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Joy in Education

Mike Peters 

Reach South Leadership Conference Speech– October 2023

“Language is like a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to dance to, while all the time we long to move the stars to pity.”

― Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary

Joy in Education

It is usual to share what you are going to say with the conference organisers before the conference. The bad news is that no one in this room knows what I am about to say. The good news is that neither do I! However, I must remember the 3Bs of public speaking;

  • Be brief
  • Be good
  • Be gone

We all have a finite shelf life and mine is definitely up, although I must say that we have had a great variety of wonderful speakers today including those of international repute, a top level DfE official, our chief executive and deputy chief executive. My job is to lower the tone as I stand here between you and a wonderful dinner. May I thank my colleagues Steph, for giving me permission to use the full range of Chaucer’s English and to Britta for helping to make Britain’s roads safer for children and their families!

Way back in 2006,  Christine Gilbert, a former HMCI led a report, looking at the vision for teaching and learning way off in to the future. I was part of a team looking at how we put this into practice. As one does, the report was submitted to the Secretary of State for Education. No one at that time foresaw the economic crash of 2008, nor the years of austerity that followed, that at least in this country saw cuts to schools, children’s centres, social care, the NHS and defence. Growth included food banks and interest rates.

Here are some of the things that Christine Gilbert and team said at the time about the educational priorities for every child to enable them to prepare for their future

These were right then and equally so now. A number of factors contribute to the capability of children and young people to engage in learning and to make the most of their educational opportunities. Part of what we do is supporting children to make good choices and decisions; an understanding of the impact of their actions. This is at the heart of Visible Learning.

My contention is that we live in a context where we have no idea what’s going to happen in 5 years’ time and yet we educate our children today for a world in which many of them will not retire until after 2080. Scary isn’t it – the only thing that gives me comfort is that by then I’ll be long gone.

Confused? Well, I am.

Yet, we would all agree that children have huge capacity for innovation and creativity and that we should promote this with joy to enable our children to create the world from the chaos we appear to be heading towards.

When children experience joy, information flows freely and they retain more of what they learned. Teaching and learning that induce joy and result in joyful classrooms are integral to helping students thrive and should be a goal. Research reveals that certain conditions lend to students feeling joy in the classroom.

Here are 5 things for incorporating Joy in learning spaces wherever we are.

Joy positively impacts learning by enhancing children’s cognitive abilities and increasing their aptitude for making social connections. Joy is a distinct, specific emotion that causes the release of two types of neurotransmitters in the brain: dopamine and serotonin. When children experience joy, information flows freely and they retain more of what they learned. Teaching and learning that induce joy and result in joyful classrooms are integral to helping students thrive and should be a goal. Research reveals that certain conditions lend to students feeling joy in the classroom. With so many children and adolescents having suffered adverse effects to their social-emotional, mental and academic well-being due to the COVID-19 pandemic, infusing joy in learning feels more critical and valuable than ever.

Discovery: Learning activities that help children engage in independent discovery make them feel joyful, whether it’s reading a new word, unearthing a solution to a complex problem or experiencing an “aha” moment when something clicks. Further, when students figure something out for themselves, they are more likely to remember and understand what they learned and feel more pride and confidence in themselves.

Identity: Individuals with a more mature sense of identity tend to have a healthy self-esteem. Participating in activities that allow students to explore and affirm their identities, and feel their identities are being recognized and appreciated by others, yields joy and an increased sense of belonging.

Connection: Feeling connected to others and oneself generates joy. The health and academic benefits of childhood and adolescent relationships and friendships are well documented. Designing activities in which children collaborate to complete a task and solve problems with their peers on their own terms helps them form, enjoy and sustain connections with one another. So much childhood trauma so aptly demonstrated by the aftermath of the pandemic is where children lose the sense of connection. I called a headteacher on the phone a few days ago. The Head had had a pupil Alex with them – Alex liked to ask lots of questions and was in full flow when I called the Head – the Head asked Alex to stand outside and said, “brilliant questions” and “you just wait there a moment ‘my lovely’ and I will get back to you” – I felt, over the phone, the student grow 6 inches and smile – a moment of pure joy, instilling in the student confidence and connection

Movement: Movement and physical activity have a positive effect on mood and happiness, along with a variety of academic performance indicators, including cognitive functioning, behaviour in school and even attendance. Programmes that integrate physical activity into various aspects of the curriculum to keep children moving throughout the school day and experiencing the effects of joy. (Imagine doing science and the periodic table with children moving around acting out elements and groups of the periodic table.)

