Working with schools and trusts has taught me a very valuable lesson.
There’s almost *no point* in talking about improving teaching practice without one key thing:
A *shared mental model* of how people learn
Why is this so important? Let’s break it down...🧵
There’s almost *no point* in talking about improving teaching practice without one key thing:
A *shared mental model* of how people learn
Why is this so important? Let’s break it down...🧵
Comments
Our mental models guide how we *see* situations, i.e. what we notice and interpret.
Very different mental models of how learning happens = very different conceptions of great teaching.
This is an issue when-
We spot very different problems!
A shared mental model means we're likely to align around the same problem of practice.
This aids coaching conversations AND school improvement.
Now we have something to drive towards...
Teachers can't get behind goals they don't believe in.
They need to understand why something might be beneficial for student learning (since that's our ultimate goal!).
A shared mental model...
The teacher understands the problem they face and can get behind their goal!
If we share an understanding of how people learn, we can have rich conversations with teachers about the problems they are experiencing and how to improve.
And finally...
Still hoping you might make it down in June…
My hunch at the moment is that this is incredibly varied across staff.
Thanks. 👍