SO WHAT IS VISIBLE LEARNING?
When I started teaching- a mere nine or so years ago- I remember being absolutely terrified at the prospect of parents actually being INSIDE my classroom or knowing EXACTLY what I was teaching! I look back now and think 'how ridiculous'! But I was a new and nervous teacher in those days. However, since then, I have worked in schools where parental presence in the classroom was not encouraged and almost frowned upon, and the doors did not seem 'open'. This is such a shame, and for me being a young teacher, it meant I did not fully realise the unlimited potential there is in having transparency and visibility in learning.
I am fortunate now to have worked in schools (including currently) that not only welcome, but INVITE regular and consistent parent involvement in the classroom. Where the 'open door' policy is neither frightening nor threatening. Because- what are we trying to hide? Nothing. We want parent involvement, we want community involvement, and we want leadership involvement. No classroom should be an island, navigating a rough sea of secrecy and fear!
Now more than ever, children are experiencing a broad connection with a global community through the internet and social media. If we have student blogs that make student learning visible, why would our door be closed to real visitors? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realise that students achieve best when there are strong connections between home and school, and in fact the wider community and world also.
So, visible learning in a very simple sense, is just that- visible learning. But it does go deeper than just people being able to "see" what's happening inside the classroom, and I am simplifying one aspect- the literal sense of learning being visible to students, teachers and parents:
"The 'visible' aspect refers first to making student learning visible to teachers, ensuring clear identification of the attributes that make a visible difference to student learning, and all in the school visibly knowing the impact that they have on the learning in the school (of the student, teacher, and school leaders). The 'visible' aspect also refers to making teaching visible to the student, such that they learn to become their own teachers, which is the core attribute of lifelong learning or self-regulation, and of the love of learning that we so want students to value. " Hattie, 2012
So whilst parents are not mentioned in this excerpt, we can see that when learning is visible to the learners themselves, they are more able to make that learning visible at home also.
At my current school, St Joseph's Oamaru, we make everything visible and transparent. This is evidenced through our 'Teaching and Learning Site' (click here) where students, parents and the general public can access our goals, planning, timetables, and in fact all information that is available from a school (that is appropriate to share). There is nothing better than knowing that a previously disengaged student now prints of his timetable and weekly goals each Sunday night, discusses them at home and sticks them on the fridge to refer to and monitor progress throughout the week. Success! That feels really good! And the children are so proud when they can articulate what exactly is happening in the classroom, with their learning, and what is expected of them.
Gone are they days when a parent asks at 3.15pm, "What did you do at school today?' and their child answers, "Nothing." Instead, children are fizzing and parents are engaged. Parents can now initiate conversations with their children about their current learning and support any work that may need finishing at home.
"While all parents want to find ways in which to help to co-educate their children, not all parents know how to do this. A major barrier for these latter parents is that they are often not familiar with the language of learning and schools. For many of them, school was not always the most pleasant experience." Hattie, 2012
So, what better way to overcome such barriers than to make learning visible? That is surely at least the first step in overcoming certain fears or misconceptions. We, at St Joseph's Oamaru, have held several "open mornings" where parents can come into the classes whilst normal programmes are running, and see and experience for themselves what learning is like for their children. It can be a very eye-opening experience for some. For some it is their first experience of "21st century learning", for others, a stepping stone to understanding how teaching and learning operates for their child. Whatever the outcome, it makes learning visible and breaks down possible or perceived barriers between home and school.
When we began to plan our ELS (Engaging Learning Spaces), we thought carefully about how our planned programs would reflect visible learning:
"It is critical that the teaching and learning are visible. There is no deep secret called "teaching and learning:" teaching and learning are visible in the passion displayed by the teacher and learner when successful learning and teaching occurs, and teaching and learning requires much skills and knowledge by both teacher and student. The teacher must know when learning is correct or incorrect; learn when to experiment and learn from the experience; learn to monitor, seek and give feedback; and know to try alternative learning strategies when others do not work. What is most important is that teaching is visible to the student and that the learning is visible to the teacher. The more the student becomes the teacher and the more the teacher becomes the learner, then the more successful are the outcomes." Hattie, 2012
By making our planning accessible to all (teachers included), we as teachers can all not only have a better understanding of "what is going on" in other classes, but can have a real joint ownership in the success and achievement of all children across the school.
It is slightly amusing to look back to only a few years ago, when the thought of sharing planning with students or parents would never have even entered my mind.
Today we had some visitors from another school (teachers), and they were asking the students about how and why this visible learning worked for them- how does having access to the planning, timetable etc. online help you with your learning? I was pleased with what I heard in response; one student who I have previously taught and who can become easily disengaged with his learning, said that he really enjoyed the freedom this "new way" gives him. He said he doesn't enjoy being bossed around (and added in "no offense"- cute!) and that having access to week goals and knowing what he can/should do and when, makes him feel 'free'. I suppose this is his way of saying he enjoys the ownership or agency that the visible learning allows him to have.
Another student, also easily disengaged by learning in the past, told the visiting teachers how knowing what is happening and when, and what will be learnt AHEAD of time made him feel like he knows what he's doing, and he feels more ready for his learning then. This is also the student who prints off his weekly goals and timetable each Sunday night with Mum or Dad. GOLD! And he really is much more engaged with his learning and working for success. And this, after all, is the sole purpose of making learning visible, and giving learners' agency- so they will be engaged and achieve success.
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