Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Learning: creative approaches that raise standards.
Ofsted have published a report reviewing the use of creative approaches to teaching and learning in schools and the role these approaches can play in raising standards.
The report published on January 15th 2010 reviews the practice in 44 schools both Primary and Secondary all of which were judged good or outstanding in their most recent Ofsted report, specifically in the areas of pupil engagement of learning and curriculum. As well as visiting these schools the report also draws on additional evidence from Ofsted's subject-survey inspections from around 180 schools.
The report recognises that there is not a consistent definition of creative learning but found that it was commonly characterised as:
- questioning and challenging,
- making connections and seeing relationships,
- envisaging what might be,
- exploring ideas,
- keeping options open,
- reflecting critically on ideas, actions and outcomes.
Almost all the successful schools were making effective use of creative approaches to learning because these styles and methods were "characteristic of effective teaching more generally." Being able to incorporate the development of skills such as reflection, envisioning and exploration of ideas was not an "extra" or a compromise in these schools but integral to the core curriculum. The report found, " in schools with good teaching, there is no conflict between the national curriculum, national standards in core subjects and creative approaches to learning."
Both pupil motivation and pupil attainment were improved by creative approaches to learning in the schools visited with the biggest impact being in schools in socially deprived areas.
"Schools in challenging circumstances showed the greatest improvements in a range of areas including working collaboratively, reading and writing, speaking and listening and personal development." Within each school pupils who had previously been struggling benefitted most overtly from creative approaches to learning. "Disaffected or low-attaining secondary school pupils gained confidence and competence in their learning work."
The report identifies the importance of incorporating creative approaches to learning in assessment strategies used by successful schools. "Pupil motivation was reinforced by the awareness they gained from tracking their own progress". An example given in the report of a successful approach to effective assessment describes a school where,
"Pupils’ motivation was reinforced by their awareness of their development, for example by tracing their progress on the rungs of a skills ladder and frequently checking their level through peer-review after presenting their work to the class."
A weakness identified in schools which were less successful in motivating students through assessment was that they had not developed "ways of recording and evaluating pupil development as learners, rather than their attainment at the end of a unit or key stage." The importance of good professional development to support teachers in adopting new approaches is highlighted as essential by the report. "Teachers lack of confidence in working creatively and an anxiety about how such an approach would help them to meet targets characterised the few instances seen of less effective teaching and learning."
Creative approaches were most successful in schools were there was a whole school commitment to creative approaches to learning with strong leadership and good professional development opportunities. Outstanding schools displayed "confidence that the aims and objectives of creative approaches were worth pursing" and demonstrated that "a greater emphasis on pupil independence as creative learners did not imply any lessening of rigour". There was no less planning by staff but often a "degree of management unapparent to pupils."
Alongside this a "whole school commitment to developing and using technology habitually enhanced pupils' confidence and engagement" and as such a key recommendation of the report was for school leaders to "ensure that all pupils develop skills in technology to support independent and creative learning."
The report concludes that creative approaches to learning improved motivation and attainment in the schools visited when used as part of a whole school commitment to developing pupils as reflective and independent learners engaged in understanding, assessing and tracking their own progress.
In the most successful schools, "considerable emphasis was placed on developing skills, especially problem-solving and communication, with pupils able to track their progress and to understand how one level of competence led to the next. .... teachers and pupils understood that the focus of assessment was on the process of learning based on a cycle of presentation, review, reflection and development, leading once more to presentation. They were clear that its purpose was to monitor progression and measure individuals’ achievement and that it should not seem threatening. They saw that the review stage of the cycle should be collaborative, involving peer- and self-assessment alongside assessment by teachers. School policies stressed that the marking of work should balance encouragement with specific guidance on how to improve."
To read the report in full on the Ofsted website click here.