Translating Learning

Research into the Design

of Innovative Learning

Environments

David Istance, OECD

January 2012

OECD project “Innovative Learning Environments” (ILE)

Dual focus on learning and innovation central to current agendas

ILE aims to inform practice, leadership and reform through

analysis and exchange on configurations of learning for children

& young people, by:

1. Understanding the Lessons of “Learning Research” 2008-

2010 (helping to bridge the „great disconnect‟)

2. Compiling & Analysing “Innovative Cases” (Main pool

around130 cases, plus 40 of these looked at through case

studies): 2009-2012

3. Growing and sustaining innovative learning - “Implementation

and Change” Strand – starting now

“The Nature of Learning: Using Research to Inspire

Practice” OECD Publications, Sept. 2010, 338pp.

‘The Nature of Learning’: 2

• Leading experts from Europe and N. America invited to contribute

• Summarised the large bodies of research on their subject in an accessible way, and…

• …identified key conclusions to inform the design of learning environments

• OECD authors (Dumont and Istance) provided scene-setting and final summary/reflections

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‘The Nature of Learning’: 3

7. Technology and Learning

Richard Mayer

8. Cooperative Learning & Group-work

Robert Slavin

9. Inquiry-based Learning

Brigid Barron & Linda Darling-Hammond,

10. The Community and Academic Service Learning

Andrew Furco

11. The Effects of Family on Learning

Barbara Schneider, Keesler & Morlock

12. Implementing Innovation: from visions to everyday practice

Lauren Resnick, James Spillane, Goldman

& Rangel

13. Future Directions

OECD (Istance & Dumont)

1.Analysing & Designing Learning Environments for the 21st Century Hanna Dumont & David Istance 2. Historical Developments in the Understanding of Learning Erik De Corte 3. The Cognitive Perspective on Learning Elsbeth Stern & Michael Schneider 4. The Crucial Role of Emotions & Motivation in Learning Monique Boekaerts 5. Developmental & Biological Bases of Learning Cristina Hinton & Kurt Fischer 6. Formative Assessment Dylan Wiliam

Chapter 13: Conclusions – the „principles‟

The research suggests that learning environments should:

• Make learning central, encourage engagement, and be where

learners come to understand themselves as learners

• Ensure that learning is social and often collaborative

• Be highly attuned to learners‟ motivations and the importance of

emotions

• Be acutely sensitive to individual differences including in prior

knowledge

• Be demanding for each learner but without excessive overload

• Use assessments consistent with its aims, with strong

emphasis on formative feedback

• Promote horizontal connectedness across activities and

subjects, in-and out-of-school

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Re-expressed in more familiar educational terms

Learning environments should be:

• Learner-centred: highly focused on learning but not as an

alternative to the key role for teachers

• Structured and well-designed: needs careful design and

high professionalism alongside inquiry & autonomous

learning

• Profoundly personalised: acutely sensitive to individual

and group differences and offering tailored feedback

• Inclusive: such sensitivity to individual and group

differences means they are fundamentally inclusive

• Social: learning is effective in group settings, when learners

collaborate, and when there is a connection to community.

Some observations, issues and tensions

• Some (e.g. Wiliam, Slavin, Mayer) stress that it is not the activity itself (e.g. group-work or formative assessment) but effective practice of those activities – not ‘treatments’ or behaviours

• Some (e.g. Barron and Darling-Hammond) stress dependence on demanding professionalism. What to do when well-trained and organised teachers are absent?

• Some (e.g. de Corte) stress context-dependency for learning. Does this rule out general guiding principles?

• Mix of approaches in coherent wholes vs impact of particular practices (treatments)

• What are appropriate evaluation methodologies for deciding the potential of innovations to inspire practice elsewhere?

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LEARNING

Dynamics and Organisation of Learning

Environments – the ILE framework

Learning leadership

‘teachers’

resources

learners

content

Learning activities – how close to the ‘principles’?

Evaluation and assessment:

transforming learning information into usable knowledge

Information about learning

activities, learners, and

outcomes

Learning Feedback

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In sum, effective learning environments will:

• Promote the principles through the pedagogical and assessment approaches and learning activities

• Involve active learning leadership – distributed agency creating learning aims and identifying the strategic means to achieve them.

• Display well-developed capacity to gather information on learning and transform it into actionable formats (assessments)…

• … and use effective feedback practices for getting such information back to learners, teachers and the learning leadership.

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Framework informing ILE „Implementation and

Change‟

In addition to addressing how to:

1. Create and sustain effective learning environments (applying the ‘principles’) – holistic micro learning level

Analysis and exchange of innovative practice around:

2. Approaches to improve alignment of the technical core (the learning environment) and the organisational environment(s) in which it is located

3. Approaches for developing the ‘meso level’ - learning-focused networks & communities of practice

4. Exploring macro level strategies & approaches to build capacity, create conditions, and stimulate innovative learning at the micro & meso levels

Thank you!

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