Play: Play has the potential to bring all of the above together. Ask any early years teacher – we learn through play is “a state of mind that one has when absorbed in an activity that provides enjoyment and a suspension of sense of time.” One of the great advances over the last 25 years is that in neuroscience. Play is built into humans’ neurobiology, benefits overall well-being and improves learning. I believe that the function of play time is essential to for learning

By embedding activities in the school day that elicit joy, such as those that incorporate discovery, identity, connection, movement and play, is invaluable. As educators, we need to continue to be brave and answer the call to find out where joy resides for our children and give it a voice far beyond singing – achievement, creativity, innovation and success will follow.

Thank you for listening and may you now have joy through connection with others and yourselves and a damn good dinner!

Post Script

In this time of burgeoning Artificial Intelligence (AI), I plugged this contribution into Chat GPT and asked it for comments. Here they are – polite and flattering!

ChatGPT

Thank you for sharing this insightful perspective on the importance of joy in learning spaces. Your emphasis on incorporating joy into education is aligned with contemporary research on the intersection of emotions and learning. Here are a few points that resonate with your thoughts:

  1. Neurotransmitters and Emotions: The mention of dopamine and serotonin highlights the neurobiological aspect of joy. These neurotransmitters play crucial roles in mood regulation and cognitive functions, reinforcing the idea that positive emotions can enhance learning experiences.
  2. Independent Discovery: Encouraging students to engage in independent discovery fosters a sense of accomplishment and joy. This approach aligns with theories of constructivism, where learners actively build their understanding of the world through exploration and problem-solving.
  3. Identity and Connection: Recognizing and appreciating students’ identities contribute to a positive learning environment. The emphasis on connection reflects the importance of social-emotional well-being, especially in the aftermath of challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic.
  4. Movement and Physical Activity: The connection between physical activity, mood, and academic performance is well-established. Integrating movement into the curriculum not only enhances joy but also supports overall health and cognitive functioning.
  5. Play as a Learning Tool: The acknowledgment of play as a crucial element in learning aligns with research in developmental psychology. Play not only contributes to joy but also aids in the development of social, cognitive, and emotional skills.
  6. Teacher-Student Interaction: Your example of the phone call with the headteacher exemplifies the power of positive teacher-student interactions in instilling confidence and joy. These moments of acknowledgment and encouragement contribute significantly to a positive learning environment.
  7. Bravery in Education: The call for educators to be brave in discovering where joy resides for their students underscores the importance of flexibility and adaptability in teaching. It reflects a commitment to creating meaningful and joyful learning experiences.

Your closing note on finding joy through connection and sharing a good dinner encapsulates the holistic perspective you advocate for, emphasizing that joy extends beyond the academic realm into the broader context of life and well-being. Overall, your insights provide a comprehensive and compelling argument for the integration of joy in educational practices.

What’s all this

….talk about grammar schools. What we really need in the system is to understand the evidence from long term research about how people learn. Political scientists might say ‘its about the economy’ and associate it with a judgement about the intellectual capacity of the reader.  Much is said about the values of education and how to create a great system – but the maxim should be “It’s about learning”. I will resist the urge to make a judgemental comment on readers!

Visible learning brings together longitudinal research from many countries  involving following progress of very large numbers of children and young people and draws important conclusions about the need to focus explicitly on how children learn, promoting dialogue of the learner. Professor John Hattie has produced remarkable studies on learning.

