Curiosity and Powerful Learning

by David Hopkins, Wayne Craig, Oli Knight

Curiosity and Powerful Learning presents specific approaches to teaching and learning that we know to be effective in laying the foundations for powerful learning. Ten Theories of Action – four for the whole school, and six for teachers – form the centerpiece of this manual.

The Theories of Action have emerged from observing and analysing explicit teaching and learning strategies in many hundreds of schools. Through this extensive collaboration teachers and school leaders have contributed their practice wisdom to framing teaching approaches that enhance students’ curiosity. This manual identifies strategies for school leaders and teachers that nurture within students an abiding curiosity about their world.

The ten Theories of Action are:
- Prioritise high expectations and authentic relationships
- Emphasise inquiry focused teaching
- Adopt consistent teaching protocols
- Adopt consistent learning protocols
- Harness learning intentions, narrative & pace
- Set challenging learning tasks
- Frame higher order questions
- Connect feedback to data
- Commit to assessment for learning
- Implement cooperative groups.

For each one, Curiosity and Powerful Learning offers a theoretical discussion, case studies and a practical guide to implementing it in your school. There are also tables and forms to help you plan and put the ideas into practice.

The Powerful Learning manuals are designed for teachers and for school and system leaders who are embarked on a school improvement journey. The manuals describe how schools can lift student learning. The steps are drawn from practical experience, tested and refined in schools over time. Also in this series are The System and Powerful Learning, and Leadership and Powerful Learning.

Kindle Edition

Published November 7, 2017

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

David is Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Education, University of London, where he also held the inaugural HSBC iNet Chair in International Leadership. He is currently Education Director for multi-academy trust, Bright Tribe. David is also a Trustee of Outward Bound; Executive Director of the charity ‘Adventure Learning Schools’; holds visiting professorships at six national and international universities; and consults internationally on school reform. He has served three Secretaries of State as Chief Adviser on School Standards and Director of the Standards and Effectiveness Unit. He was also Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Nottingham and was a member of the team that secured the location of the National College for School Leadership there and was later appointed to the College’s Governing Council and chaired its first ‘Think Tank’.

David is an International Mountain Guide and was previously an Outward Bound instructor, school teacher, university lecturer and tutor. He is committed to improving the quality of education for all. His professional interests are in the areas of learning and adventure, teacher and school development, leadership, educational change and policy implementation.

David believes strongly in both personalised learning and ‘whole school’ designs for school improvement. He is committed to helping students achieve the best they possibly can be, being involved at the heart of changes to UK education practice and policy.

David has long experience of leading school improvement programmes and interventions and is recognised as an international expert in the field. Not only has he been researching, developing and writing about the field since the late 1970’s but since that time he has also been leading school improvement projects that have had demonstrable impact on student achievement. Most recently, he has led the transformation of primary and secondary schools in Northern Melbourne as well as elsewhere in Victoria, Australia.

Source: http://davidhopkins.co.uk/