‘Floundering Intelligently’ 15 Minute Forum Wednesday 14 th January 2015

Oxbridge Interviews vs Classroom Learning ‘They asked me things we hadn’t been told’ – preparing to be unprepared The ‘co-curricular paradox’ – are there activities outside of the classroom that require more intelligent floundering?

Unexpected / Unfamiliar Content Thinking Routines: ‘See, Think, Wonder’, ‘The Explanation Game’ Desirable Difficulties (E Bjork and R Bjork): Spaced and interleaved practice Generation (‘having a go first’) also helps to make the mind more receptive to new learning

Keeps pushing learners further Thinking Routines: ‘What makes you say that?’, ‘Claim-Support-Question’ Elaboration: thinking about how new learning relates to something you already know; explaining new learning to someone else in your own words; explaining how new learning relates to your life outside of school; finding a metaphor or visual image that encapsulates the key ideas from new learning. (Helps mastery and memory anyway)

Holistic Approach Nature of expertise: ‘Experts’ abilities to reason and solve problems depend on well- organized knowledge.’ Thinking Routines: ‘Headlines’, ‘Connect- Extend-Challenge’, ‘Generate, Sort, Connect, Elaborate’ The promise of linear exams?

Unfamiliar Audience What opportunities can we find for a ‘real audience’?