Shaping the future of CPD: Adaptive expertise

Editor's Notes

• #2 There are always ways in which we can improve how we do things at events and also how we run our own. I have been thinking about how we can increase:- 1) Our conversion rates – demo requested to booked demos 2) Our consistency of brand and messaging across all events 3) And how we can offer our customers a great experience and support
• #3 Hi everyone, my task was to introduce an intellectual chew stick. Mission accepted. Since the beginning we have been driven by a couple of key themes which I would like to share. They are a bit of fun really. But a useful thought tool. Our other guiding principle has always been, to be involved with and driven by research and evidence. The education system is increasingly moving in that direction, with multiple meta analysis focused on “what matters in education” but some of the data creates more questions than answers. At the highest level. What can I as a teacher do in the classroom to have the biggest impact on my learners.
• #4 This is the EEF toolkit ordered by effect size. Feedback “leads the field” showing 8 months additional progress in a year – yes that’s right. What’s the problem with this picture? Just think of it a world in which feedback was happening; children would be hitting GCSE standard by year 6 or 7. Imagine what this would do for society, for the economy, and most importantly for those learners life chances. Are teachers and school unaware of its importance? I really don’t think so. AFL if not a structured approach to higher order task oriented feedback to from and between learners? Surely every teacher knows about that? Surely we have been on that since 1990? Plenty of time to iron out the kinks and get it into practice? Clearly something is going wrong.
• #5 Given the effect size it strikes me that the route to improvement is simple. Its merely a matter of: Sharing learning goals, involving students in the own assessment, providing higher order, task oriented feedback, activating learners as a resource for each others progress, adjusting teaching on the basis of feedback ad assessment. What do you think there are clearly flaws with meta analysis, but there is a weight of evidence 2) Probably 3) Probably 4) There is not enough money…. Mirage Report... £12,700 Spend per teacher. We can throw lots more money at this and still get it spectavcularly wrong.
• #7 Lightbulb moment…. One piece of reasearch which seems to apply to many areas. John Bransford university of Washington. In this conception we all start as novices and then people can go in 3 directions: A frustrate novice who tries strategy after strategy, never really knowing what has worked or why. A strategy junky A routine expert, who has learned the ropes and can deliver identikit strategies time and time again Or an adaptive expert, who knows what strategy to use, under what circumstances, when not to use it, and most importantly how to adapt it to meet changing needs Education is about change. Perhaps more so than any other sector. Changes of policy, curriculum, learners, staff. We really need teachers to be adaptive experts.
• #8 Whats the route to adaptive expertise. How do we get there? Theres an age old conception that you routinize the basics and then innovate when you have the tools. Gove said much the same about the new curriculm. “all the great composers learnt the notes first and then composed’ But this is untrue, the joy of discovery and creation drove Mozart to learn all the notes! Build routine and then innovate does not reliably lead to routine experts with transferable skills.
• #9 There is some research to support this conjecture. Daniel Schwartz – Stanford University working with 2 groups of students identified that those who had worked collaboratively to solve a problem and then were exposed to theory and practice were more that 3 times as likely to be able to apply their new skill to solve different math's problems. Compared to the control group who were told the method and then tried to solve the problem. I haven't managed to find similar studies on teacher professional learning but Applying the proffessional learning razor I mentioned at the start and a healthy dose of gut instinct I think this is likey true for them too. It does indeed reflect what David Weston said in the key note, comparing school A and B professional learning experinces.
• #10 I believe Exploration, innovation and then refinement as a route to adaptive expertise needs to be built into professional learning programmes in order to see things like AFL being implemented not just efficiently, but adaptively. Furthermore I would venture that an adaptive expert is much less of a flight risk in the profession, this is a person who is invested in change with high levels of personal efficacy. The core theme of this conference. I venture, Building adaptive expertise, is not just good for learners. But the profession as a whole.
• #11 Its interesting how this fits into the extended Joyce and showers framework. There is actually a middle column, where teachers can demonstrate a skill, but then fail to translate (or adapt) this still into routine classroom practice I think this is an area for us to be exploring in our next conference. I hope all of the themes today have taken us on a learning journey. Ive personally really enjoyed all of the contributions. Not just in person, but online too. With that in mind I’d like to hand over to charlotte briefly to announce the winner of our much coveted prize Before you go I would also Like to extend our thanks to some other people who made today happen. Steve Watson and his team at Cambridge All the speakers who have contributed so much Katie, charlotte and Kate from our team for making this conference happen And most importantly you for being our thought partners in this journey. Safe travels and thank you again.