As we’ve explored previously, education is about meaning. But this doesn’t mean that learning should feel meaningful and fulfilling at every moment along the way.
Before reaching a composite task or activity, we need to work with learning conventions, becoming familiar with narratives, honing skills and acquiring vocabulary – all of which will take effort.
If we are to understand complex ideas in meaningful, joined-up ways, there will be points where components will need to be learnt in isolation. Component parts may be taught and learnt in isolation from each other, but isolation is a step on the way to later integration.
It is interesting how we, as teachers, frame meaning.
Framing something as ‘this is meaningful because it will help you pass the exam’ may not be entirely false but sells a cheapened, instrumentalist view of education. Furthermore, it can lead to practices where learning various shortcuts and tricks to pass an exam is more important than letting the subject change, develop and inspire you.
If I just study for a qualification by focusing on assessment criteria, I don’t experience the power of literature to change how I see the world. I might be able to describe the effect a text has on the reader but have not been afforded the opportunity for the text to affect me.
If I can recall historical facts and causes for the periods on the syllabus but don’t know much beyond this, I may never understand the intricacies of historical argument. Nor will I understand the shades of meaning of such loaded terms as ‘empire’ or ‘democracy’ unless I have at least some familiarity with the diverse historical narratives within which these terms are central.
But, there is a place to be taught tips or shortcuts.
Whilst we need a balance, it is crucial that we do not try to understand big ideas all at once, without slowly, slowly building the necessary foundations. Often, this will require the patient practice of skills and facts learnt for a time in isolation from the bigger picture within which they can then be put to work to do their transformative work of meaning-making.
I hope you are enjoying these musings.
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More About BST…
The BST process enables you as school leaders to articulate your ambition for pupils in your school and identify clear processes that will bring this from vision to reality. This approach to school improvement ideas and self-evaluation places ambitions, like empowering school leadership, at the centre of your school thinking. Used wisely, it will complement current monitoring and evaluation work.
There are three versions available; Primary (including Early Years), Secondary (including Sixth Form) and All Through.
If you are interested or would like to find out more about BST, you can find more insight here. Alternatively, you can get in touch with the team directly, and we would be happy to discuss BST with you.