Visible Learning is coming to Room 24

Recently teachers attended a Professional Development in which we discussed ongoing research by Professor John Hattie. John Hattie’s outstanding research involved millions of students and represents the largest ever evidence-based research into what actually works best in schools to improve learning.
 
At Aubin Grove Primary School we have high expectations of our students, academically, socially and emotionally. We deem the success of our students extremely high and encourage students to set goals for themselves. In accordance to John Hattie’s research, the largest effect size on student learning is what the students expect of themselves.
 
With this research in mind, I returned to school and set out to gain the honest opinion of students in our room as to what they believe makes a successful learner. Upon reviewing student responses, many are under the impression that a successful learner is one that; displays ‘good’ behaviour, is exceptionally smart, has a positive attitude and is committed to their own learning.
 
To encompass the success of students, we are taking steps into promoting students to become more accountable for their own learning and teachers to evaluate their own teaching. John Hattie has so named this Visible Learning. Visible Teaching and Learning occurs when teachers see learning through the eyes of students and students see themselves as their own teachers.
 
Year 3 teachers have collaborated class data to identify areas of focus for our students. We agree that progress should be celebrated and that by assisting children in becoming more accountable for their learning, expectations of themselves should be heightened.
 
So how is this going to look in our classrooms?
We understand that is necessary for students to understand what they are learning and why, so we will be using a WALT (We Are Learning To) and WILF (What I’m Looking For) chart for each lesson. WALT & WILF will also be used to target specific outcomes, for example “We are learning to: Use capital letters for nouns and sentence
starts”.
 
Assessment is the measure of student progress and understanding. Visible Learners will be provided with the tools, such as checklists and rubrics, to plan for their assessment. This will ensure that students are aware of what is expected of them, as well as allowing the opportunity to reach their own personal goals.
 
Punctuation Wall: We have established that student punctuation and grammar is a specific area for improvement across Year 3. The Punctuation Wall is not levelled by ability, however, it will provide students with a visible prompt to include correct punctuation within their writing.
 
Our Maths Targets: This student self-assessment tool will be incorporated across the school. The Maths WALT will be displayed above the Target Chart and students will be invited to move their name to the colour that matches their level of understanding and confidence. This self-assessment tool is not at all influenced by the teacher. Students that feel extremely confident within a specific task are expected to be able to coach their peers, while students that remain unsure of the task at hand will work closely with the teacher/peer until they feel confident in moving to the next colour.
 
We are aware that these progression charts can be daunting to some, especially those that face difficulties in grasping concepts. It is for this reason that we continue to build a safe environment for our students. The concept of Visible Learning is not just to acknowledge success, but to celebrate progress, as without progress -there will be no achievement.
 
If you have any questions, concerns, or queries about Visible Learning, please do not hesitate to contact me. I hope that you too, see the benefits in assisting our children into becoming independent, accountable learners.

 Visible Learners can:
• Articulate what they are learning and why
• Explain how they are learning and the
strategies they are using
• Identify the next step in their learning
• Understand assessment tools and their
meaning
• Ask questions and clarifies
• See errors as learning opportunities
• Seek feedback