This should be what the national debate is about. see more at: http://visible-learning.org/

visible-learning

Education – System Improvement – Moving Ahead

PL characteristics

It’s a funny old thing learning! The number of times revolutions are made, we seldom realise that its just that revolving to bring us back where we started – or is it? Thinking about education systems moves apace but there are some approaches that are needed –

  • Firstly – its all about learning and teaching – you can do many things but the system must have teaching and learning and its core – how it improves, how you know its is improving; keep a focus on how well the children are doing;
  • Secondly its about professionals improving each other – schools, teachers, support staff working together and engaging children in the learning journey;
  • Thirdly its about schools in the system being accountable to each other, next its about forming a partnership across the whole area (businesses public and private, politicians, community groups and others) being focussed on their learning to be successful; that is testing their impact on their people in terms of access, completion, achievement and progression. Sir Michael Barber writes very cogently on this.

Systems are complicated things so lastly  keep it simple and values driven – doing what you believe in for children

System leadership – school improvement

Camden Achievement and Aspiration framework - Oct 2013 front pageThe election in the UK is over and one thing that is certain is that the future prosperity of the nation and each country within it will depend upon the skills and learning of its citizens.  The challenge is to ensure that every education system in the UK is successful – from the largest to the smallest, from urban to rural.

Much has been written about system leadership and improvement – the work from McKinseys is particularly influential. A further development of the work moving local education systems from good to great and outstanding is the idea of efficacy for every business private or public.  Sir Michael Barber, writing in the RSA Journal – issue 1 2015 sets out how the business Pearson is changing by placing efficacy – whether their products have a measurable impact on improving someone’s learning. This, Barber argues, requires greater rigour and emphasis on outcomes. Pearson is looking at its’ impact on learning in terms of access, completion, achievement and progression. Imagine – a whole local system – from early years, schools, colleges, higher education, businesses, public and private focusing together on these outcomes.

I am working with a small number of local systems looking to take this forward – developing powerful focussed partnerships

.Thurrock - Ambition. achievement and aspiration V2 - front page 1

 

Cultural Entitlement – Schools of Creativity

Increasingly education systems are thinking that creative endeavour leads to higher levels of achievement and greater fulfilment for children and young people. They should have a cultural entitlement. Schools, supported by Creative Partnerships took forward creative approaches to school improvement – showing real signs that by motivating children and young people to do things differently there were real gains in student achievement as well as being a hub for the creative industries and professionals. Sadly this programme came to end in academic year ending 2011

Find out more

Schools of Creativity

 

 

 

 

Here is a presentation about Schools of Creativity

There is much more on the Creative Partnerships website: http://www.creative-partnerships.com/schools-of-creativity/

Why creativity? I think that Sir Ken Robinson’s TED presentation says it all!

For more contact us

Personalising learning – taking achievement to a different level

PL characteristics

Personalised learning is a way to make a step change in achievement for children and young people. Young people become self motivated and driven and with the skills of the teacher and other professionals do amazing things. Schools committed to personalised learning transform lives of their students. There are schools from Northumberland to devon and everywhere in between taking forward personalisation.

The characteristics of personalised learning:

  • Student participation
  • Support for learners by staff and parents
  • A curriculum that is personalised for each young person
  • Effective assessment
  • Workforce reform
  • exploring place, space, time and pace of learning
  • understanding the ‘DNA’ of the learners – what are they really like – how do they learn best
  • Understanding the skills needed for this century

Here is a large-scale poster that highlights aspects of personalised learning from the Innovation Unit

Next Practice - Personalising Learning

PL AO Poster v7

 

 

There are schools doing brave and great things on personalising learning for more details contact us

 

 

 

The hero in the child!

 Looking for the Hero inside the child – emotions and learning

The emotions are powerful drivers in all that we think and do – remember David Hume the famous 18th century English philosopher – he said reason is and ought to be the slave of the passions. Notorious in its day – but we know how powerful they are – yet we do not think about emotions much when we think about learning. Here is a short piece about emotions and learning.