Building Learning Powers (BLP) is based on research by a man called Guy Claxton who is one of the UK’s leading experts on the development of young people’s learning and creative capacities. We’ve adopted it at Fernhill Primary because it helps our learners become confident, capable and creative lifelong learners. The framework provides a clear picture of what it takes to become a good learner. We believe BLP teaches children how to learn and helps them take ownership and responsibility of their own learning.
Our Learning Powers:
Resilience
- Demonstrate/model sticking at things even if they are difficult
- Talk about how you feel when you are taking on challenges
- Praise children when they persevere and recognise when a child needs to take a break
- Help children to find interests and activities that are really absorbing
- Talk with children about what helps them to concentrate and manage distractions
Resourcefulness
- Encourage questions
- Demonstrate making links between different ideas
- Encourage children to be imaginative and to think outside the box
- Help children to find ways of using resources such as reference books, dictionaries, the Internet
Reflectiveness
- Encourage children to take responsibility by organising themselves – e.g decide and collect what resources are needed for a task
- Ask not what they are doing, but what they are learning
- Help children to think about, and plan, activities
- Encourage flexibility and the ability to change a plan if necessary
Collaboration/Reciprocity
- Demonstrate/model being a good learner and how to make mistakes
- Work, play and learn alongside children, enabling them to pick up good habits through imitation
- Make expectations of turn-taking and cooperation clear
Tough Tortoise: Resilience/
Perseverance
|
not giving up |
|
Curious Cat
Resourcefulness |
being able to use a range of learning strategies and knowing what to do when you get stuck, |
|
Reflective Owl: Reflectiveness | being able to think about yourself as a learner and how you might be able to do this better |
|
Team Bee: Reciprocity/
Collaboration |
being able to learn with and from others, as well as on your own. |
|