Learner Agency
It’s All About the Journey, Not the Achievement
I’ve got some news! This week I received recognition as a Certified Virtual Presenter. Not only am I super proud to be recognised in this way, it also gives me a wonderful opportunity to share this story through the metaphor of The Learning Landscape. Describing my certification as a virtual presenter in the context of […]
Preparing for an Uncertain Future
There has perhaps been no better time to be talking about the nature of challenges. As we begin to think about a “new normal” post COVID19, provides us with a valuable opportunity to understand not only how we overcome current challenges, but also how we prepare to face future adversities. Over the past few weeks, […]
Habits of Mind – Tools for Getting out of a Challenge Pit
Finding yourself in a Challenge Pit is one thing. Succeeding at that challenge by successfully climbing out is something entirely different! Consider the challenges our students are facing at the moment. They might be the usual curriculum challenges. They could be adjusting to online learning environments, or perhaps adapting to life in lockdown. Some students […]
How Different Learners Respond to Challenge Pits
As we explored last week, in the Learning Landscape, challenges are represented by four different types of pits. In schools, we are used to talking about challenges. But particularly at the moment, it’s important to note that from a learning perspective, the only difference between challenge and adversity, is the source. Challenges are typically things we choose to […]
Four Different Types of Challenge Pits
As we move to online learning, both here in Australia and more broadly around the world, the Learning Landscape gives us a powerful way of helping students understand the different types of challenges they are facing. In the Learning Landscape, learning is represented by movement, and challenges are represented by four different types of Challenge […]
The Challenge Pit
“Learning should involve stretch, not strain.” James Anderson Tasks you can complete easily, with little effort, are in your Comfort Zone. These may be things you mastered a long time ago, or they may be new tasks, but they are simply “easy things you haven’t done yet”. The point is that when you’re in your Comfort […]
Developing More Skilful Learners
The Learning Landscape is a powerful metaphor for helping students become better learners. It offers us a way to visualise and understand what skilful learning looks like, and what teachers need to do to help students develop as more skilful learners. In the Learning Landscape, skilful learning equates to the actions students take to move […]
Developing Talented Learners
Students with a Fixed Mindset don’t really “get” learning. From their perspective, learning is a passive process of discovering the abilities that lie within them. On the other hand, the more growth-oriented you become, the more you begin to understand yourself as a learner who creates, shapes and develops their own talents and abilities. As […]
The Learning Landscape: The Metaphor for Better Learning
The Learning Landscape is a powerful metaphor for learning. Students and teachers alike love how it brings learning to life engages learners in the process of learning, and makes learning more enjoyable. But the true power of this metaphor lies in how it helps students develop a more growth-oriented mindset, and become better learners A […]
The Mindset Continuum: Get a Nudge in the Right Direction
Most of our attempts to change students’ Mindsets are failing. Why? Because: 1. We’ve been teaching about a Growth Mindset, instead of for a Growth Mindset We’ve treated Growth Mindset like a topic. We’ve taught people about what it is and why it’s important, and told them they should have one. But that hasn’t worked. […]
