Bitesize Research: A Sense Of Wonder To Enhance Learning

By Jaya Carrier

I hope you’re all having a good week. For this first bitesize post I was really interested to read about ongoing research being done by the University of Lancaster into notions of ‘wonder’ and its role in learning and in schools as reported in the TES.

Objectives: To understand the impact of a sense of wonder in students’ learning

Summary: 

• The writer defines wonder as a ‘sense of puzzlement about something that seems important or interesting’

• Existing research has suggested that ideas of ‘wonder’ can be very powerful in terms of increasing students’ intrinsic motivation and willingness to ask questions. It also shows that a sense of curiosity or a ‘hungry mind’ is just as important as effort and intelligence in terms of determining academic achievement

• As such, the University of Lancaster are currently trying to determine the place that ‘wonder’ has in classrooms at KS2 (with the view to extending this eventually into secondary).

• They are using a theoretical framework which identifies the following strategies for promoting ‘wonder’ in classrooms:

• 1) Be mindful of student’s personal wonder experiences and guide them individually

• 2) Be a role model by sharing teacher experiences of wonder

• 3) Create conditions for exploration and creativity 

• 4) Facilitate ‘meaning-making’ within lesson content

• 5) Stimulate the imagination and creativity within lessons

• 6) Make the familiar unfamiliar - emphasise the wonder in everyday life

• 7) Encourage reflection and awareness

• 8) Enrich experiences through art, technology and nature.

How does this impact me and my practice?: Some reflections arising from this that might be helpful to consider are: 

• How am I promoting ideas about ‘wonder’ currently? When have I seen this in a student’s learning? How did I recognise it?

• How does this link to our ideas about student-centred learning?

• How well does this theoretical framework apply to a secondary context? And to my subject?

• What would I like to do more to promote wonder? What support do I need to do this?

Please do get in touch if you would like to talk further about this - I’d love to hear from you!

Bitesize Research: Student Perceptions Of School

By Jaya Carrier

I hope everyone had a good week so far! This week, I was interested in the reporting of a recent piece of Australian research that looked at students’ likes and dislikes about school. Objectives:

To understand student perceptions of school, including their specific likes and dislikes about it. Summary:

• Previous research shows that feeling positive about school is associated with better attendance and also better outcomes for students. Conversely, strong feelings of dislike about school lead to greater amounts of exclusions and risk of NEET (not in education, employment or training).
• This study surveyed over 1,000 Australian students to look at their feelings and perceptions about school in further depth.
• In a general sense, roughly two-thirds of the students surveyed said they liked school, and one-third said they did not.
• Many of the disliker students suggested that their dislike started when they transitioned into secondary, and this appeared worsened over time, with older students disliking school more.
• School likers and dislikers tended to both prize ‘friends’ in particular. However, school likers tended to like ‘learning’ whereas dislikers tended not to.
• One of the largest disparities between the likers and dislikers was in their rating of ‘my teacher listens to me’ - likers rated this highly, and dislikers rated this at a low level.
• The study suggests that teacher-pupil relationships are a really important part of school experience for both the liker and disliker groups and that this should be an area of focus for future action research.

How does this impact me and my practice?:

Some reflection questions arising from this that might be helpful to consider are:

• What do I know about my students’ and tutees’ likes and dislikes about school? What might be important to know about them?
• How do I ensure that students feel that I listen to them?
• How can I ensure ongoing positive relationships with all students?

If you would like to discuss this further with me please get in touch! I’d be delighted to hear from you!