1. "The effect of parental engagement over a student's school career is equivalent to adding two or three years to that student's education".
John Hattie (2008) study, Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement
A very warm welcome to The Henry Box School and our Parent Forum on Effective Learning. It is great to be able to welcome so many of you. Effective learning is a partnership between us, your children and you. So we really appreciate your support today. My name is Claire Wells and I am the School Leader for Social Science. I teach Sociology and Psychology in the Sixth Form and Religious Studies to year 9. Today in school we have been learning about how to learn effectively. There has been a lot of research into this in recent years; particularly by cognitive psychologists. As scientists learn more about how the brain and our memory works, they can help us understand better how students learn effectively. So what we were sharing with students today was based on the latest scientific research. In the next 45 minutes I will share the highlights of this with you, give you the chance to talk to some of our students and teachers about how this is working for them, and ask you to think about how you can support your child to learn effectively at home.

2. Last Friday
I would like to start by asking you to tell the person next to you what you did last Friday…… you have 3 minutes….. I am sure some of you remembered in detail what you did last Friday, but if you are like me it may have been a bit of a distant haze. Learning how to learn effectively has become increasingly important with recent changes from modular to linear exams at A levels and GCSE exams. Students are having to learn more detail and retain this knowledge and understanding for two years. I am in my 50s and we took linear exams; but the world has changed for young people today. They are used to a much faster moving world with access to knowledge at their finger tips and gadgets to constantly remind them of what is happening. Most of them are not used to having to retain information for a long period of time.
Please tell the person next to you what you did last Friday…….

3. But we are not just looking at effective learning to pass exams
But we are not just looking at effective learning to pass exams. The more you know… the more you will know…. We want to open up our students minds. Knowledge is like Velcro – more knowledge sticks to it…. And we want our students to go places.

4. Effective Learning Day
Today in School we learnt about:
The foundations of learning
Six of the most effective learning strategies
Two of the most important strategies in more detail; retrieval practice and spaced learning
Today I am going to share with you what we did for 1 and 3 and ask you to think about how you can help support your children to learn more effectively.

5. The Foundations of Learning
1. Present your work well 2. Behave well in class 3. Listen well

6. at The Henry Box School you need to make sure that:
best you can be
To be the
at The Henry Box School you need to make sure that:
All your work in your class book is your best work
You underline your title and date with a ruler
You write neatly in blue or black pen
You cross out mistakes with one ruler line - no scribbles!
Good presentation really helps revision and it gives students a sense of pride in their work.
You make corrections in purple pen
You take care with spelling, punctuation and grammar
You draw diagrams and graphs using a sharp pencil
You glue worksheets into your class book neatly

7. Effective learning can only happen with good behaviour in the classroom. We have three rules: Ready, Respectful, Safe. As teachers we have been greeting our students at the door – and many of us shake hands with our students each morning – which has been great. We are also focusing on telling you when things go well, as well as when things do not go so well. How can you support

8. How can you support your child with these foundations for learning?
And the third thing we talked about was listening – not just being in the room! Sitting up straight – tracking the teacher. I would like to give you a few minutes to chat to the people next to you about how can you support with these foundations for learning at home? I do realise that not all exercise books come home – but that is partly because when we send books home, some of our students then forget to bring them back for the next lesson.
If you have the chance do have a look at their books and encourage them to check their presentation. Poster paper to write on?

9. The Foundations of Learning
Encouraging your child to bring the right equipment to school Making sure your child has enough sleep Encouraging your child to improve on their presentation

10. The multi-store model of memory (Atkinson and Shriffin 1968)
Environment: The environment is the lesson – what the teacher is talking about or demonstrating. Information will pass from the environment to our working memory when we PAY ATTENTION. This is why listening well is so important. If they are day dreaming – they won’t learn anything.
Working memory: Our working memory is where thinking and learning occurs as we combine information from the environment and our long term memory in new ways. It has limited space so thinking becomes difficult if our working memory is crowded. Information in our working memory only lasts for about 30 seconds unless it is rehearsed (repeated). What we THINK about in our working memory is what we will remember in our long term memory.
So in our lessons we try and get our students to think a lot. This is not just about memorising information parrot fashion.
Long term memory: Our long term memory is a vast storehouse of knowledge about the world – both factual knowledge and knowledge about how to do things.
This knowledge lies outside of awareness until we need it and then it enters the working memory. You may not be aware you know 7x7 until you need it to answer a question or solve a problem. It then enters your working memory.
The key to improving our knowledge is PRACTICE. For example if your child reads 20 minutes every day the process of reading becomes automatic. This frees up space in their working memory to think about the meaning of what they read. Continued practice protects against forgetting and this is even better if they space out the practice.

11. All the strategies are evidence based – using the latest understanding of how our memory works. Research into what students actually do when revising is that they cram for exams, and read through their notes – and neither of these strategies is effective.

12. Putting away your notes is key here
Putting away your notes is key here. Most students revise with their books open. We encourage them to add the important points in a different colour.

14. Knowledge Organisers
To help students with this we have produced KO for each term for all students in years 7-9 and we are working on them for years Although in some cases text books and revision guides are more useful. These provide the THRESHOLD knowledge. It is not everything….. And we would encourage students to think beyond this and widen their knowledge and understanding. But it provides the threshold for further learning to take place.

15. Time to discuss how they can help their children with this at home
Time to discuss how they can help their children with this at home. Testing them……checking the LCWC books. Talk to the students on your table. Have a look at their retrieval practice books.

16. How can you support your child with retrieval practice?
Putting away your notes is key here. Most students revise with their books open. We encourage them to add the important points in a different colour.

17. Ask your child about what they have been learning at school
Test your child – you don’t have to know the subject
Ask to see your child’s look-cover-write-check books (years 7-9) and knowledge organisers
They should love the word test!

18. Most students cram… we want a five year revision plan… not a day before revision plan

19. If you were going to enter a football tournament you wouldn’t just practice your goals the day before…. You would do it again and again and again… even when you thought you were perfect.

20. It is not just practice – it is perfect practice that is important…
It is not just practice – it is perfect practice that is important…. Research shws most students just read through their notes….

22. When are assessment weeks?
Year
Start
Finish 7
20 May 2019
24 May 2019 8
18 March 2019
22 March 2019 9
14 January 2019
18 January 2019 10
10 June 2019
21 June 2019 11
3 December 2018
14 December 2018
12/13
21 January 2019
25 January 2019 12
1 July 2019
5 July 2019

23. Reading 20 minutes every day.
APPLY IT!
TIME
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
4-5
Sport
Science
Other h/w
History RS
5-6
Maths
See friends
Scouts
English
6-7
Tea
French
This is just an example. Students will need to adjust to their own timetables – I haven’t added in before school – but I think this is a great time to revise! Emphasise the importance of balancing school work, family time, keeping fit, friends, out of school interests, and part time work for older students. Much revision will be set as h/w but students should be encouraged to do it in a cycle whether it is set or not! Remind them that other h/w may also be set. They need to build in revisiting the revision every week/ month so it sticks in the long term memory. Timetables are useful all year round – not just before their exams.
Parents – time to talk about how you can support with spaced practice at home.
Reading 20 minutes every day.

24. How can you support your child with spaced practice?
Most students cram… we want a five year revision plan… not a day before revision plan

25. Encouraging your child to practice little and often.
Helping your child to plan their practice programme for the week – just like an athlete might have a training programme.
Encouraging your child to read for 20 minutes every day.

26. Parent Forum Feedback
What have you found useful about the Parent Forum today?
Have you got any suggestions for improving it in the future?
Give out postcard for parents to complete