26: Professor Bill Lucas: Constructing learning environments where students THINK, FAIL and TRY again

Accountability measures for teachers, pressures of inspection, and narrowing curriculum options are collaborating to foster competitive classroom environments where educators may indeed be forced to teach to the final outcome, the exam and not to the benefit of the learner or their community. 

Exams can be passed, it requires sustained practice over time and technique, none of which amounts to deep learning where students encounter a journey rich in problem solving, cross curricular excitement, creativity, innovation and above all autonomy of challenge.

But how do we construct learning environments where students think independently, fail and try again through sheer determination and grit to succeed?  Bill Lucas Director of the Centre for Real-World Learning and Professor of Learning at the University of Winchester shares his experience of teacher research groups to divulge his discoveries of fostering rich environments for learning.

Together Bill and I discuss thought-provoking ideas on engaging learners as co- architects in the development of their own learning.

Episode take-aways:

·         Developing rich professional learning communities for schools

·         Constructing safe CPD opportunities for teachers to develop strategies for experimental learning

·         Being brave and honest about the true importance of education