'Learning without Limits' Programme
Cheshire Academies Trust and Cheshire Leadership and Teaching Alliance provides a sustained and carefully designed professional development programme underpinned by some of the best international ideas, research and evidence from around the world. This includes from Cambridge University, Learning without Limits research team, Harvard University with Expeditionary Learning, and the research of Todd Rose, and Standford University with ideas and evidence from Professor Carol Dweck, Professor Jo Boaler and the Visible Teaching research by Professor John Hattie.
This learning network brings curriculum leaders together, with a collegiate desire to explore what might be possible when a whole school staff, acting together, commits themselves to creating an environment free from limiting beliefs about children - and themselves as expert teachers and educators.
The sessions are called ‘close to practice’ units as all research based ideas can be applied to real classrooms with real teachers/educators.
The vision of the Learning without Limits programme is that we can:
- Develop expert teaching with energy focussed on planning high quality learning based on what great teachers do, including child engaged assessment model, deeper instruction and curriculum design.
- Focus on classroom culture that offers challenge within lessons so that children develop the dispositions to work at the very limit of their current understanding;
- Introduce a suite of Protocols, rituals and checks for understanding that elevates all teaching and supports them as dynamic assessors;
- Provide feedback about learning that is kind, specific and helpful that builds motivation to approach new learning in a very powerful way;
- Harnesses the ‘peer effect’ so that an ethic of everybody together is established and embedded;
- Introduces an expanded notion of achievement that includes, mastery of knowledge and skills, producing high quality work, as well as character;
- Understand the psychology of change so that school leaders encourage the growth of inventiveness and openness to new ideas;
- Look beyond the limits of our own localities to incorporate current international research into pedagogy;
- Engage with others’ in a collaborative project to explore and develop a deeper understanding of what human educability means – and improve schools.
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Learning without Limits Close to Practice Unit |
Key focus |
Date |
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Session 1 |
Overview of Learning without Limits Curriculum – Expeditionary Learning Child-Engaged Assessment Expert Teachers (7Cs) |
Dec 9 2021 |
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Session 2
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Learning and the Brain Leading in a Culture of Change Coaching. |
Jan 20 2022 |
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Session 3 |
Child–engaged assessment model Assessment inside children’s head - standards Evaluative feedback to the teacher Crafting high quality daily learning targets – feedback Formative assessment strategies – what are they for? Whole class feedback Rubrics / success criteria |
March 10 2022 |
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Session 4
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Learning with Mick Waters Twilight session |
May 24 2022 |
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Session 4 |
Curriculum Design history and background powerful projects case study use legacy outcomes. Planning priorities for back in school |
July 1 2022 |
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Session 5 |
Memory, Retrieval and Cognitive Load (with Rosenshine’s Principles) Strategies that support primary aged children. Link to child-engaged assessment Protocols revisit Planning priorities for back in school |
TBC Term 6 ot Term 1 next academic year |
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Session 6 |
Child-engaged assessment model and Checks for Understanding The other elements to the model and the power of the ‘peer effect’ and its links to 7C’s expert teaching. The MITA project – Maximising the Impact of Teaching Assistants – reducing dependency and the ‘isolation effect’ Planning priorities for back in school |
Sept 2022 |
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Session 7 |
How LwL and Expeditionary Learning comes together History of Expeditionary Learning Classes in courage reading EL Principles Mindset EL Core Practices – exploration Planning priorities for back in school |
Nov 2022 |
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Session 8 |
Understanding EL approach with more depth Snake sequence to understand projects x 6 film clips and note taker GO, GO, MO protocol Aligning the 4 LwL principles with the snake sequence Crew reading from Centennial EL school Crew meetings film Planning priorities for back in school |
Jan 2023 |
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Session 9
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Expert Teaching and 7C’s with Active Management in the classroom Planning priorities for back in school |
March 2023 |
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Session 10 |
Calm, Alert and Learning – understanding how to optimise behaviour for learning Looking through the lens of disadvantage Planning priorities for back in school |
May 2023 |
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Session 11 |
Embedding formative assessment The influence of Professor Stobart The use of models, what is happening in school? A sequence for learning - Lesson Design (EL education) The 7 C’s related to teachers as assessors Planning priorities for back in school |
July 2023 |
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Session 12 |
The Myth of Average Myth of fixed ability 10,000 hours of practise Multipliers LwL research team – reading ‘Developing teaching free from ability labelling’ Revisit Hattie evidence and transforming learning capacity Mapping backwards the learning journey Success requires an understanding about what success looks like – visible learning The place of mistakes Checking to ensure understanding The criterion of continuity Planning priorities for back in school |
Sept 2023 |
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Session 13 |
Review of our learning - film Personal reflection of the learning during the year Fox tool based on personal reflections to plan 2023+
CAT Festival of Collaboration ??
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Before 2024 ? |