teaching?In what ways do we ensure our pupil councils and youth forums discuss learning, its strengths and how it might be improved?

Activities

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What do parents think?Parents provide a distinct perspective on learning and teaching which can help staff to improve learning for young people. Gathering parents’ views on their children's learning helps strengthen the partnership between school and home and reinforces the key role which parents have in their children's learning.

Activities

Case study: Involving parents

Staff evaluated their approaches toinvolving parents in the life of the centre. They set out to engage parentsand children much more in making decisions about what happens in the centre. Staff made innovative changes, including setting up a web forum to talkdirectly with other parents. Parents andchildren now take part in discussing changes in curriculum programmes, staffchild interaction, and in designing spaces. Parents and children have benefited through learning together, being more reflective and being able to ask questions about learning.

Activity 2*Parents’ views are further informed and refined when they are shared with other parents. Consider the case study where a web forum was used for parents to talk directly to parents.

Social media are commonly used by many parents. How might you use it to gather viewson learning?

How will you support less confident parentsto engage in ways feel comfortable with?

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What do staff think?

Activity 3Some establishments and services use a combination of questionnaires, meetings, workshops and working groups to explore strengths in learning and teaching approaches and plan changes to learning and teaching.

Describe the current strategies you use or experience for engaging and gathering all staff views, including partners. You may do this through a mind map or a table like the example below.

Activities

The curriculum and support for some learners may involve contributions from a wide range of staff. It is important that all contributors to a learners’ education are fully involved in self-evaluation and improvement.

Method Purpose Outcome

All staff questionnaires Identify areas for improvement Involvement of all; consensus on priorities for improvement; improved learning and teaching

You may wish to view the filmReflective and effective learning: St Lukes' High SchoolorLearning together through self-evaluation: Cumnock Academy

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What does the community think? Learning experiences that take place in communities can be supportive of each other, and of formal or statutory learning. Members of the community can be both learners and supporters of learning. Their perceptions can add a further important dimension to the process of evaluation.

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2)

3)

Activities

Activity 4*: Involving partners in self-evaluation is not the strongest aspect of self-evaluation. Can you identify 3 ways in which you currently engage partners in self-evaluation. If not identify what you might do and why.

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Activities

Opening up learning through sharing learning and teaching in action

In this section we consider approacheswhich focus on improving learning and teaching through direct observationof learning and teaching in action.

Teachers can increase the depth of their understanding of what makes for successful teaching and its impact on learning through evaluating the quality of learning directly in each other's lessons and learning activities.

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Activity 5

Watch the Cross Arthurlie video Opening up learning through self-evaluation.

Which of the approaches to evaluating learning and teaching through direct observation in your establishment are most effective in bringing about improvement?

Reflecting on approaches to learning in your own context, what variety is there in learning over the course of a lesson, day, or a week? To what extent is learning active, challenging and enjoyable?

Activities

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Direct observations of learning*

Visits to lessons should be part of a formative approach to improvement in learning and teaching. Successful approaches to direct observation of learning depend upon careful preparation and discussion. It is important that learning visits are constructive and focus clearly on outcomes for learners.

Several approaches to direct observation are used including Learning Rounds* and the ‘learning walk routine’*.

Activities

Activity 6: The following prompts may be used for a visit to a mathematics lesson. How might you adapt these for your own context?•The classroom is well managed, resources are well organised, readily available and appropriate. •The lesson has a clear objective and is well structured.•The pace of work is brisk. Young people’s attention and interests are sustained through varied approaches to learning and teaching.•Young people are well motivated and work conscientiously.•Teachers use questioning effectively to; involve as many young people as possible; give young people time to think; seek extended explanations; explore wrong answers; take account of prior learning.•Expectations and standards are high.•Where appropriate, learners develop skills in mental calculation, problem solving, applying mathematical skills in real life contexts and across the curriculum. They use ICT effectively. •Teachers listen to young people and give constructive feedback on oral and written work.•Young people are supported according to their needs. The work is sufficiently challenging for all

young people and they are helped when they experience difficulties.

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Activities

Opening up learning through exploring and using information and data

Evidence about learners’ progress and their success in undertaking the experiences and achieving the outcomes within Curriculum for Excellence will be gathered from various sources. It will comprise information from wherever the learning takes place and across all aspects of learning. Such information is particularly valuable when combined with other perspectives, namely people’s views and learning visits. It forms an important backdrop to enable staff to identify priorities for development within Curriculum for Excellence.

Read and discuss the Improvement Guide Being data rich with your colleagues. Where are you on the journey to excellence in using information and data? What do you need to focus on to improve your own and your school’s/centre’s practice?

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Sharing standards and expectations*

Activities

Click on the links for advice, resources and information on sharing standards

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Additional resources*

Journey to Excellence – Learning and Teaching

Click on the links to go to additional information and resources

Education Scotland – Learning, teaching and assessment

Activities

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