Why are we implementing Building Learning PoweratArkholme C.E. Primary School?

School Vision and MissionInspire…a love for lifelong learningcuriosity and creativityimagination and independenceeach other as individualscollaboration within our communityawe and wonder for God’s world

School AimsAt Arkholme C.E. Primary School we believe in the concept of lifelong learning and the notion that learning should be a rewarding and enjoyable experience for everyone; it should be fun! In order to live out our vision and mission we aim to be a school where:

We unlock everyone’s full potential. We are leaders in best educational practice

Teaching and learning is personalised, creative, challenging and fun

Children are inspired and supported to develop interests and skills both in and outside

school

Positive links with the local community create strong partnerships

A sense of mutual respect, care, and responsibility is shown for everyone and everything in school

Children can contribute positively to a changing society

Everyone in school feels safe, supported, valued and happy

Children are supported to make informed decisions for a healthy lifestyle- physically,

emotionally, socially and academically

Our special Christian identity is demonstrated in the values we share and in the relationships that all member of the school community have with one another.

“The test of successful education is not the amount of knowledge that pupils take away from school, but their appetite to know and their capacity to learn.”Sir Richard Livingstone, 1941

"prepared for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life“

DfE 2013

Learning for life“ not just for a life of tests but for the tests of life”

BLP encourages children to focus on themselves as learners and to realise that they can learn to be good at learning

‘Term on term, year on year, a BLP school breeds young people who are more curious, more willing to take a risk and give it a go, moreimaginative, more creative, more thoughtful, more ready, willing and able to learn with and through others. It’s developing this adventurousspirit that counts’. Professor Guy Claxton

What is BLP?We want our children to be

ResilientResourcefulReflectiveReciprocal

To do this, we need to strengthen their learning muscles – of which there are 17!

ResilientAbsorbedAble to manage

distractionsNotice thingsPersevere

ResourcefulMake linksAsk questions, of

others and themselves

Capitalise on the resources they have available to them

Use their imagination

Reason

ReflectivePlan their learningDistil what they have

learnt and pick out the important or key information

Revise what they are doing

Can identify themselves as a learner, how they learn and what their strengths and weaknesses are

ReciprocityCollaborate with

othersHave empathy with

others and can actively listen to others

Imitate what other people do and learn from them

Make informed choices about when to work with others, and who to work with

What we did

persevere

?take a

questioning approach

collaborate

How do you learn?“The teacher tells you something.”“I read books and look on the internet.”“You make us do things like answer

questions.”“We do homework.”“I learn things by watching some TV

programmes like Horrible History.”“Practice.” “Its good when you get the answer right.”

To get the children thinking about how they learn, I asked them to start their learning log by writing about something they have learnt to do and how they learnt to do it.

collaborate

“I like working on my own –

other people bother me and I can’t

concentrate.”

“I like working with my friends because I know them better.”

“I don’t like working with people I don’t

know very well because I don’t know

them.”

“I sometimes like working with other

people but I don’t like it when people

don’t listen to my ideas.”

Do you prefer working with

others, or on your own?

“I like working with John because

he always knows what he’s doing.”

“I just like working on

my own because

then I can do it my

own way.”

Forest Schools

“I used to just want to do my own thing, but now I like

sharing ideas with other people.”

“I’ve worked with some people I

wouldn’t usually work

with and it was good fun.”

“Its not copying, its imitating!”

“I thought he just messed about, but actually he

worked really well in our

group.”

How do you feel about

Collaboration?

“I was really surprised when they

made me the leader of the group! But I think I was good at it because I

listened to everyone.”

“Everyone is good at something different.”

“I really liked being the expert!

Everyone was listening – that never happens!”

?take a

questioning approach

Observed behavioursCan I have ....? (insert variety of classroom

equipment!)

What do I do with this?Do you mean the thing we did yesterday ?Does ‘force’ have a C in it?What are we going to do next?Are you going to football after school?Is this like a fact file?

?

Questioning Wheel

?

Question BoxRules set by the classCan ask any questionChildren decide if it is

a silly/rude questionIf we don’t know the

answer we will find out.

?

What are you

having for tea?

What is your

name?

Do you like ice cream?

How do you drive

a car?

How are rocks made?

How do you make

chips?

How do staligtites

and staligmites grow?

?

?

?

Learning logs

Questioning

Making links

Capitalising Absorption

Planning

Distilling

Listening

Questioning Wheel

?

persevere

How do you feel when you are stuck?

Frustrated

Worried

Angry

ConfusedNervous

SadJealous of others

How do you feel when you work something out?

Tired

“What was I worried about?”

Relieved

SatisfiedSurprised

DelightedPleased with

myself

Happy

Stuck Strategies

How do you learn?“I ask questions – I

think I’m good at asking questions.”

“I learn from my mistakes

“Having a go.”“By using the

equipment in the classroom like displays.”

“I learn from other people.”

“BEING DETERMINED!”

“I learn by trying different strategies when I’m stuck.”

“By asking questions like in the question box.”

What is building learning powerBuilding up your learning like bricks on a wall.

We know we don’t just learn from you, but we collaborate and learn in different ways.

The four R’s we need to be a good learner.

It makes us better learners.

Being a good learner.

I’ve learnt what those 4 R words mean!

BLP would be a good thing to use across the country. I though you told me something and that’s how I learnt it but actually I have to ask myself questions to keep me learning.

We should start BLP at a younger age so you’re doing it from the start.

It helped me because I thought you were just telling me things. I want to get to the orange so I know I’m stretching my questioning muscle.

I’m persevering in maths more.

I think it has made me a better learner because I really think about BLP and questioning.

It’s made me stronger because it make me really think.

I’m making up my own questions like ‘What should I do next?’

It’s given me more options for what I can do, like when I’m stuck.

What are your thoughts on

Building Learning Power?

SuccessesAttitude to learning improvedIncreased Independence

– no longer see me as the go to person when they are stuck, and are actively engaging in their own learning though independent research, questioning and homework.

The children seeing and commenting on the overlap between the capacities .

“I used maths to present my information in RE. Thats making links isn’t it?”

Homework

SuccessesThe language the children use“I need to persevere at this”. “Oh I forgot about that one, lets revise what

we’re doing!”“I think I use my questioning muscle a lot!”“I think we should collaborate on this.”“RECIPROCITY!”

What can you do at home?Ask your children about their learning muscles they have

been using at school. Use the language of learning when undertaking tasks at

home. If your child becomes stuck in their learning ask them to

think of what they would have to do at school to get “unstuck”.

Welcome and foster your child’s questioning spirit as much as you can.

Involve them in your own learning activities. Try to “think aloud” as you try a new recipe or struggle with a bit of DIY. It helps children grow if they see that you too can struggle with uncertainties and cope with them.