Building Learning Power
BUILDING LEARNING POWERS
A GUIDE FOR PARENTS AND CARERS
WHAT IS BLP ALL ABOUT?
Building learning Powers (BLP) is about learning how to be a better learner. It is about the individual learner, their personal ‘disposition’ towards learning. The BLP ‘capacities’ are a set of ‘learning muscles’ that need to be exercised so that they grow strong. This is something that can be learnt, practiced and improved.
It is a learning culture that encourages children and teachers to become better learners
It allows children to approach difficulties in learning without fear of failure
It allows the children to take small steps within learning
It develops confidence
It is not additional to teaching but should be grounded within everyday teaching and learning
It gives clear labels for the children to use to develop understanding of learning processes.
WHY ARE WE BUILDING LEARNING POWERS?
BLP is allows us to develop a common language for learning across school. The language is used in all classrooms, with all children. This helps everyone talk about understanding learning to learn.
We hope that this understanding will go beyond the school gates, where you will be able to reinforce the ideas by encouraging the children to use their learning language in their everyday lives.
The idea is that the four dispositions are like a group of ‘learning muscles’. Just as we can build our physical muscles with the right kind of exercise, learning muscles can also be developed and can grow in strength and stamina. It is these we are aiming to develop in the children.
WHAT DOES BLP LOOK LIKE?
You may have heard your children already using some of the language that has been introduced in school.
There are four main learning dispositions:
Resilience: not giving up,
Resourcefulness: being able to use a range of learning strategies and knowing what to do when you get stuck,
Reflectiveness: being able to think about yourself as a learner and how you might be able to do this better,
Reciprocity: being able to learn with and from others, as well as on your own.
We have chosen to attach characters to each of the dispositions to help all children to embrace the learning powers.
These dispositions are then split into seventeen learning ‘muscles’ that the children are encouraged to ‘stretch’ within their everyday lessons and activities and apply to different aspects of their learning.
HOW YOU CAN HELP AT HOME?
- Ask your children about their learning muscles they have been using at school.
- Use the language of learning when undertaking tasks at home.
- If your child becomes stuck in their learning ask them to think of what they would have to do at school to get ‘unstuck’.
- Welcome and foster your child’s questioning spirit as much as you can.
- Involve them in your own learning activities. Try to “think aloud” as you try a new recipe or struggle with a bit of DIY. It helps children grow if they see that you too can struggle with uncertainties and cope with them.
SID SQUIRELL TEACHES US ABOUT RESILIENCE
Managing Distractions
Recognising and reducing distractions; knowing when to walk away and refresh yourself.
Perseverance
Keeping going in the face of difficulties.
Absorption
Being able to lose yourself in learning, becoming absorbed in what you are doing.
Noticing
Perceiving subtle nuances, patterns and details in experience.
MOLLY MAGPIE TEACHES US ABOUT RESPONSIBILITY
Questioning
Asking questions of yourself and others.
Being curious and playful with ideas delving beneath the surface of things.
Making Links
Seeing connections between events and experiences.
Building patterns- weaving a web of understanding.
Imagining
Using your imagination and intuition to put yourself through new experiences or to explore possibilities.
Wondering ‘what if…?’
Reasoning
Calling up your logical and rational skills to work things out methodically and rigorously and constructing good arguments.
Capitalising
Drawing on the full range of resources from the wider world- other people, books, the Internet, past experience, future opportunities.
OSCAR OWL TEACHES US ABOUT REFLECTIVENESS
Planning
Thinking about where you are going, the action you are going to take, the time and resources you will need and the obstacles you may encounter.
Revising
Being flexible, changing your plans in the light of different circumstances, monitoring and reviewing how things are going and seeing new opportunities.
Distilling
Drawing on experience, reflecting on the learning and being your own coach.
Meta Learning
Knowing yourself as a learner- how you learn best; how to talk about the learning process.
RUBY RABBIT TEACHES US ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS
Collaboration
Knowing how to manage yourself in the give and take of a collaborative venture, respecting and recognising other viewpoints; adding to and drawing from the strength of teams.
Imitation
Constructively adopting methods, habits or values from other people whom you observe.
Empathy and Listening
Contributing to others’ experiences by listening to them to understand what they are really saying and putting yourself in their shoes.
Interdependence
Knowing when it’s appropriate to learn on your own or with others, and being able to stand your ground in a debate.